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[justinlee999]

Hello gentlemen!

KOEI!? Is this Uncharted Waters!?


Hmm...


Must be an available love interest in the game!


Is this another gem collection RPG?


Oh, so he will hire me and I can ride his dragon?


Oh.

PC version introduction (more detailed, explains more events and why King Eselred is unquestionably evil)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Introduction

What is Gemfire?
It is a simple turn-based strategy game where you try to take over the whole island.

Why this game?
First, it is a relatively simple game and not something like X-COM, and isn't too stressing either! Also this is very audience input friendly, at least the diplomatic screen anyway, battles I'll have to see.

How does it play?

Basically, the main screen looks like this, the map and date is to the right and everything else is to the left. The map and date should be self-explanatory (Don't worry about the square stuff on top of them, they are families, I will go in depth on them later).

The left, on the other hand, needs some explanation.
At the top left corner is the family's name and the province number and name.

The words to the right of the portrait is the character's title and name. To be honest I'm not entirely TOO sure about the icon below it, but I think it shows if the character is a lord (A shield), a vassal (Icon looks like the swords crossing like in the screenshots), or, if the place has the family leader as the lord, but the family leader is residing in another place, a flag.

The gold coins are, well, money of course. War costs money, you hire mercenaries with money, etc. The flag next to it is loyalty, which determines how much coins you will make at the tax month (September).
The bread below the coins represents food, which is pretty much like money, honestly. It does have a few differences here and there. You can also buy and sell food, and the price of food varies, so taking advantage of the varying prices help. When the price is low, hoard food, when the price is high, sell food, it's just like that. The crops next to the food represents the fertility of the land, which is exactly like loyalty, just to food. Again, you collect food at September. 
The fine looking man in a suit below the bread icon are the amount of soldiers. Now, there are 4 units of common soldiers, which are 2 footmen, cavalry, and archers. Footmen are your basic melee attackers, they can also build fences. Footmen move 2 squares. Cavalry can't build fences, but they move 3 squares. They might be stronger, but don't quote me on that. Archers can only fight 1 tile away, so they are quite helpless at melee range. The troops all divide evenly, with perhaps 1 or 2 units difference if your troops can't divide completely evenly.
I should also note that there is a 5th troop, and they are the special units. Most families will receive a gem that contains a wizard at the beginning of the game, and those are replenishable and free 5th units, with the best ones better than your average 5th unit. King Eselred's family also has the dragon gem, which is undeniably the most powerful 5th unit. Also you can hire 5th units, and while they are quite expensive and aren't as effective as the wizards, they are great backups when you have no gems or when your wizards are resting. There is also this unit that is almost as good as the dragon except it only has is melee (the dragon has ranged), but you need to be a good ruler AND it will disappear after one battle. Oh, and wizards can be captured when you conquer the family that has the gem.
Also before I derail too much the castle thing submerged in water is fortification, which minimized damage from the many random events that plague the island.

The 4 icons in the bottom are commands, the sword and shield icon opens the war commands. The house thingy are domestic commands. While the flag are diplomatic commands and the helmet are miscellaneous commands.

Whew, and that is pretty much it, I will go in depth of the other commands as we play.

Audience input, you say?
Yes, you will get to choose the scenario, the family, etc. Honestly, I'll be having user input for most of the things, probably battles too.

Now, let us do this.

The Game

Isn't it a fine land?

Spoiler: Families! (click to show/hide)

NOTE
Some families have pictures, some of them don't, because they aren't original families, they appear in the later scenarios.



Lankshire
The "bad" family, you can't play as it, and it has the best gem. They start out like a boss in the beginning scenarios, but soon become a weak family in the later scenarios.
The dragon has the most strength, moves 2 squares, but, unlike Pluvius, has the most flexible range. Basically it's like Pluvius but with better flexibility.

Lyle

Arguably the BEST playable family, a little better than Blanche, at least in the early scenarios. In all scenarios though, both of them are pretty close.
They also have the arguably best gem, Pluvius, he is slightly stronger than Blanche's Zendor, but can only move 2 squares while Zendor moves 3. Whoever is better is up for debate. I should also mention they acquire the quite shitty Chylla, so I guess Blanche outclasses Lyle overall in terms of wizards in the later scenarios. Basically, Pluvius is like the dragon but with a more inflexible range.

Blanche

My favorite family, I don't know why, probably because it is the FIRST option. Anyway, Blanche is slightly weaker than Lyle, but some say that Blanche is better than Lyle in the later scenarios, both of them are pretty much the same though.
Their Zendor is slightly weaker than Lyle's Pluvius, but Zendor moves 3 squares, while Pluvius can only move 2. They also acquire Skulryk in the later scenarios, who is somewhat than Lyle's Chylla. So I guess that makes Blanche a better choice in the later scenarios.

Lyle and Blance are the main families, because they are the strongest and they are available for every scenario.

Molbrew

Not much to say about this family other than they start out in a pretty dangerous place. They get wiped out in the later scenarios by the Blanche family, who acquires their gem, but strangely though, the Tate family actually takes their location, and has another gem instead.
Skulryk's a pretty decent guy and all, not too bad, but isn't as good as Zendor or Pluvius, certainly a good backup wizard though. He joins Blanche. Skulryk is the weakest wizard in terms of strength, but hey, he is one of the 4 gems that has ranged, which makes him better than Chylla definitely.

Corryll

Never played it. But they look pretty weak. They also only exist in the first scenario, they get wiped out in the later scenarios.
Empyron is their gem, and it is not impressive at all, but it is better than Chylla or Scylla. Their gem goes to the Tate family when they get wiped out. He is a melee character.

Flax

Coryll's neighbor in the first scenario, they become the main family in the second scenario, not that it means anything honestly. They take over Coryll's place in the second scenario, but they didn't acquire their gem.
Scylla is a pretty bad character overall, but not as bad as Chylla. She is a melee character

Chrysallis

A joke. They are on an isolated island with only one way out, and the way out leads to the Lyle family. They live only for 2 scenarios, but are only selectable in the first scenario. Also you guys are crazy if you want me to join this family, oh wai-
Chylla's the shittiest wizard ever, let's just leave it at that. She is a melee character. Also I sense some misogyny.

Also onto the new familes (families which form after the first scenario)

Tate
The Tate family starts in the second scenario, but is only playable in the third. Their position is pretty much like the Molbrew.
They start with the Empyron.

Tordin
Exists only for Scenario 3, and is run by a cute looking lady. They are also shoved in a corner surrounded by the Lankshire family and the Flax family. Oh, and did I mention they start with no gem?

Tudoria
Along with the Divas family, they start in Scenario 4, the last scenario. They inherit Scylla. They're pretty much a copy of the Flax family with a different flag and lords.

Divas
Starts in Scenario 4. They are stuck in the crossfire between the Lyle/Blanche families and the Lankshire family, and have no gem to start with, what can go wrong?

Next up, the scenarios!

[justinlee999]

Scenarios

Spoiler: Scenarios (click to show/hide)

Scenario 1 - Erin & Ander

Playable families:
Blanche
Lyle
Coryll
Chrysallis

Lankshire family's pretty much the boss now. The Lyle and Blanche families are at the north. Chrysallis is on that sad island. And Coryll is neighboring Flax, who is the only thing protecting Coryll from the Lankshire family.
Overall, this is the hardest scenario to play

Scenario 2 - Flax's Shame

Playable families:
Blanche
Lyle
Flax
Molbrew

The Lyle and Blanche families are slowly gaining power, and Lankshire is losing, slowly. Molbrew is finally playable and has gained one new province and borders Lankshire and Lyle. The Tate family is between Blanche and Lyle, a recipe for disaster. Also the Flax family is on its own against Lankshire now. This scenario is pretty hard, but easier than the first

Scenario 3 - Terian's War

Playable families:
Blanche
Lyle
Tate
Tordin

The Lankshire family lost even more power. The weak Tordin family is bordering Flax and Lankshire. The Tate family also somehow moved. This scenario is somewhat easy. Also Blanche gets Skulryk and Lyle gets Chylla.

Scenario 4 - Gemfire

Playable families:
Blanche
Lyle
Tudoria
Divas

Lankshire is a weakling. Blanche and Lyle are stronger than ever, and in my opinion, Blanche is stronger than Lyle in this scenario. Divas is going to fall really quick, even quicker than Tate, because it has no gems at all. I should mention that I played as Tudoria one time and pretty much steamrolled the Lankshire family. I'd recommend something different though. Also this probably the easiest scenario

So, I'll be doing the update tomorrow, as I'm sleeping, either way, I want you to vote for the scenario first, then we'll vote for the family to play as. If you want me having a hard game, choose Chrysallis in the first scenario (DON'T DO THAT). If you want the easy game (OH YEAH!) then have me go Lyle/Blanche at the fourth scenario, your pick.

[ssfsx17]

Which factions are the equivalent of Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and/or Oliver Cromwell? Because playing as fantasy Oliver Cromwell and winning would be neat.

[breadbocks]

First Scenario, Chrysallis, final destination.

Also, lol wemon magiks sux.

[ssfsx17]

Oh yeah, which faction does Fantasy Bloody Mary belong to? Because Fantasy Bloody Mary is way hotter than the real one.

[UltraValican]

posting to watch.

[justinlee999]

Oh yeah, which faction does Fantasy Bloody Mary belong to? Because Fantasy Bloody Mary is way hotter than the real one.

not sure what you mean, but if you mean princess Robyn,  she doesn't really exist gameplay wise, she's also in the lankshire family. As for scotland, well, the only separate land is where chrysallis is,  and spare be from playing as chrysallis!

[Hyo]

Chrysallis, Scenario 1. You knew this would happen.

[Deadmeat1471]

LPing a KOEI  game? count me in. 

[Servant Corps]

I never was good at this game, but even I destroyed Chrysallis.

Voting Chrysallis, Scenario 1.

[ssfsx17]

Voting Fantasy John Stanley, first scenario. That means Chrysallis

[EuchreJack]

Oh yeah, which faction does Fantasy Bloody Mary belong to? Because Fantasy Bloody Mary is way hotter than the real one.

not sure what you mean, but if you mean princess Robyn,  she doesn't really exist gameplay wise, she's also in the lankshire family. As for scotland, well, the only separate land is where chrysallis is,  and spare be from playing as chrysallis!

You're thinking of Ireland, as Scotland is attached to the English mainland.

So yeah, my vote is for First Scenario, fantasy Ireland!  (Chrysallis sucker)

[justinlee999]

Ah, in that case, fantasy Scotland is probably Blanche or Lyle, but still, everyone else voted for Chrysallis at Scenario 1, so...

D:< My face.

FINE.





I would've let you guys choose my advisers, but that takes too much unnecessary time. So Jasper the Riddler it is.


Now, if you don't know yet, we're on that tiny island with Lyle blocking us.

I'll run through briefly the commands to let you know what you can ask me to do.

Spoiler: Commands (click to show/hide)

I will be going through the options from left to right.


Military commands

The first command here is <Attack>. It attacks another place, obviously. Note that you can only attack adjacent lands. You can specify how many troops you want to send there, you can also choose the 4 preset options: Some, Half, Most, All. The more troops you send, the more money it costs. Also you can choose your 5th unit (We only have Chylla currently.) Finally, we can choose how many days of food we should bring, I think it is relative to how many soldiers you bring, and when you run out of food during the battle, you lose, as simple as that. The same applies for the enemy though, so let's take advantage of that.

<Recruit> is well, recruit. Just like sending soldiers, you get to specify how many you recruit, but you can also use the 4 preset settings. For example, choosing "All" means spending all your money on troops, some is spending a quarter on your troops, etc.

<Move troops> is quite self-explanatory. It is basically like attacking except that you are sending troops to your other provinces to reinforce. I should note that gems are available at ANY province, but a normal 5th unit needs to be moved like the soldiers.

<Hire monster> is where you hire (or fire) a 5th unit. Each province has different 5th units available to them, mostly random. You also get to see how they attack. You can't see their strength though (strangely), but you can see AFTER you hire them. Jerks.


Domestic commands

<Develop> lets you spend 10 gold on either Cultivation or Protection. Cultivation improves the fertility of the land. While protection increases the fortification of the land. Spend enough money developing and the Pastha might join you.

<Trade> allows you to buy and sell food. Prices can be low, average, or high. It is highly recommended to buy when the price is low and sell when the price is high. You can potentially make tons of cash/food with it.

<Give food> is pretty much like cultvating, except that it improves loyalty and uses food instead, but this time you can specify how many: 20, 50, 80, 100.

<Transport> transports money or food to another province of ours.


Diplomacy commands

<Ally> is somewhat misleading. It is more of a ceasefire treaty than an alliance, and you can only form one alliance, if you ally with another family, you have to break your current one. I believe this discourages the allied family from attacking you, and they break their treaty first before they want to attack, giving you time to defend.

<Negotiate> allows you to defect or threaten someone to surrender. Said person's loyalty must be low and you need some charm to successfully defect a lord to your faction.  To make a province surrender, you should already be murdering them by now, so surrender just makes your job somewhat easier, don't expect it to be a life-saver or anything.

<Sabotage> hurts your enemy province's resources, including loyalty, fortification, etc. There is a chance of them finding out who sabotaged them. Honestly though, I'd rather <Plunder>

<Plunder> is a really really useful command. You have a rich neighbor next to you? Plunder him, the richer he is, the more he loses and the more you get! It's an overpowered command, and the AIs don't use it often, if they even use that command that is.


Miscellaneous commands

<View> gets information on almost everything on the person/family except their 5th unit. You can view your own family's 5th unit though. Pretty useful, you can tell me to do it when you want to.

<Change lord> changes the ruler of a province, nothing much to say here.

<Entrust> is basically making a town ruled by an AI. I believe that you need another lord ruling it in order to entrust it. Your capital or lord-less states needs manual governance. It saves alot of time, but they are quite ineffecient. They can be useful if you have safe provinces that are away from the enemy borders, but can't bother to control them most of the time. I'll probably entrust a few provinces once I establish a few safe towns.

<Search> basically gets a spy to look out for any 5th units a province may have. If you're lucky, you may get a treasure from searching. It costs 5 gold per search.

[EuchreJack]

Ally Lyle, so they don't kill you before you're ready for them.

Then plunder them until they break the treaty.

Once they break the treaty, use your newfound gold to buy troops.

Two other things: Cultivate in the summer, and buy food right after the harvest.

You don't need a fifth unit, as you only have one province, and a charged gem.  Once that changes, buy the nastiest fifth unit you can.  If you have two or more provinces, we can vote on which you should buy.

The strength and descriptions for the Fifth units are in the manual.

[justinlee999]

Good idea, any more suggestions?

EDIT: Also if this LP succeeds, I'll replay this game, because it is replayable, sounds good?