Building a better Alphinaud

[aveyond-dreams]

I hit post before I was done, this website isn't exactly convinent to use on phone.

And again, if you can't think of how a nascent republic filled with people who are longing for the glory days of the Empire could have any grit or intrigue, I'm afraid that's just a failure of your imagination.

You mean with a plot that sees Garlemald return to monarchy and empire under the leadership of a new Emperor after growing displeased with the lackluster performance of a faceless senate? Brilliant! Sign me up for that expansion any day. Seeing the Garlean provisional government fall to pieces would fill me with much joy. Not everything has to be so cookie cutter and samey.

The spread of Sharlayan democracy has shaped our history for long enough! Bonus: Alphinaud will be unable to do anything about it.

[KariTheFox]

You mean with a plot that sees Garlemald return to monarchy and empire under the leadership of a new Emperor after growing displeased with the lackluster performance of a faceless senate? Brilliant! Sign me up for that expansion any day. Seeing the Garlean provisional government fall to pieces would fill me with much joy. Not everything has to be so cookie cutter and samey.

I mean, I wouldn't frame it in such glowing terms - but yeah, I could see a faction of bitter aristocrats who missed the power and influence they wielded in the Empire formenting a reactionary movement to prop up a new Emperor and Restore The Glorious Days Of The Empire. I'd be totally down with the Neo-Garlean-Empire being a major story antagonist a few expansions in the future.

But you kind of need to abolish a monarchy first to do a "faction attempting to restore the monarchy" storyline.

The spread of Sharlayan democracy has shaped our history for long enough! Bonus: Alphinaud will be unable to do anything about it.

Yeah they'd probably sound something like that.

[IkaraGreydancer]

I mean, I wouldn't frame it in such glowing terms - but yeah, I could see a faction of bitter aristocrats who missed the power and influence they wielded in the Empire formenting a reactionary movement to prop up a new Emperor and Restore The Glorious Days Of The Empire. I'd be totally down with the Neo-Garlean-Empire being a major story antagonist a few expansions in the future.

But you kind of need to abolish a monarchy first to do a "faction attempting to restore the monarchy" storyline.


Yeah they'd probably sound something like that.

How exactly would they even do that with the lack of resources or even land. Or would they pull a Star Wars episode 9 and all of a sudden they have a mass fleet come from the underground that no one knew about xD

Jokes aside though, wouldn't that just turn into...the same Empire scenario we've had for years? Ie "more samey" as he put it for other things.

[KariTheFox]

How exactly would they even do that with the lack of resources or even land. Or would they pull a Star Wars episode 9 and all of a sudden they have a mass fleet come from the underground that no one knew about xD

Jokes aside though, wouldn't that just turn into...the same Empire scenario we've had for years? Ie "more samey" as he put it for other things.

I think it'd have to be a fairly popular movement - maybe Garlemald's pro monarchy factions holds onto a few provinces we hadn't been to and rebuilds thier power base. Maybe they have allies in other nations helping them (a member of the syndicate who misses the good old days of war profiteering?) I think it could work, and I'm not super married to the idea or anything.

I do agree it runs the risk of just seeming like a rehash, which is why I'd want them to wait a few expansions before doing it, give the player base long enough to start looking back as the Empire As Villians with some nostalgia.

[TaleraRistain]

People who have known each other a long time having group conflicts is nonsensical? What? Siblings and even long-term friendships go through turmoil especially the longer it goes on, the only thing nonsensical here is the endless nodding and agreeing with each other.

I've had friends for over 20 years and we either agree to disagree if we can't come to a consensus or we respectfully debate about things. Because we're friends and we want to stay that way. We've also been friends long enough that we know how to talk to each other. So I don't find the behavior of the Scions nonsensical at all.

We're also friends who've played D&D for years and we realize that even in a party with mixed alignment that Chaotic Evil murderhobo is probably not going to be conducive to us getting anything done. I love Fordola as a character and we've made our peace through the latest healer role quest, but she would have been far too devisive to travel with us before the point she's at now. Too much conflict just makes the story stagnate and that's not any fun.

[aveyond-dreams]

You do realize that characters like Fordola are a decently popular request to join the main party, right? There are easily more fans of hers than of the twins anyway. I can only wonder why.

[KariTheFox]

There are easily more fans of hers than of the twins anyway. I can only wonder why.

Okay, you are going to need to cite your sources on that one.

[Vahlnir]

Okay, you are going to need to cite your sources on that one.

Yeah. I've heard a lot of requests, but this is definitely the first time I've heard of this one.

[Boblawblah]

You do realize that characters like Fordola are a decently popular request to join the main party, right? There are easily more fans of hers than of the twins anyway. I can only wonder why.

huh, that IS a surprise to me. I always thought Fordola was very polarizing, whereas the general consensus on the twins is positive.

[TaleraRistain]

You do realize that characters like Fordola are a decently popular request to join the main party, right? There are easily more fans of hers than of the twins anyway. I can only wonder why.

Source? Not that I don't think Fordola has fans. As I mentioned, I'm personally quite happy to see more of her. And where she is after the healer role quest is where I think she would finally be able to travel with us. Even without the necklace, she would not have been in the right place as a character to join us on our world-saving adventures before the latest story threads. The WoL usually sees eye to eye with the Scions but there's not a single indication we wouldn't tear off on our own if it was something we felt we had to get done. So if she wasn't in a place where she agreed, we would just leave her behind anyway.

And every good DM knows, you don't want to split the party all the time.