Which faction do you generally align with on the final day in Rook's story?

[OmniPotent42]

It's really hard for me not to align with the Rise on the final day, for a few reasons:

1. Kallandra's boon is really good in the last battle (first item card played is played twice.)
2. Making Kallandra hate you will ensure you gain 2 cripple on the Rise vs. Spark Baron fight, meaning you can't kill enemies as quickly as you would normally
3. In the Rise vs. Spark Baron fight, the Spark Barons have high value mechs on their team which certain item cards can be used against (like ones that stun mechs)

I can see aligning with the Spark Barons beneficial in only a few scenarios:

1. Your battle deck is strong enough but your negotiation deck is lacking (very rare in my experience w/ Rook).
2. You have a wound-heavy deck but very few multi-attacks in which case the Spark Baron toolbox is better
3. You don't have a lot of item cards that benefit that much from being played twice.

Curious to know if this sentiment is shared by anyone else, or if there is some hidden benefit to aligning with Spark Barons that I'm missing.

 

[matshazi]

I usually go with Barons. They are cooler and have stronger pets.

[Wumpus the 19th]

i side with the barons in the bog and the admiralty in the bay. they're both the authority in the area and are more negotiation based as opposed to the rise and spree which can have more fights. i however always take the shovel, since blacklist is only so good.

[WingedKagouti]

I've yet to let them sort things out by themselves, but I've certainly been tempted.

[OmniPotent42]

50 minutes ago, Wumpus the 19th said:

i side with the barons in the bog and the admiralty in the bay. they're both the authority in the area and are more negotiation based as opposed to the rise and spree which can have more fights. i however always take the shovel, since blacklist is only so good.

I definitely agree with you on siding with admiralty in the bay - the negotiation cards you get from Oolo can easily be win conditions. The cards you get from Nadan, not so much.

I also agree with you on the shovel pick, blacklist almost guarantees you'll be taking early negotiation damage to build it up, and it's only ok in decks that can play cards more than once, or if you have the autobot negotation bonus that plays the first card each turn twice. However, it's easy to fall into the trap of negotiating on every possible encounter which means your battle deck will be much weaker.

[RageLeague]

Barons have better equipments, making their units better. Also Kalandra does AOE damage, while Fellemo does high damage to a single target. That might be something to consider, since the handler that you fight with will always target you because of Vendetta.

However, during the handler fight, the rise will have more AOE attacks from the radical and Kalandra as opposed to the spark barons, who only have the professional as an AOE fighter(and i think the attack is less frequent as well.)

[pacovf]

In my experience, radicals shoot one bazooka, then spend the rest of the fight just... heckling... the other team, one person at a time. Maybe I’m unlucky. Or maybe radicals just don’t feel that strongly about the Rise cause.

Does the pamphleteer attack from the Rise toolbox still apply the “next attack deals double damage” debuff? That one is fun, gets pretty bonkers with the right support.

[LETSCHAT]

Wow.  I only sided with the Barons once.  I could see why I'd sympathize with an old friend, but really, I genuinely care too much about the plight of the laborers.  Plus Kalandra is fairly level-headed and competent as a leader.  She doesn't want to kill all the Barons, she just wanted worker's to have some rights.  As a manager in industry, I can't help but agree with her.  

[Wumpus the 19th]

When dealing with the day 4 trek for rook, one of the things to consider is "do i want to refresh my toolbox?" by the ambush attempt.

the day before, killing the lieutenant will cause there to be a negotiation to convince the opposing leader you're still sympathetic, which joining the opposite team will grant you the refresh on the toolbox by giving you the opposite team's toolbox.

really that fight is the only determinate of which ending you get.

11 minutes ago, LETSCHAT said:

 I could see why I'd sympathize with an old friend, but really, I genuinely care too much about the plight of the laborers.  Plus Kalandra is fairly level-headed and competent as a leader.  She doesn't want to kill all the Barons, she just wanted worker's to have some rights.  As a manager in industry, I can't help but agree with her.  

I like the idea of pathos and ethos for the rise, although i got the feeling from both sides they we're supposed to be more equal morally, if nothing else sal's campaign gave me the idea that was what i was going into during rook's campaign.

logically i think rook would have chosen fellemo, both because of how easy it was to manipulate an old war buddy for the veteran spy, and the fact that the barons would naturally have more resources and firepower compared to a bog standard revolt.

[RageLeague]

41 minutes ago, LETSCHAT said:

Wow.  I only sided with the Barons once.  I could see why I'd sympathize with an old friend, but really, I genuinely care too much about the plight of the laborers.  Plus Kalandra is fairly level-headed and competent as a leader.  She doesn't want to kill all the Barons, she just wanted worker's to have some rights.  As a manager in industry, I can't help but agree with her.  

Counter point, Rook works with the admiralty, and he backstab everyone he meets, so his morality is questionable.

Spoiler

Although it is revealed that Rook actually helped the bread field revolution, and that's the reason he got dishonorably discharged. So who knows what Rook's moral code is like?

 

[Tempvirage]

7 hours ago, RageLeague said:

Counter point, Rook works with the admiralty, and he backstab everyone he meets, so his morality is questionable.

  Hide contents

Although it is revealed that Rook actually helped the bread field revolution, and that's the reason he got dishonorably discharged. So who knows what Rook's moral code is like?

 

I'm not sure it's entirely clear he's working for the Admiralty while in Grout Bog. He turns evidence over of completing the night 2 job to the bartender, who's a Spree, and Hebbel acknowledges it as if he knew about Rook's orders. Unless you mean he "worked" for them, and in that case it's more of a "he was an Admiralty Aerostat spy that served for 2+? decades" than him being under a job contract.

That said, I've sided with both and usually go with the Barons and kill Kalandra to avoid her bane. You still get her card that has the same effect so it's not a terrible trade.

There's something wrong about betraying Fellemo after you talk with him and take the expedition with the Barons. He actually cares about Rook's well being vs. Kalandra's 'you're hired muscle' attitude. It really says something about her character and gives more context to her statement that workers will be sacrificed to attain freedom for her supporters.

[RageLeague]

3 hours ago, Tempvirage said:

Unless you mean he "worked" for them

Well yes. English is hard.

[Tempvirage]

On 5/13/2020 at 3:59 PM, WingedKagouti said:

I've yet to let them sort things out by themselves, but I've certainly been tempted.

Just did it for science and it just skips the fight you otherwise would have against your frenemy and gets you hated by both Fellemo and Kalandra. Double dipping on boons isn't so bad since it only affects 1 fight but it also changes the ending.

 

Spoiler

In the finale slide, Kalandra survives and continues taking part in acts of espionage against the Barons. Slight difference vs. fighting her and sparing her, where she becomes something of a vigilante murderer. Siding with her the whole way or killing her seems like it frames Rook's actions as kinda ethical but not really.

Fellemo gets blamed for hiring his friend turned traitor. It doesn't go into details but he likely either was demoted, stripped of his status as a Baron, or imprisoned. The dialogue suggests he's wormed his way out of similar situations in the past but you should still feel bad for making him lose a friend and betraying his trust.

 

[minespatch]

I start with Shovel but go to Fellemo. They seem like old buddies.

[Snortlepig]

On 5/15/2020 at 12:12 PM, LETSCHAT said:

Wow.  I only sided with the Barons once.  I could see why I'd sympathize with an old friend, but really, I genuinely care too much about the plight of the laborers.  Plus Kalandra is fairly level-headed and competent as a leader.  She doesn't want to kill all the Barons, she just wanted worker's to have some rights.  As a manager in industry, I can't help but agree with her.  

I've done pretty much the same thing. 

Spoiler

It's the last part that really seals it for me. When you refuse to do his bidding for him right near the end and he just turns on you. At the point he no longer feels like an old friend at all, just someone that uses you. My favourite story line is to keep him close and take him into the bog at this point and betray him. This also gives you the advantage of getting to use all of his bonus cards up until the betrayal, then get Kalandra's cards for the end bits.

 

[TaschDraws]

Man everyone talking about the mechanical advantages of why they pick each side while I'm over here siding with whatever faction pulls my heart strings most -- which is the Rise, usually, though Fellemo's personal dynamic with Rook is really good and makes it a tough choice lol.

Though Murder Bay's not even a competition, I always go Spree.

Nadan and his damn bandit prince vibes seduced me. Klei really gotta call me out like this... OTL

[minespatch]

9 hours ago, TaschDraws said:

 Murder Bay's not even a competition, I always go Spree.

Sal's run is neutral for me. I'm a pacifist and I'd rather not want anyone to hate me. Making others like me with a pint of swill after they hated me is a enriching feeling.

If Kashio dies in my run, it's the fault of a misstep but I would've kept her alive if the game gave me a chance to let her surrender. Oh well.

[TheOwl]

14 hours ago, TaschDraws said:

 

Though Murder Bay's not even a competition, I always go Spree.

Nadan and his damn bandit prince vibes seduced me. Klei really gotta call me out like this... OTL

Oh, come on! Oolo is clearly the superior choice in Sal's playthrough. Especially since that means you get to fight WITH an Oshnu instead of against one AND you don't ever have to speak to Foolo.

[minespatch]

9 hours ago, TheOwl said:

Oolo is clearly the superior choice

Yup, that's my always to go to. It;s always a gamble if I ever get that badge card.

[TaschDraws]

12 hours ago, TheOwl said:

Oh, come on! Oolo is clearly the superior choice in Sal's playthrough.

2 hours ago, minespatch said:

Yup, that's my always to go to. It;s always a gamble if I ever get that badge card.

 

Okay but guys, hear me out...Nadan reads poetry.

[minespatch]

2 minutes ago, TaschDraws said:

Okay but guys, hear me out...Nadan reads poetry.

Nope, I prefer Oolo. She's cute.

[warlepidoptera]

I also always goes with Oolo. I always have mixed feeling with working with the Admiralty but she's worth it haha

For Rook's story I usually go with Kalandra because I sympathize with the workers too much 

[RonEmpire]

I tried the let them fight each other.   Managed to win.   You don't get  tool kits from either side to help you in the bog Finale.       And their hate is applied to the battle and negotiations at the end but not terribly bad. 

Having full health for the Finale battle helps