Summary: A series of early Game Overs, until I realize my big mistake. First glance at the “Personae” in this medieval play.
First Battle - Gariland
-When I load my game, I’m not on a world map. I’m on a screen with Ramza and “Commence.” Right into battle.
-The battle is on a town. A bunch of rogues.
-As before, the AI movements go super fast. But it’s not so overwhelming now. I see that the enemies (and there are a LOT) are just moving, then taking an action.
-My party starts as Ramza and Delita.
-One of the rogues has heard of Ramza’s house, House Beoulve. He thinks we’re “apprentices from the Akademy.” Ooh, what if we’re some medieval version of Archadia? I seem to remember them having an Academy from the pine chip collection part of FFXII.
-Keeping it simple to start. Running up to a rogue with Delita and attacking. Both are Squires.
-Oh god, I need to move! They hit legit hard and if I stay here I’ll get swarmed. I retreat.
-My only spell so far is “Chant.” No ranged attacks yet.
-Delita is in bad shape.
-UHHH DELITA DIED. It’s just me against a large enemy party. And unlike prior FF games where my main character could solo the newbie enemies like imps or leg-eaters, these guys hit HARD. I’m assuming this is a scripted loss, like the fight that started FFII.
It’s not a scripted loss. I literally lost the tutorial fight. What the fuck.
-Take two. Think, Coldrun. This is a tactical game. Be tactical.
Wulfhilda, the one on the roof, is a Taurus. I do reduced damage against her as a Leo, and she against me. I’m less worried about her. I can think of her like a tank in an MMO – leave her for last.
-Davyd is a chemist. In the last fight, Davyd healed a rogue near death. I’ll go for him first.
-Can’t reach him on my first move, so I’ll go for who I can hit.
-YAY ONE ENEMY DOWN!
-The chemist, Davyd, is nearby. I don’t think I need to flank him for a good hit. His reactive ability is [“Reequip,” not parry.
[Non-rhetorical questions for y’all: Does Parry only work if the parrying target is attacked head-on? And is there an attack penalty even without taking reactive abilities into account if you attack a unit head-on, the direction it’s facing?]
-Delita is taking some damage. I try using Chant to heal him up, but it’s not enough. He’s swarmed. And Chant is short range, putting me in range of the enemies.
GOD FUCKING DAMMIT ANOTHER GAME OVER ON THE TUTORIAL FIGHT, I SUCK AT THIS
-Okay. Chill. Learn from this. This time, when the Chemist runs away, I’m going to pursue and try taking him down.
-Third attempt. Chased the chemist, got swarmed. Died again. Awesome.
-Watching, the AI Delita go at it, he’s kiting them. He’s also got much more powerful abilities than me.
-Fourth attempt. This time, I went for the isolated rogue on the roof. I got her, but all the while, Delita got swarmed by the other three and went down.
OH HEY, CAN I CHANGE MY JOB MID-BATTLE? I see "chemist" in the status options for Ramza.
-Orrrr not. I guess I can’t change jobs mid-battle. Fifth Game Over.
Delita Heiral
-Ramza’s childhood friend.
-Also a knight apprentice of the Royal Military Akademy at Gariland.
-Born to a FARMING family in the “demesne” of House Beoulve. I assume that means he came from a lower status/class than Ramza.
-Parents died in the plague.
-Lord Barbaneth took him and his sister in as orphans.
Tietra Heiral
-Delita’s sister. One year younger.
-Friend of Alma Beoulve.
Alma Beoulve
-Ramza’s sister.
-Attends Eagrose Preparatory Akademy. Also born to a different mother than the familys older brothers. I’m not sure though if it’s the same mother as Ramza’s.
-Spent much of her life in a monastery.
Lord Barbaneth
-Former commander of the Order of the Northern Sky.
-A Knight Gallant – highest rank in knighthood.
-Fought for Ivalice in the Fifty Years’ War. They lost, but his skill convinced Ordallia (the enemy I’m guessing) to agree to an equal peace. It’s interesting that Ivalice here isn’t a land of many nations, but rather a single fighting force.
-Died at the end of the war.
Lord Zalbaag Beoulve
-Lord Commandr of Order of the Northern Sky. Knight Devout.
-Second elders of the Beoulve brothers. He has 12 years on Ramza. Quite a gap.
-Accomplished soldier in the Fifty Years’ War.
-A devout member of the Church of Glabados. One misplaced ‘b’ away from being fucking terrifying.
Lord Dycedarg
-Eldest Beoulve brother. BY A LOT. He’s 37.
I like his haircut! Been watching a Danganronpa 2 LP. Dycedarg is basically Teruteru.
-Serves his friend Lord Larg as a strategist.
-Swordsman and skilled in magick too.
Duke Larg
-Brother to Queen Louveria, wife of King Ondoria III.
-House Larg is a branch of th eAtkascha royal family.
-Served as a general in the Fifty Years’ War.
-Commands the Order of the Northern Sky.
Duke Goltanna
-Ruler of Zeltennia.
-Descended from Denamda II, like Duke Large.
-Monarch responsible for the Fifty Years’ War.
-AH! This is the Black Lion dude.
-Controls the Order of the Southern Sky.
Queen Louveria
-Wife of King Ondoria III, sister to Duke Larg.
-Only living song is infant Prince Orinus.
-With the king in ill health, she’s the de factor ruler of Ivalice.
Ondoria III
-EPIC BEARD
-18th monarch in the Atkascha line.
-Crowned at the end of the Fifty Years’ War.
-Poor health his whole life.
-Blamed for Ivalice’s defeat in the war.
Marquis Elmdore
-Liege lord of Limberry.
-Defended Ivalice against the Ordallian army in the end of the Fifty Years’ War.
-“The Silver Prince” to his friends, “The Silver Demon” to his enemies. Badass titles on either side.
-Ordained inquisitor in the Church of Gla(b)ados.
-There’s also a little thing about Arazlam. A controversial, modern-day scholar, archaeologist, and theologian.
---
Next time: Exploring the world map.
First Battle - Gariland
-When I load my game, I’m not on a world map. I’m on a screen with Ramza and “Commence.” Right into battle.
-The battle is on a town. A bunch of rogues.
-As before, the AI movements go super fast. But it’s not so overwhelming now. I see that the enemies (and there are a LOT) are just moving, then taking an action.
-My party starts as Ramza and Delita.
-One of the rogues has heard of Ramza’s house, House Beoulve. He thinks we’re “apprentices from the Akademy.” Ooh, what if we’re some medieval version of Archadia? I seem to remember them having an Academy from the pine chip collection part of FFXII.
-Keeping it simple to start. Running up to a rogue with Delita and attacking. Both are Squires.
-Oh god, I need to move! They hit legit hard and if I stay here I’ll get swarmed. I retreat.
-My only spell so far is “Chant.” No ranged attacks yet.
-Delita is in bad shape.
-UHHH DELITA DIED. It’s just me against a large enemy party. And unlike prior FF games where my main character could solo the newbie enemies like imps or leg-eaters, these guys hit HARD. I’m assuming this is a scripted loss, like the fight that started FFII.
It’s not a scripted loss. I literally lost the tutorial fight. What the fuck.
-Take two. Think, Coldrun. This is a tactical game. Be tactical.
Wulfhilda, the one on the roof, is a Taurus. I do reduced damage against her as a Leo, and she against me. I’m less worried about her. I can think of her like a tank in an MMO – leave her for last.
-Davyd is a chemist. In the last fight, Davyd healed a rogue near death. I’ll go for him first.
-Can’t reach him on my first move, so I’ll go for who I can hit.
-YAY ONE ENEMY DOWN!
-The chemist, Davyd, is nearby. I don’t think I need to flank him for a good hit. His reactive ability is [“Reequip,” not parry.
[Non-rhetorical questions for y’all: Does Parry only work if the parrying target is attacked head-on? And is there an attack penalty even without taking reactive abilities into account if you attack a unit head-on, the direction it’s facing?]
-Delita is taking some damage. I try using Chant to heal him up, but it’s not enough. He’s swarmed. And Chant is short range, putting me in range of the enemies.
GOD FUCKING DAMMIT ANOTHER GAME OVER ON THE TUTORIAL FIGHT, I SUCK AT THIS
-Okay. Chill. Learn from this. This time, when the Chemist runs away, I’m going to pursue and try taking him down.
-Third attempt. Chased the chemist, got swarmed. Died again. Awesome.
-Watching, the AI Delita go at it, he’s kiting them. He’s also got much more powerful abilities than me.
-Fourth attempt. This time, I went for the isolated rogue on the roof. I got her, but all the while, Delita got swarmed by the other three and went down.
OH HEY, CAN I CHANGE MY JOB MID-BATTLE? I see "chemist" in the status options for Ramza.
-Orrrr not. I guess I can’t change jobs mid-battle. Fifth Game Over.
-Okay. Back to the main screen. Can I change my job here maybe? I can’t
control Delita since he’s a guest character, but I’m certain if I swap
Ramza to chemist I’ll have a better chance. I can let Delita go ham on
the rogues, heal him up best I can, and then ?
-WAIIIIT I HAVE OTHER PARTY MEMBERS? DIAMANDA? LAUDA? OWYNE? EADBERT? GUSTON? MILLICENT?
LOLOLOLOL NO WONDER I HAD SUCH A TOUGH TIME!
---
Take “Two” (…Six)
-Let’s try that again. Giving myself two chemists and three squires in my party of five.
-THAT’S BETTER! Now we’re fighting on even terms, you rogue assholes!
-Hee! I used “Rush” to knock an enemy off the roof. [Non-rhetorical question: the “preview” said I’d do 12 damage with Rush but it did 16. Did she take falling damage?]
-I thought Rush moved the target, but it didn’t’ when we were on the same level. Maybe it only does that to knock someone off a ledge.
-The fight is now all but won. The enemy chemist is all that’s left.
-Chilled out a bit until bodies turned into crystals and chests.
The chests gave me gear, the crystals restored HP/MP.
-I DID IT I BEAT THE FIRST BATTLE I AM THE BEST TACTICS PLAYER OF ALL TIME
-Seriously though, that was a lot of fun. :D I feel like someone frustrated at how impossible it is to play basketball until I realize you don’t just have to shoot from full court.
-Got 500 bonus gil, a mithril dagger, phoenix own, some other stuff that went too fast for me to see.
---
Moving On
-Map screen. I have war funds of 4,500 (must be my gil) and can travel between areas. I’m starting in the Magick City of Gariland.
-Two areas open to me are the Mandalia Plain and Eagrose Castle.
-There’s a “Chronicle” in options. Arazlam, the Scholar from the intro, is featured.
-He tells me of an event, “The Knight’s Apprentice…” AH! This is where I see the plot as it goes. The writing is from Ramza’s perspective. Like a journal entry that Arazlam has access to. Again, this conceit is really cool.
I can even click it to flash back to the cutscene from earlier!
-There’s a “Personae” tab with bios on the people I’ve met. Let’s check it out:
Ramza Beoulve
-16 years old. Super young.
-A knight apprentice of the Royal Military Akademy at Gariland
-House Beoulve has produced generations of commanders to the Order of the Northern Sky.
-Born to a different mother than his elder brothers.
-WAIIIIT I HAVE OTHER PARTY MEMBERS? DIAMANDA? LAUDA? OWYNE? EADBERT? GUSTON? MILLICENT?
LOLOLOLOL NO WONDER I HAD SUCH A TOUGH TIME!
---
Take “Two” (…Six)
-Let’s try that again. Giving myself two chemists and three squires in my party of five.
-THAT’S BETTER! Now we’re fighting on even terms, you rogue assholes!
-Hee! I used “Rush” to knock an enemy off the roof. [Non-rhetorical question: the “preview” said I’d do 12 damage with Rush but it did 16. Did she take falling damage?]
-I thought Rush moved the target, but it didn’t’ when we were on the same level. Maybe it only does that to knock someone off a ledge.
-The fight is now all but won. The enemy chemist is all that’s left.
-Chilled out a bit until bodies turned into crystals and chests.
The chests gave me gear, the crystals restored HP/MP.
-I DID IT I BEAT THE FIRST BATTLE I AM THE BEST TACTICS PLAYER OF ALL TIME
-Seriously though, that was a lot of fun. :D I feel like someone frustrated at how impossible it is to play basketball until I realize you don’t just have to shoot from full court.
-Got 500 bonus gil, a mithril dagger, phoenix own, some other stuff that went too fast for me to see.
---
Moving On
-Map screen. I have war funds of 4,500 (must be my gil) and can travel between areas. I’m starting in the Magick City of Gariland.
-Two areas open to me are the Mandalia Plain and Eagrose Castle.
-There’s a “Chronicle” in options. Arazlam, the Scholar from the intro, is featured.
-He tells me of an event, “The Knight’s Apprentice…” AH! This is where I see the plot as it goes. The writing is from Ramza’s perspective. Like a journal entry that Arazlam has access to. Again, this conceit is really cool.
I can even click it to flash back to the cutscene from earlier!
-There’s a “Personae” tab with bios on the people I’ve met. Let’s check it out:
Ramza Beoulve
-16 years old. Super young.
-A knight apprentice of the Royal Military Akademy at Gariland
-House Beoulve has produced generations of commanders to the Order of the Northern Sky.
-Born to a different mother than his elder brothers.
Delita Heiral
-Ramza’s childhood friend.
-Also a knight apprentice of the Royal Military Akademy at Gariland.
-Born to a FARMING family in the “demesne” of House Beoulve. I assume that means he came from a lower status/class than Ramza.
-Parents died in the plague.
-Lord Barbaneth took him and his sister in as orphans.
Tietra Heiral
-Delita’s sister. One year younger.
-Friend of Alma Beoulve.
Alma Beoulve
-Ramza’s sister.
-Attends Eagrose Preparatory Akademy. Also born to a different mother than the familys older brothers. I’m not sure though if it’s the same mother as Ramza’s.
-Spent much of her life in a monastery.
Lord Barbaneth
-Former commander of the Order of the Northern Sky.
-A Knight Gallant – highest rank in knighthood.
-Fought for Ivalice in the Fifty Years’ War. They lost, but his skill convinced Ordallia (the enemy I’m guessing) to agree to an equal peace. It’s interesting that Ivalice here isn’t a land of many nations, but rather a single fighting force.
-Died at the end of the war.
Lord Zalbaag Beoulve
-Lord Commandr of Order of the Northern Sky. Knight Devout.
-Second elders of the Beoulve brothers. He has 12 years on Ramza. Quite a gap.
-Accomplished soldier in the Fifty Years’ War.
-A devout member of the Church of Glabados. One misplaced ‘b’ away from being fucking terrifying.
Lord Dycedarg
-Eldest Beoulve brother. BY A LOT. He’s 37.
I like his haircut! Been watching a Danganronpa 2 LP. Dycedarg is basically Teruteru.
-Serves his friend Lord Larg as a strategist.
-Swordsman and skilled in magick too.
Duke Larg
-Brother to Queen Louveria, wife of King Ondoria III.
-House Larg is a branch of th eAtkascha royal family.
-Served as a general in the Fifty Years’ War.
-Commands the Order of the Northern Sky.
Duke Goltanna
-Ruler of Zeltennia.
-Descended from Denamda II, like Duke Large.
-Monarch responsible for the Fifty Years’ War.
-AH! This is the Black Lion dude.
-Controls the Order of the Southern Sky.
Queen Louveria
-Wife of King Ondoria III, sister to Duke Larg.
-Only living song is infant Prince Orinus.
-With the king in ill health, she’s the de factor ruler of Ivalice.
Ondoria III
-EPIC BEARD
-18th monarch in the Atkascha line.
-Crowned at the end of the Fifty Years’ War.
-Poor health his whole life.
-Blamed for Ivalice’s defeat in the war.
Marquis Elmdore
-Liege lord of Limberry.
-Defended Ivalice against the Ordallian army in the end of the Fifty Years’ War.
-“The Silver Prince” to his friends, “The Silver Demon” to his enemies. Badass titles on either side.
-Ordained inquisitor in the Church of Gla(b)ados.
-There’s also a little thing about Arazlam. A controversial, modern-day scholar, archaeologist, and theologian.
---
Next time: Exploring the world map.
