#i generally disagree with the idea that the warhammer-

[agbpaints]

A convo @novusimperialis and @is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not were having in the notes of my post on how the CapCon are doing reminded me of an old bugbear I had with a Tex video

[bnbc]

Lets continue, 7 and 8

you're spoiling me with questions today, thank you!! these two questions go well together, so I'll answer them as a pack xD

7. Are you or are you planning to go Dogmatic, Iconoclast, or Heretic? // 8. How much does your RT buy into the Imperium's dogma? What do they agree or disagree on?

I call Isabella 'Iconoclast Believer' because she swung between two ideologies till the very end, and was rewarded with 'served none but her protectorate interest' in the end, which is fair!

She believes in the 'Emperor protects' with her whole heart while she also knows that Emperor works through the hands of His faithful so just sitting n praying won't give you any good, you better work bitch.

She had her share of Dogma indoctrination (tysm Astra Telepathica) so her head is a mix of what she was taught and what she has witnessed, and the latter is very important. She saw enough people who violated imperium law: some for the greater good, some out of corruption, some in between. Isabella was both a beneficiar and a victim of their actions, and by the way, no higher power came to strike them down.

So this brought her to the idea that what she does is between her and the Emperor that what matters is what you want to achieve, that labels mean nothing but people matter, and that everyone deserves a second chance. A liberal in my Warhammer 40k? Well…

She has a line, tho. Like she believes that agreements with some xenos could be beneficial for Humanity while saying HARD NO to anything related to Chaos. Mutants (especially psykers) could and should be integrated into society and treated like normal citizens, but only if they have enough control so as not to pose danger.

When her own child manifests Isabella makes sure she is properly sanctioned, then uses her influence to claim her for the dynasty. (Also it's time to give the poor kid a name so she'll be Gloria in honor of adept Mossmore, Iza's fisrt iconoclast icon)

Isabella had constructed an image of an all-expanse-saviour-and-protector over the years but in fact, she's quite pragmatic. But she still fucks up on her 'second chance' and 'people matters' ideas sometimes, and in post-canon even brought one of the newly reclaimed worlds to the edge of Exterminatus (just don't repeat lord inquisitor's mistakes by inserting a rykad minoris reference here xD)

But in general, she would wish to endless war to stop. She belives in trade supremacy and wants a retirement.

[contentloadingandstuff]

Genshin Impact - Combat tierlist

Okay, I think I'm gonna trigger some people, especially those that read the entire lore with this ranking.

Don't worry, I'm working on the requests. I just had this idea while playing TW: Warhammer 3, and I wanted to share it. It's not proofread more than one time, so forgive me if it turns into too much of a drabble.

Before I get into the tierlist itself, I want to say a few things first. For one, I'm not looking at the gameplay stats for characters. The fact that, for example, Yanfei can get sick numbers on screen doesn't instantly mean she is a good fighter in Genshin's reality. Second - every character has their moments. The fact that Ningguang threw a bunch of large Geo projectiles (with quite a lot of effort for sure) at the sea gods doesn't mean she can do that consistently. And last: it's only my own opinion. I didn't read every character story or every weapon description, so I might miss a few important details.

Also, remember that a lot of Genshin's events and stuff in general doesn't make logical sense, so please take the quests with a grain of salt.

The characters are in no particular order in every tier except Decent/Meh. Those are sorted from "decent" to "meh".

I used Fatui Skirmishers as reference, as, among all the common enemies, they pose the greatest threat.

Anyway, don't hesitate to disagree (or agree). Hope you enjoy.

Absolute Beast

This character is a very powerful warrior, both experienced and proficient with their weapon and elemental powers. They could take on god-like beings with a high chance of victory, so even large grups of Skirmishers will be no problem.

Good fighter

This character is very familiar with their weapon, and has used it on numerous occasions. They are experienced in combat, and have a decent chance against smaller Skirmisher squads.

Decent/Meh

These characters are not green when it comes to fighting, but their skills leave some to desired. They can hold their own against a max of two or three Skirmishers, and have a chance of defeating them.

Self-defense

This character can use their Vision to protect themselves or deal a little damage. They aren't warriors, or don't need fighting in general. They prefer avoiding direct conflict wherever possible, and will pull their weapon out only when pushed up against the wall (or to flex). If faced with two Skirmishers, they would likely make a run for it. 

Trash

This character carries a weapon to use only in the darkest hour, or against the weakest enemies. They aren't proficient in using neither their equipement nor Vision. There is a possibility they will live through an encounter with two larger slimes, or a single shielded Hilichurl.

Aloy

Nobody likes Aloy.

Now, some explenations for the characters that I think need them.

As far as I know, Venti didn't actively participate in the Archon war, and overthrew Decerabian with others' hands. He still has the power of an Archon, even if it's the second weakest among them.

Miko got rusty over the many years of idling away at the shrine.

Scaradook doesn't match up to the Puppet when it comes to fighting skills, as he was the failed one and so didn't recieve the right programming.

It comes down to raw power with Noelle and Itto, which is very important in hand-to-hand combat. Noelle also has a strong shield on her side.

Nahida is the youngest and weakest Archon of the Seven. She manages to win thanks to her intelligence and resourcefullness, but, when it comes to basic strength, she has much to work on.

If I recall correctly, Yelan said in one of her voicelines that she isn't really strong. Her Vision isn't really powerfull as well.

Ganyu would have been a great warrior 500 years ago, but five centuries of just paperwork eroded her skills significantly. As far as I know, she doesn't actively train or seek out challanges to keep her level.

Gorou is higher than Sara, because he is more of an executor of Kokomi's orders, while Sara fills the roles of commander and general in equal measure. Yet both of them aren't that great personally (Sara sent out others because she couldn't hope to take on the Traveler herself, change my mind). Sara and Gorou fight alongside a team of dedicated bodyguards (or at least the should - every general in the medieval times had their own guard). They also picked the worst possible weapon for close quarters. Sara can't fly (her wings are damaged), but even if she could she wouldn't do it. Being in the air makes you really vounarable to incoming fire. Sara isn't really strong as well, since her body is slimer and lighter than Gorou's as a Tengu.

Klee is there only because she wields explosives with decent effect.

Bennett is on this tier because he is quite fit and experienced. Yet he is really lucky indeed to still be alive, with all those coincidental fights he gets himself into.

As for Ayaka... forget the entire recent event, the one with a Maguu Kenki fight at the end. It's really dumb. You're telling me that a girl as small as Ayaka, in a dress, could take a three meter murder robot wielding two elements? Also, why would the Yashiro... nevermind, why would anyone allow her to go and fight it alongside the Traveler? As far as I know, Maguu Kenki are still malfunctioning robots. It could easily strike her down with a single swipe.

Remember Shinobu's hangout event? Yeah, she survived the encounter only because of the Traveler. Even as little as two ronin would likely be too much for her and her noodle arms (a single blocked hit from these guys could knock her off-balance easily. I mean, just look at how buff they are). Her Vision isn't the strongest of the element, especially that she hurts herself to heal others. That line about Shinobu's anger is a joke for sure.

Yanfei is a lawyer, not a warrior. She likely never practised combat. I mean, she just kind of throws Pyro at her opponents without a shadow of a techinque. Even though Madame Ping is her mentor, the Adeptus wasn't a fighter herself, so it's unlikely she taught Yanfei how to fight back. Yanfei also doesn't leave Liyue Harbor that much (the Chasm quest was another one of those absurd situations), so she probably isn't interested with learning how to fight.

Yao Yao has a polearm, most likely the lenght of a standard double-handed sword. Don't tell me it's anywhere near effective.

Thanks!

[27lands]

Rimworld 1.6 Daydreams

So, last night I was wondering what would make a great addition to a hypothetical future Rimworld DLC, and ended up coming up with a whole bunch of ideas that I figured I might as well share here. Feel free to tell me what you think in the comments, and suggest your own ideas about what the purely speculative “Rimworld 1.6” should add to the game!

(Disclaimer: I am not a sicko; I do not think that electroshock therapy, painful executions or any of the unethical things mentioned here are in any way funny IRL. This is all meant to just be speculation, and if you disagree with anything mentioned here on moral grounds, that’s entirely fine. However remember that Rimworld is a story generator, and very often the best stories can come from gritty, serious subject matter. I like to think that there is just as much potential for lighthearted, fun storytelling in this imagined DLC as there is potential for warhammer-40K levels of immoral dystopian lunacy. Like with biotech and ideology, it would all depend how you wanted to play it.)

My imaginary Rimworld DLC, which I think would be called Psychology, could include the following:

A character editor that allows you to customise the age, sex and backstories of your characters before starting a game, but not their skills, traits or health. I don’t really like to use the character editor mod these days, because you can use it mid-game to give your pawns ridiculous buffs, and I always end up giving into the temptation sooner or later, which really spoils the experience for me. A base-game character editor would, ideally, not be accessible once you loaded into the game, and would also put more limits on the kind of characters you’re allowed to create with it. 

More traits that affect character behaviour and create the possibly of new, dangerous mental breaks, such as suicidal, (causes random instances of self-harm when mood is low) apathetic (quarters move speed, manipulation and eating speed) or cruel (mental breaks are always either insulting sprees or social fights)

A fluid system of trait acquisition; characters can gain or lose traits after certain events or mood. So a character might gain the nervous or neurotic traits after the first few raids or animal attacks. If they are forced to kill many people over a short period of time, they might acquire the psychopath or bloodlust traits. If they work as researchers for long enough, maybe they acquire the academic trait. And if their mood gets low and doesn’t change, then maybe they acquire the apathetic or suicidal traits. 

A better prison system incorporating a simplified form of psychiatric care; you can arrest a colonist or capture an enemy, and select “offer psychiatric care” in their prisoner tab. This allows you to select certain traits to be removed or added to this character. Those assigned to wardening will then attempt to offer psychiatric care to this prisoner, slowly accumulating “points” until eventually the prisoner is brought around to your way of thinking; basically the same way research or VE psycasts’ meditation works. Certain personality traits require more points to remove or add than others, with adding most useful (like sanguine) or removing the worst, (like slow learner or suicidal) requiring the most points. 

A system by which colonists are considered guilty after certain mental breaks such as insulting sprees or berserk rages, which allows them to be detained without affecting colony mood.

New craft-able and buildable items that can speed up psychiatric care, like therapy couches, special soft walls that can’t be attacked during mental breaks, and straitjackets that reduce manipulation to zero to prevent prisoners harming each-other or themselves. 

A way of automating psychiatric care, conversion and recruitment using a device caused an electroconvulser. Electroshock therapy is much faster at reducing will,  resistance and certainty, and continually generates psychiatric care points while the colonist is in bed, but also has a risk of causing burn damage, which scales with time. 

Splitting the “warden” work type into a “counsellor” and “guard” work types, with counsellors performing psychiatric care, as well as delivering food, converting and recruiting, while guards wait outside cell doors to prevent prison escapes, escort prisoners and perform executions. 

Hallucinations! This would be a big one; when characters consume certain drugs, there is a chance of them triggering a hallucination; a mental state similar to a sad wander, except it gives positive mood buffs with weird flavour text, like “the sky is such an itchy green” or “man, who saw where that pig went?!”

New builds for execution, such as guillotines and electric chairs, as well as more painful constructions, such as iron maidens or stakes for burning people.

New, non-lethal weapons, parodying those added in Vanilla Weapons Expanded, such as anaesthetic guns or tasers, allowing you to safely control prisoners. 

Ideology integration, with precepts that make colonists prefer either counselling, electroshock therapy or no care at all, and which increase the speed of their preferred method when incorporated into your colony’s ideo. Other precepts are added regarding execution, with some preferring painless methods like guillotines and electric chairs, while others prefer more painful methods like the iron maiden. Still more precepts either make your colonists neutral towards hallucinations or exalt them; flavour text suggesting that they believe hallucinations are messages from spirits, gods, archotechs, etc. Perhaps these precepts could be integrated into existing memes; maybe individualists prefer no psychiatric care because of their whole “free expression” thing, while collectivists prefer to make people conform with counselling, and gestalts use electroshock therapy to force compliance at any cost. Ideologies with the “guilty” or “pain is virtue” memes are the only ones that prefer painful methods of execution, and perhaps buildables like the iron maiden can only be unlocked by having these memes. And of course, ideos with “high life” as a meme would consider hallucinations exalted; greatly increasing both their chance of occurring as well as tripling a pawn’s psychic sensitivity afterwards. Maybe also certain traits, like elder or greedy, are gained after colonists acquire certain ideological roles? 

Biotech integration, with new genes that code for particular traits, making mods that add such genes effectively redundant, and maybe also adding unique xenotypes characterised by these traits, such as cruel goblin people and kind faeries, along with maybe a few cosmetic genes that add to these races’ aesthetic (pointy ears and faery wings, etc). 

Royalty integration, with special neurotrainer devices that code for certain traits, which can only be acquired through quests to help or betray the empire. 

I don’t play with anomaly, so for all you anomaly players in the comments, suggest how any of the above could be integrated in a fun or unique way!

[thirteen-jades]

22, 29, 43, 45, 51, 56, 57, 60 (referring to video games), 71, 80, 96.

22. Favourite food & drink

I love meat. I did this sticky steak stir fry thing once that was wonderful. I should do that again. Orange chicken is really nice too, but just… juicy meaty meals in general are my favorites. Pretty much the only things I drink are water, lemonade (American), and apple juice. Mostly water.     

29. What are your hobbies?

Writing, video games, and D&D, mainly. I do school/research stuff too but those aren’t really hobbies.

43. Describe your dream home

I don’t really think about this sort of thing much, to be honest. My apartment is small, basically undecorated, and built for one. I’d not mind living with or near friends, but I kinda like that. Maybe I should get around to decorating a little, but my living spaces tend to be spartan. Good news is that if those living with me want to decorate, I’ll rarely dispute it.

45. Your personality type

I guess “quiet nerd with an autistic bent and a Troubled Past” is probably a good wat to put it. People are a little stressful sometimes, and there’s some dark stuff in my personal history that colors my personality, but I do have friends I love deeply and have more or less recovered from the worst of it. So I can be pleasant, if a little grim sometimes, and I get really excited about the things I love, like physics and engineering and fiction.

51. How would you describe your style?

In practice? I haven’t bought new clothes in ages and literally still have shirts from middle school. I guess “comfy, low-key, and black” is probably mostly accurate. Ideally? Dramatic.

56. Favourite aesthetic?

Favorite is hard to say, as I have a great many aesthetics I hold dear, often in conflict with each other. I really like mechanical and kinda bulky stuff, but I don’t feel that really totally conveys the thing. Some of the mechs from Battletech are really great, and the Meklar from the MoO reboot. A lot of fantasy stuff is really nice too. Regal or royal looks are nice, if they’re not ostentatious, and big plant cities are lovely too. Cybernetics are excellent. Mashups are cool too, things like magical cybernetics, or plant creatures with mechanical components. “Unusual” eyes are one of my favorites, be they digital/computer/robotic, dragon/snake-slit, cat eyes, oddly colored, or what have you.

57. A popular trend that you dislike

I dunno if it’s a “popular trend”, but I don’t like how many people are prone to making sweeping generalizations of people they don’t like and attacking people for things that absolutely do not matter. I still staunchly disagree with e.g. making fun of Trump’s appearance, or mocking someone who happens to be both autistic and a neo nazi for their autistic traits.

60. Favourite genre? (Video Games)

Hard to narrow it down to one. I guess broadly speaking I like games with significant roleplaying options, but there’s a wide variety I love. Hard to find the common thread between things like Total War, Quake, Battletech, Code Vein/Dark Souls, and Shadowrun: Dragonfall.

71. Which fictional character is you?

Outside of some of my D&D characters, it’s hard to say, honestly. I feel like I struggle to find that many that I totally relate to, if perhaps because I often struggle to recognize the “main points” of my own characterization. If you’ve got any ideas though, either for what sort of a character I’d be or any that fit me, I’m always open to suggestions.

80. What video games have you played? Which one's your favourite? 

I’ve played a lot of video games. Starcraft, XCOM, Battletech, Total Warhammer 2, Code Vein, Dark Souls, Minecraft, Shadowverse, Quake, Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005), Endless Legend, Civ 4, Transistor, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Deux Ex: Human Revolution, Doki Doki, Fallout 3/NV, Diablo, FTL: Faster Than Light, MoO 2 and the reboot, Metro 2033, Shadowrun Returns and Dragonfall, Skullgirls, Knights of the Old Republic, Starbound, Path of Exile… probably more, but I’m forgetting them offhand. It’s hard to pick a favorite; there’s been many I’ve loved dearly.

96. Be a hero or be a villain?

Spooky side character that knows things she shouldn’t, is ambiguously aligned for much of the story and works with the hero out of convenience. Over the course of the story it’s revealed that I have utterly alien goals and morality, but nonetheless try to avoid hurting people I don’t have to. Says something ominous right at the end of the story and vanishes into the night sky, hinting at some greater plot yet uncovered. By the time all’s said and done you’re still not sure whether I’m a good or bad guy, or what my deal even is/was at all. The place where I vanished from smells faintly of chemicals.

[fuukonomiko]

Hey there. I was gonna start trying to rp on tumblr in the warhammer community and I was wondering if you had any tips?

Hello Anon! Apologies for the late reply. Mun had fallen asleep while putting some munchkin to bed :-PAnyway, welcome to the RP community!I’m no expert on RP since I’ve only been doing it less than two years but I’ll share some wisdom (?) that I’ve picked up from what I’ve been doing.

1. Have an idea on what kind of RP you want to do. You don’t have to settle on specifics as you would find over time that your tastes and styles will change. But generally do know what kind you would like to indulge in. Do you like action? Drama? Angst? Fluff? Only because some folks who RP prefer one over the other, OR they are better at one rather than another style. Like me? I can’t write action so it makes sense for me to not RP that much or if at all. Some folks are more canon-adherent, some are more flexible. 

2. Reach out! Me and Spero ( @fox-n-clocks  ) can promote you all we want, but not everyone is going to see that. So go follow folks, send them asks or DMs or prompts. Some you would see on their blogs that they are looking for new RP partners. Let them know you are willing to plot! Others wouldn’t mind the direct DM for plotting, and some would. Introduce yourself first and see where it goes! A good majority of RP folks here are very friendly and would welcome you with open arms.

3. Read their rules. If you have specific folks in mind you want to RP with, check out to see if they have rules. Most people who have the, have them for a reason. They may have had bad experiences in the past which is why they have them. Not everyone has rules either.

4. Have your own set of rules.Mostly because if there’s something you prefer not to deal with (smutting, shipping, violence, gore etc.,) it is best you give folks who do want to RP with you a heads up. Needless to say you don’t want to make each other uncomfortable down the road.

5. Respect your fellow RP player, and in return they should respect you. This goes without saying. Not everyone you ask is going to say yes.You may encounter one RP player that you really, really want to RP with and yet they turn you down. Maybe their slots are full, maybe they have real life issues, maybe they don’t feel your character would jive well with theirs. Regardless, do respect their decision. BUT they should always respect yours as well! If they want to, and you don’t because of (see reasons above), they should respect your choices as well! You don’t have to RP with every single person out there who asks. Anyone who gives you crap for not wanting to RP with them is a bullet you are lucky to dodge.

6. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Entering in to an RP relationship is like any relationship…friends, roommates, neighbors. Your RP partner can’t read your mind, unless they’re Magnus the Red and if he is RPing please tell him his psycho of a fangirl still exists. So do tell them if something bothers you, if you want to change up the plot, the pace etcetera. Communication is key to ANY relationship.

7. MOST IMPORTANTLY, HAVE FUN! That’s what RP is for! :-) If you’re not having fun, then something is amiss and you have to step back and see what it is. It’s NOT supposed to be a chore. Enjoy your world of escape, because, let’s face it, a lot of the times that’s what we’re here for, yes? It’s okay to take breaks, its okay to not reply right away, it’s okay to not to be comfortable with certain topics! 

If anyone else would like to contribute to my insanity (or if you disagree, go ahead! I am not the guru of anything here except maybe for smut. MAYBE.), please feel free to add on!

[edxnwood]

2. WALK OF PUNISHMENT

( a few days later, astapor )

IT WAS A BRIGHT AND SUNNY MORNING, seagulls squawking, the sky a bright, cloudless blue, and the smell of the ocean was quite comforting. But men were chained to posts, blood streaking down their tanned chests, their heads supported by the collars attached to the post behind them. "The Walk of Punishment is a warning, Your Grace," Barristan tells the Targaryen as they walk past them.

"To whom?"

"To any slave who contemplates doing whatever these slaves did," he explains, and they stop at one of them. "Give me your water," Dany holds out her hand to Jorah, but her violet eyes were stuck on the young boy, how his dark skin made the red of his blood even redder than normal.

"Khaleesi, this man has been sentenced to death," he gives her his water pouch nonetheless. She takes it and walks up to the slave, "Here, drink." She holds it up to his lips, waiting for him to take a sip of the cool water, but he just shakes his head at her. He wants to die quicker than he's already dying.

"Leave this place, Your Grace," Barristan calls up to her. "Leave this place tonight, I beg you."

"And what is she to do for soldiers?" Jorah asks.

"We can find sellswords in Pentos and Myr," Barristan replies as Dany walks down the steps, her silver hair fluttering in the wind. "Is it we already, Ser Barristan?" Jorah remarks, already taking to offense that this man, who they barely knew, just showed up and tod Dany that he wanted to be on the Targaryen's side again. He could have been sent by Joffrey Baratheon to end Daenerys' life. "If you want to sit on the throne your ancestors built, you must win it," Jorah calls up to her. "That would mean blood in your hands before the thing is done."

"The blood of my enemies," Dany retorts, handing him back his water sack, "not the blood of innocents." She walks off, her blue dress a beacon for Jorah and Barristan to follow.

"How many wars have you fought, Ser Barristan?"

"Three," the older man answers.

"Have you seen a war where innocents die by the thousands?"

Barristan shakes his head, quiet. Jorah remains silent as well, and Dany knew what he was doing. He tried to prove a point that innocent people will get killed, whether she's behind it or not. "I was in King's Landing after the sack, Khaleesi," Jorah begins a story. "You know what I saw? Butchery. Babies, children, old men. More women raped than you can count. There's a beast in every man and it stirs when you put a sword in his hand. But the Unsullied are not men. They do not rape. They do not put cities to the sword unless they're ordered to do so. If you buy them, the only men they'll kill are those you want dead."

"Do you disagree, Ser Barristan?"

"When your brother Rhaegar led his army into battle at the Trident, men died for him because they believed in him, because they loved him, not because they'd been bought at a slaver's auction," he remarks. Rhaegar. Trident. Those two words that made Dany's mind go back to the moments in her sleep where she dreamt of his death. A large warhammer came crashing down upon his chest, rubies flying out of his armor, and men scrambling to get as many as they could hold. Blood dripped from his mouth as he whispered a woman's name. It was in those moments where she would stir in her sleep and mewl, and Loki's arms would wrap tighter around her and tell her everything's alright. "I fought beside the last dragon on that day, Your Grace. I bled beside him."

"Rhaegar fought valiantly," Jorah speaks up. "Rhaegar fought nobly. And Rhaegar died." And Rhaegar died. Flashes of her dream came up again. Suddenly she wished for Loki more than anything, her heart palpitating in her chest, beating a beat so hard against her chest that it was a little hard to calm her breathing, disappointment settling deep into her bones. She should've chosen her husband over the baby and her husband.

"Did you know him well, Ser Barristan?"

"I did, Your Grace," this makes Dany happier. She was talking to someone who actually knew her brother. "Finest man I've ever met."

"I wish I'd known him. But he was not the last dragon." They are walking closer to the temple, where large gold Harpy sat on its roof, watching over the men, women, and children that walked in and out its doors.

( inside, astapor )

"All?" Missandei asks. "Did this one's ears mishear, Your Grace?"

"They did not," Dany answers, standing in front of Kraznys, Missandei, and another man she's caught the name of, Jorah and Barristan flanking her sides. "I want to buy them all." Missandei translates, and Kraznys makes a wise remark about how Dany can't afford them, saying how she thinks she can show them her body and make them give her what she wants. "There are eight thousand Unsullied in Astapor. Is this what you mean by all?"

"Yes. Eight thousand. And the ones still in training as well."

"Master Greizhen says they cannot sell half-trained boys. If they fail on the battlefield, they will bring shame upon all of Astapor."

"I will have them all or take none. Many will fall in battle. I'll need the boys to pick up the swords they dropped."

"Master Kraznys says you cannot afford this. Your ship will buy you one hundred Unsullied because Master Kraznys is generous. The gold you have left is worth ten, but good Master Kraznys will give you twenty." What they didn't know was that Dany understood everything he said, but is saying nothing, a plan already forming in her head as to what she would do. "The Dothraki you have with you. . . The Dothraki you have are not worth what they cost to feed, but Master Kraznys will give you three Unsullied for all of them." Dany looks up and sees slave girls listening in to the conversation. "Master Kraznys asks how you will pay for the remaining 7,877 Unsullied."

Daenerys' eyes come down from watching a young girl, "I have dragons. I'll give you one." While Missandei translates, Jorah's eyes watching his queen in horror, wondering why she would give this man, a man who seems to have insulted her many times, a precious thing. A very powerful, precious creature. "You will win the throne with dragons, not slaves, Your Grace," Ser Barristan tells her.

"Khaleesi, please." Dany doesn't say anything but instead walks towards Kraznys.

"Three? Dragon?"

"One," she seethes.

"Two."

"One." Kraznys sits up and begins talking to Greizhen, where they begin to agree on something and Kraznys begins telling Missandei what to translate. "They want the biggest one."

"Done." When Dany turns around to walk away, she gets an idea and looks over her shoulder at the masters. "I'll take you as well. Now." She faces her entire body to Missandei, seeing her head perk up. "You'll be Master Kraznys' gift to me. A token of a bargain well struck."

( outside, astapor )

"Khaleesi, a dragon is worth more than any army," Jorah tries to persuade her to go back on her word, but she says nothing of her plan, wanting to keep it a secret until the last minute. "Aegon Targaryen proved that," Barristan seconds. Too bad I'm not my ancestor then, Dany thinks, and faces her body towards her advisors. "You're both here to advise me, I value your advice, but if you ever question me in front of strangers again," she becomes agitated, "you'll be advising someone else. Is that understood?"  

"Do you have a name?" Dany asks the translator beside her.

"This one's name is Missandei, Your Grace."

"Do you have a family? A mother and a father you'd return to if you had the choice?"

"No, Your Grace." Finally, Dany found something else that she and Missandei had in common besides being pushed around for most of their miserable lives. "No family living."

"You belong to me now, it's your duty tell me the truth."

"Yes, Your Grace, lying is a great offense. Many of those on the Walk of Punishment were taken there for less." So now Dany had an idea as to what those slaves did for getting chained up, beaten and left for dead. Her heart ached for those. "I offered water to one of the slaves dying on the Walk of Punishment. You know what he said to me?" Missadei's head cocks towards Daenerys, silently telling her she had her full attention. "Let me die."

"There are no masters in the grave, Your Grace."

"Is it true what Master Kraznys has told me about the Unsullied? About their obedience?"

"All questions have been taken from them," Missandei replies, her hands clasping together in front of her. "They obey, that is all. Once they are yours, they are yours. They will fall on their swords if you command it."

"What about you? You know that I'm taking you to war. You may go hungry. You may fall sick. You may be killed."

"Valar Morghulis."

"Yes," they walk under an underpass. "All men must die. But we are not men."

[derkastellan]

Musings: Fanboys...

I hope I don’t come over as a negative nelly in general, I have to admit coming from a culture that likes to criticize. A minor sample maybe, but in the heady days Google+ (which was quite a boon for roleplayers in general) I was part of a discussion where a bunch of grumpy Germans complained that our American friends tended to hype even rather mediocre products over the moon - and would avidly defend their makers from criticism.

I even forgot the name of the product - a copy-cat imitation of the Forgotten Realms (themselves not the most original product at times) for Savage Worlds. Ah yes, Shaintar. Found it. I remember one reviewer quipping that the map only contained equidistant cities. A bit of a cardinal sin for making a varied map.

I come to this from two recent experiences - trying out Monte Cook’s Numenera and then reinstalling Torment: Tides of Numenera to play it after it sat there for two years or more, unfinished.

I like Numenera for its setting, but I think the game system is seriously overhyped among its fans. It tries to codify how the GM interacts with the story into meta-gaming with the players, and it does so poorly, and it at times tries to solve the wrong problems. Basically, “GM intrusions” are meant to make the game “more interesting” but the first thing they came up with in the original edition was to say “well, your sword breaks in the middle of combat.” And they have been struggling with finding a better way to express it since. Taking the Narrative by the Tail is another product failing to do so.

Now, over time “GM intrusions” (and now: “Player Intrusions”) have evolved by people using them. If you like the idea of giving the players a bit of a story choice the system is workable but frankly to me it just messes with the natural flow of GMing a game and pacing it well. Also, by now reddit provides many decent examples of GM intrusions and help for many other of Numenera’s issues. Of which there are plenty. The game tries to be not as crunchy (and definitely not as combat-oriented) but it only gets there halfway. It is neither a good/pure story game nor does it truly leave its d20 roots behind. It leaves many areas poorly defined - like what is an action, what is a saving throw/free roll? It’s wishy-washy language and omissions make several focus descriptors and powers in the game something the GM has to research online or figure out for themselves, when really these should have been properly game-designed given they made it into the core book of a game. (And 2nd edition, at that! Does all of this truly get play-tested?)

You wouldn’t know this from reading through the internet. Some people are over the moon about this game as if it set them free from some imaginary shackles. You would at times this is a gift from the gods to players and GMs alike. I guess if you only ever played D&D and clones before this might be true (somewhat), but there are so many other RPGs out there just as good or better. Don’t get me wrong: Numenera is a solid, enjoyable experience. But it’s also at times clunky and not exceptional as a game engine.

Its setting is exceptional , though. It sometimes relies a bit on fridge logic, but is interesting, fascinating, full of potential, and encourages many play styles from regular dungeon fantasy to horror and even to building your own settlement. The game is well-supported and there are some gems for it. (And what fridge logic you ask? You have had at least one galaxy-dominating previous culture on Earth but it just left the Numenera of these other civilizations untouched, even though it must have surpassed all these other civilizations? This does not compute... There are several of these in this game.)

And therein, I think, lies the rub. You see, when people tend to fall in love with something - the feeling of being freed from some rules-lawyering shackles maybe, or a great setting, they tend to view the whole thing through rose-tinted glasses. Even things worthy of critique.

There is another game where I experienced this, a game in comparison to which Numenera shines but has some similarities with. Shadow of the Demon Lord. It is another attempt at a lighter version of a D&D-like game that sells itself through its setting. What lured me in was them claiming they had a rich and varied set of classes customizable into 64 variations that was somehow similar to Warhammer Fantasy RPG (which I had not played at that point, but 4th edition I’ve discussed since...).

Numenera and SotDL have indeed something very much in common. They both allow you to select from a big set of character building options to build very narrowly defined, one-trick pony characters. Have a few powers from the same theme but not many, definitely too few to build a varied toolbox to solve problems with.

For Numenera I realized this when playing Torment: Tides of Numenera. You quickly realize how few powers and variations you have thereof in a computer game.Both the CRPG and the tabletop try to explain that limitation away by de-emphasizing combat, or claiming to do so. Fact is, tabletop Numenera has slews of interesting, captivating, and visually brilliantly depicted enemies that feature everywhere in the game, so combat, while not directly rewarded, is as much a feature of the game as in D&D almost. You don’t publish 350+ pages (Ninth World Bestiary 1 & 2, beautiful products!) worth of monster manual without intending the GM to use it... but as varied as these might be, your character is not. 

The one-use cyphers and artifacts then serve to give you the missing problem-solving capabilities and to vary your approach, but think about it for a moment. If the GM hands out a cypher befitting your problem, how is that different from playing a point-and-click adventure on tabletop? Figure out where and how to apply the solution. A puzzle. Often in D&D your wizard, cleric, druid, etc powers can become tools expanding the ways in which you solve things your own way. Given the limits of your class builds items become their replacement in Numenera. And frankly, I’m quite okay with that! (Though it becomes very unconvincing in the generic Cypher System spun off from Numenera and The Strange.) By which I mean, at least you have something here to build a toolbox, albeit a temporary one, from. (And after all, didn’t most of the powers a character could really rely on in old-school D&D come from their gear?)

Shadows and Demons and... oh Lord, why?

In comparison, SotDL character feel ... just limited. I quickly discovered how poorly balanced the game was when running it for a few levels with my players. When you don’t optimize the build for the fighter type, you can’t get into the heavy gear early and the rogue became, by no special virtue of the player, the main damage dealer. The wizard and cleric types had very limited spell selections, and the wizard was the better healer by virtue of being able to get into additional spell schools. The wording of many powers was confusing and I had regular rules questions for the web community without satisfying answers.

The choices you make during character evolution hem you in, forcing you to live with your limiting choices, they do not expand your character, at least it doesn’t feel this way. There may be 64 variations, but they are all very limited in scope, making characters of very limited capability. The poor balancing between basic classes and the unsatisfying rules made me switch the group to 5th edition D&D, and we never regretted that in comparison. 

But again other people reacted in general very differently to the game, and maybe that was due to liking the setting. You see, I didn’t like the setting and did have a very different game in mind. (And now they are releasing a version basically doing the same. A bit late for me, but maybe they want to expand away from their original buyer base.) 

But people may have very well liked the dark fantasy, horror, grim vibe. And if you’re into that, maybe it delivers for you. I can’t tell. I honestly can’t. I do know however that the game was well-supported with a slew of expansion books and adventures, giving people plenty to chew on. And I think that combination of setting and support plus some hype gave many people reason to like the game. (And it is a lighter engine, no doubt, if you prefer that kind of thing. I usually do!)

Wherein I actually try to make the original point

And that’s what I’m getting at. It’s hard to put out your own view of these games without running into people who behave like fanboys. And I am actually happy I only was disagreed with emphatically, but not in a hateful way. It just annoys me that people want to ignore a game’s failings because it also has strengths. Do a few things right enough and you will attract people who will see no wrong.

Now, Steam’s binary rating system (recommend/do not recommend) doesn’t help with videogames for example, but when seeing that Torment: Tides of Numenera has by now a “Mostly Positive” rating one has to wonder. The game is mediocre at best, really buggy, and short. But I have to admit because of its setting and aspirations of living up to a much better game, people to tend to give it a lot of credit where little is due. Admittedly my opinion, but you can find many well-reasoned, well-written scathing reviews of the game.

Yet people have by now elevated it into “Most Positive” where “Mixed Ratings” would serve it just right. Neither good nor all bad. But somehow how people would like to feel about it, or people wanting to push the genre, or people getting it for less money erased over time all the controversy of unfulfilled promises, bugs, or its other failings. (I reviewed it here if you are interested. I will say no more.)

Criticize what is improvable, love what’s great. I might even give the new SotDL spin-off a try. I am sometimes very critical of games but I always hope for a lot. And I wish these games were fixed and improved upon, not left in the state they are. I wish there would be a better edition of Dungeon Crawl Classics because the game could benefit from a coherent feel and vision, right now it’s a mess, but a lovable one. I wish there were improved versions of both the games I discussed here at length because I like well-supported games, and these issues are fixable. (And sadly, you can criticize computer games all you want, but few are fixed. I’m happy that some publishers listen and Pillars of Eternity, Divinity: Original Sin, and a few others got better sequels.)

Frankly, I might like playing Numenera with 5th edition rules better, and they offer that. While this is another hype money train everybody wants to get on, if done right, it can work. 5e is a solid, robust system, and while delivering mostly one kind of experience, it does so very well.

What I’m saying is that all games are improvable. New editions can be made, compatible even with older ones. D&D had 3rd edition superseded with 3.5 for good reasons. Numenera: Discovery balanced the basic classes better in terms of powers, it was quite apparent that they tried to avoid players making un-hittable jacks or glaives spamming the same moves all the time. Games evolve and they should. By making Numenera: Discovery pregens for a Numenera 1st edition adventure I realized how subtle the changes were and started to appreciate them.

Just dare to call a horse a horse. While I prefer peaceful fanboys over the trolling kind, there’s no reason to spare improvable games criticism. And all games are improvable!

(And to be fair, Numenera does a lot of things right. It’s mechanic to reduce a roll’s difficulty to 0 and thereby avoiding it is a very worthy addition to the role-playing catalog. It rewards skillful stacking of advantages and makes players feel they have reliable competence at their hands like no d100, d20, or 3d6 system can imitate.)

[ouchmaster6000]

@pantmonger

I don't know what you mean by "heads are minimal effort" Are you talking about GW making female heads for Space Marines?

If that's all you care about just mod them with female heads from other minis.

As for "your what-aboutisms are vapid." I disagree.

You admit that the reason that bringing up the SoB is a false equivalence because Space Marines are the poster faction, but why does that HAVE to be the case. Why can't Sisters of Battle share that role? Why can't any of the Xenos factions get their own poster faction like the Imperium does?

Theres a reason you don't see people asking for female Orcs, female Daemons of the Khorne, Tzeench and Nurgle factions or even female Custodes (who are canonically stronger than Space Marines) And if GW weren't constantly favoring and promoting Space Marines over the other factions, I doubt as many people would be asking for them.

And as for the Sisters stats being weaker than the Space Marines, well, if you don't care about changing the lore, why not change that? Give the Sisters more weapons, powers or abilities to balance out their lack or raw physical might. Give them their own "primaris marine" equivalent that's as strong as or stronger than your average Space Marine. Mess with the lore to make them cooler, stronger and more appealing to play.

And release more books, video games and other media focusing on them. And do the same with the Eldar, Slaneesh and Sisters of Silence (seriously there's a whole other female only faction that gets almost zero content.)

In regards to the whole "it's impossible to make female space marines" being a dumb argument, I agree to some extent. But here's the thing: if there was an in-universe way for female space marines to be made, do you think the Imperium would really do it. Do you think the Imperium would want their brainwashed superhuman soldier to be falling in love? The Imperium wants the Space Marines to be loyal to the Emperor above all else and complete their mission above all else, romance blossoming on the battlefield would get in the way of that.

And yes, I know that gay space marines could be a thing, but gay people irl only make up less than 5% of the population, I don't see why that would be any different in the Warhammer verse. Gay Space Marine couples are probably a rare problem but an ultimately inevitable one, wheras straight space marine couples would be a huge one, but entirely preventable.

And although the lore has been rather unclear whether Space Marines are sterile or not, if they aren't, they definitely don't want space marines getting pregnant or forming families.

It's worth noting that in one of the novels, Malcador, the Emperor's right hand man, said that he warned the emperor that the primarchs should have been sisters, not brothers, as he felt their would be less rivalries and in fighting. And though I disagree with his reasoning (women can be just as petty and vicious towards each other as men) it does seem to imply that while the idea of all female space marines was a possibility, the idea of the mixed gender space marines never once considered, probably for the reasons I mentioned.

And yes those reasons are very reminiscent the same BS argument against having women in the military irl (though not EXACTLY the same since space marines don't ever retire and are a modified subspecies of humans) but that's the thing, the Imperium aren't good guys. You say "Bigotry within a fictional setting, that is not challenged within that fictional setting is no different from real world bigotry" but the Imperium are genocidal religious fanatics who want to kill all Xenos and anyone they consider a "Mutant" or "Heretic". Not every Imperium citizen is inherently bad but the Imperium is established established in universe as being run by evil bigots.

Finally, you wrote this as a Q&A a message for "generic white guys" and I'd like to point out:

1. Change that to "generic black girls" and you'll hopefully realize that labeling any race or gender as "generic" comes across as rather rather racist/sexist.

2. I have no idea what race has to do with any of this. Even if it's not always reflected in the art (and it should be), Space Marines recruit from countless worlds with countless ethnicities. Salamanders and white scars are black and asian respectively

3. You'd be amazed at how many male gamers, including those who aren't fond of the female space marine idea, actually like tough, scary and badass women. Like, I'm a straight cis dude, and the two main factions I paint and play are Chaos and Dark Eldar. The latter is almost entirely male, save for the the Slaneesh Daemons, and the latter is second only to the Sisters of Battle in having more female minis than any other faction (since, ya know, Sisters of Silence have very little minis in the first place) But I enjoy the Chaos Space Marines and Dark Eldar for what they are. They both have their own aesthetic and tone.

Same with age of Sigmar. Aside from the Daemons, my favorite factions are Daughters of Khaine (all female, save for the the doomfire warlocks) and Sksven (all male) I love them both and feel no need for more brothers of Khaine or female Skaven (the former change would actually make them less appealing, I like that their all badass murderous Dark Elf ladies)

I don't personally play imperium, since I prefer Chaos and Xenos, but if I did it would have to be either mechanicus or sisters of Battle as they are two imperium factions I love the mosr (I find the loyalist marines rather boring.) I'd also LOVE for Chaos to get a fallen sisters army. I'd be among the first pick them up.

You seem to think anyone who isn't fond of the idea of female space marines is a sexist dudebro who just doesn't like strong female characters in gaming in general, and while there are certainly some players like that, your gonna find some toxic assholes in any fandom or subculture out there, I don't think that represents the entirety or even majority of fans who have those sentiments.

Personally I responded to this not because I hate the idea of women in warhammer, but because I actually love a lot of the female focused factions and would prefer they get more minis, representation and lore. I also just so happen to think Space Marines work better as a male only faction (but also wish said faction could get less focus and move aside to make room for other factions.) Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

Women Space Marines, one generic white guys FAQ

or the same 3 BS questions I get asked every time. Why do you want them? Short answer: Because representation is important. Much Longer Answer:

Wargames have long had a problem with lack of diverse membership. Even more then most other nerd things, it has been a bastion of white males. This has created a circular problem. The more things were made with white guys as the target audience, the more it drove others away. Rinse and repeat ad-infinitum. In recent years there has been a push in nerd franchises towards inclusion. This push meant more diverse voices were able to be heard and as a result problematic elements have started to be removed. This has led to a level of diversity I have not seen in gaming spaces in my lifetime and it’s fantastic. Despite the “get woke, go broke” rhetoric, nerd franchises of this type are enjoying a golden age. Leading wargames like the Warhammer franchise started actively becoming more progressive in their lore and model releases. This breathed new life into their games and diversified their audience. But left the elephant in the room. Space Marines. The poster faction of the largest selling table top wargame franchise, 40k, can only be male due to old ‘lore’. In new releases this lore is rarely mentioned. It clearly still exists and there are no releases to the contrary. But it’s a shameful truth they are not willing to change,  hoping no one mentions it too much, for or against. This last holdout emboldens the bigoted elements in the hobby in a way no inclusivity statement will erase. Bigots love a smoke screen. They love having something that obfuscates their bigotry, so average Joes might mistake it as an issue of taste.

So much easier to say “It’s the lore, I’m just a fan of the lore, stop trying to change it” then “I don’t want women in the poster faction.” It also means women joining the hobby will always have to deal with the reality that the hobby is unwilling to have women in the poster faction, relegating them to less popular, less supported factions.

And this is why I want women space marines. They are needed to remove the smoke screen from bigots, and to affirm that women are as important in the hobby as white men. But Sisters of Battle are women, use those / Well can I have male Sisters of battle then?

They do not have the range of thematic options (chapters) of their marine counterparts. There are men already within sister of battle product line.

It’s a false equivalence out of game, not being the poster faction and in game due to stats being weaker then marines.

I’m a lore purist, why do you want to change the lore? I seriously doubt that’s your reason, but I’ll play along.

The lore changes all the time, it is not an untouchable constant. The first space marine novel written is considered absolutely not lore now and has been retconned out of existence. And finally, like the newly added Primaris marines, they could be added without a retcon. Thus the lore would not change.

Its impossible to have women marines as the process only works on men! Broken fictional biology aside, this is known as a thermian argument. It ignores that problematic elements within a fiction were deliberately written into it by a real world author, and thus is not a defence of those elements. Bigotry in a fictional setting, that is not challenged within that setting, is effectively the same as real world bigotry.

Thanks for reading.