In Progress Emperor of Nothing [40k CYOA]

[LogOS]

LogOS, can you elaborate on what sets these candidates apart? I don't have anything solid to really recommend one candidate over another, and I doubt that Robu picked his ancillaries off of a five-word character description.

This raises a very important question: do we want to keep the Ecclesiarchy and Inquisition as they are, or do we want to change them?

1) I could, but I don't think it serves any narrative purpose. The equerry will be fleshed out as the story goes along, but it's not like you're gonna play as him. These decisions are the main reasons Roboute chose him, not the only ones. For all 5 alternatives you can assume he matched Roboute's criteria: He is loyal, intelligent, strategically inclined, courageous, sincere and sympathetic towards whatever philosophical opinion you chose in The Fool.

If the problem is explicitly with the Dark Eldar escapee, he was one of the prisoners rescued by Yvraine when she went full Ynnead, although I don't think that matters all that much.

In fact, to do an exercise in entirely futile things, I can list your applicants in order of combat prowess
.) DE escapee, since he beat mandrakes in the arena
.) Techpriest, since technology kills shit
.) Guardsman, since The Emperor Protects.
.) Heretic, since he had to tangle with the Inquisition.
.) Redemptionist, because there's no need to fight when you have a heavy flamer.

Now, this might look significant, but I can assure you at no point in this CYOA will this ever be relevant. You are Roboute Guilliman, literally a superman who can punch Greater Daemons to death. And you are backed up by what are essentially the God-Emperor's golden banana boys, who carry a significant measure of his power and can banish lesser daemons with a glare. However skilled your Equerry is, in this scenario, he doesn't matter. I only write this to point out that 99% of this guy's value is political and moral, not in any way martial.

2) That question may arise in the future. For now, fluff states Guilliman considers the Imperial Cult necessary, which I agree with. To mess with it would be the source of way too much disruption.

 

[Baltika9]

LogOS, can you elaborate on what sets these candidates apart? I don't have anything solid to really recommend one candidate over another, and I doubt that Robu picked his ancillaries off of a five-word character description.

This raises a very important question: do we want to keep the Ecclesiarchy and Inquisition as they are, or do we want to change them?

1) I could, but I don't think it serves any narrative purpose. The equerry will be fleshed out as the story goes along, but it's not like you're gonna play as him. These decisions are the main reasons Roboute chose him, not the only ones. For all 5 alternatives you can assume he matched Roboute's criteria: He is loyal, intelligent, strategically inclined, courageous, sincere and sympathetic towards whatever philosophical opinion you chose in Ep 1. If the problem is explicitly with the Dark Eldar escapee, he was one of the prisoners rescued by Yvraine when she went full Ynnead, although I don't think that matters all that much.

2) That question may arise in the future.

So our choice of equerry will not severely impact the choices available to us in the future? For instance, the heretic will not throw a fit if we decide to go along with the Imperial cult, and the Dark Eldar survivor will not have a nervous breakdown if we decide to ally (as much as one can) with the Eldar because Yvraine is best girl?

 

[LogOS]

LogOS, can you elaborate on what sets these candidates apart? I don't have anything solid to really recommend one candidate over another, and I doubt that Robu picked his ancillaries off of a five-word character description.

This raises a very important question: do we want to keep the Ecclesiarchy and Inquisition as they are, or do we want to change them?

1) I could, but I don't think it serves any narrative purpose. The equerry will be fleshed out as the story goes along, but it's not like you're gonna play as him. These decisions are the main reasons Roboute chose him, not the only ones. For all 5 alternatives you can assume he matched Roboute's criteria: He is loyal, intelligent, strategically inclined, courageous, sincere and sympathetic towards whatever philosophical opinion you chose in Ep 1. If the problem is explicitly with the Dark Eldar escapee, he was one of the prisoners rescued by Yvraine when she went full Ynnead, although I don't think that matters all that much.

2) That question may arise in the future.

So our choice of equerry will not severely impact the choices available to us in the future? For instance, the heretic will not throw a fit if we decide to go along with the Imperial cult, and the Dark Eldar survivor will not have a nervous breakdown if we decide to ally (as much as one can) with the Eldar because Yvraine is best girl?

Sure he will. But he is an equerry, the guy who superglues purity seals onto your armor. He is there so you can have somebody to confess to and hear opinions different to yours. If he impedes the war effort, You can just dispose of him.

Updated original post to make it clearer.

I don't think I quite conveyed this impression yet in this LP, but Guilliman is quite literally a living physical demigod of this Imperium, politics aside. Your equerry is only as important as you want him to be. I propose the choice because, for now, Guilliman 40k is acting like Guilliman 30k: Decent, honourable, thoughtful. That may change quite drastically, and from what i've seen of other Codex CYOAs i've checked recently, it probably will.

PS: Although recent fluff suggests Guilliman is in fact a psyker, i don't think we will be DEVOURING SOULS at any point

 

[Baltika9]

I propose the choice because, for now, Guilliman 40k is acting like Guilliman 30k: Decent, honourable, thoughtful. That may change quite drastically, and from what i've seen of other Codex CYOAs i've checked recently, it probably will.

Flopping to D>A.

My bad, that was supposed to be a D>B flop.

 

[the_biologist]

Any fool can try. We need someone who seeks to understand

C

Flopping to A so we don't get B for boring

 

[Esquilax]

Sometimes it just takes a common man with some humility and sense to keep a powerful demigod grounded and able to get a perspective of his goals and what he's fighting for.

What better representative of the Average Joe of the 41st millenium than the humble guardsman?

 

[LogOS]

Sometimes it just takes a common man with some humility and sense to keep a powerful demigod grounded and able to get a perspective of his goals and what he's fighting for.

What better representative of the Average Joe of the 41st millenium than the humble guardsman?

Flopped to B now that I understand our role a bit better.

Can I ask something, not of you in particular, but in general?

When you guys change choices, just edit the original post and don't repost your choice in any other post, you can just say you flip flopped (and even describe the choice), just don't highlight the choice code (A, B, C, etc) . Cuz i'm bad at counting and I keep getting wrong tallies,so that would help me a lot.

Also i'm ignoring preferential votes from here on out cuz they just got me confused and I saw no advantage to them, so i'lll just consider the first choice. We can discuss this again at a later time, if needed.

Thanks.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Also i'm ignoring preferential votes from here on out cuz they just got me confused and I saw no advantage to them, so i'lll just consider the first choice. We can discuss this again at a later time, if needed.

'Faith, you don't need to worry about vote counts, plenty of dudes who can tally it up if you'd but say the word.

 

[Kalin]

Any fool can try. We need someone who seeks to understand

C

Flopping to A so we don't get B for boring

Joined: Tuesday
Messages: 2

Totally legit fella...

Also flopper-fags are the worst, weak and indecisive, like a womyns.

 

[hoothoot]

In the lore Goolimans equerry is a hella old genetic experiment who controls a planet and is in the middle of waging a mini-crusade at Gooli's behest. in this also?

 

[Baltika9]

Any fool can try. We need someone who seeks to understand

C

Flopping to A so we don't get B for boring

Guardsmen are boring? Why I never! Flopping to B.

 

[rolandz_Baton_PROD]

A

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

Well... I have to think a bit more now.
What do we need for Roboute, re: perspective?
We already have a Techpriest who innovates, courtesy of Cawl.
That guy who fought Mandrakes must be absurdly bad-ass. But we aren't exactly short of combat power ourselves.
We already have an heretic against the Imperial Church in the form of Yassily Sulymanyan.

I have flip-flopped to B > C. We need a Guardsman dude who will give us a perspective on what the guard suffers. I know the Astartes are the spotlight boys, but its the average Guardsman who does the bulk of the unglorious work. Failing that, having a tech-priest around can be useful.

PS: Although recent fluff suggests Guilliman is in fact a psyker, i don't think we will be DEVOURING SOULS at any point

Me, many updates later:

 

[baud]

A

I got no idea, this one could be fun

 

[Baltika9]

The tally so far:
A = 9

Spoiler

Azira
Lithium Flower
Grimgravy
Kz3r0
agentorange
Nevill
the_biologist
rolandz_baton_PROD
baud

B = 12

Spoiler

Darth Roxor
hoothoot
Kalin
ERYFKRAD
Neanderthal
Storyfag
Smashing Axe
Baltika9
Obsequoius Approbation
Lambchop19
The Brazilian Slaughter
Esquilax

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Doing a flop to (see original post) because it seems kind of interesting.

There's not really much point to having a guardsman seeing as how our character has already become so faithless.

May not be much of a point in flopping now, but let the record show that I flopped and flopped floppily.

Also i'm ignoring preferential votes from here on out cuz they just got me confused and I saw no advantage to them, so i'lll just consider the first choice. We can discuss this again at a later time, if needed.

Thanks.

Ah, ok.

 

[Baltika9]

Tigranes, would you care to join us for another LP? I forgot about you, bro. My bad.

 

[Neanderthal]

When do we get to krump stuff?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

When do we get to krump stuff?

All in good time, I should hope.

 

[ItsChon]

D>B

 

[oscar]

D>A

The bro guardsman is kind of cliched. His 'reform value' might be a more meritocratic IG? IDK.. especially since it's arguable if meritocracy is the major issue with super-brained genetically engineered generals running the show.

The other three are interesting and have merit. Unfucking our stagnant technology seems a pretty major requirement for the Imperium to progress.

 

[Tigranes]

Tigranes, would you care to join us for another LP? I forgot about you, bro. My bad.

Hello, I'll read up tonight!

 

[Esquilax]

D>A

The bro guardsman is kind of cliched. His 'reform value' might be a more meritocratic IG? IDK.. especially since it's arguable if meritocracy is the major issue with super-brained genetically engineered generals running the show.

The other three are interesting and have merit. Unfucking our stagnant technology seems a pretty major requirement for the Imperium to progress.

I agree, on paper, our guardsman, no matter what his resume is, doesn't have the skill sets (i.e. technological know-how, an unorthodox heretic with the ability to see flaws in the structure of the Imperium, survival skills learned from being a captive in a xeno hell hole) or the unique backstory that jumps out at you that the others have.

What I'm suggesting - perhaps wrongly speculating, in which case I'm glad to hear a counterpoint - is that this guy's value isn't in his experiences, it's in his faith and his soul. We have the greatest minds and the most skilled warriors around us, what comes at a premium is a common man who doesn't have any hungry ambitions and is 'normal' for lack of a better term, precisely because we are not.

Basically having a common man with a sensible, grounded perspective is a good foil for a powerful demigod who can do (pretty much) anything.

 

[Baltika9]

D>A

The bro guardsman is kind of cliched. His 'reform value' might be a more meritocratic IG? IDK.. especially since it's arguable if meritocracy is the major issue with super-brained genetically engineered generals running the show.

The other three are interesting and have merit. Unfucking our stagnant technology seems a pretty major requirement for the Imperium to progress.

I agree, on paper, our guardsman, no matter what his resume is, doesn't have the skill sets (i.e. technological know-how, an unorthodox heretic with the ability to see flaws in the structure of the Imperium, survival skills learned from being a captive in a xeno hell hole) or the unique backstory that jumps out at you that the others have.

What I'm suggesting - perhaps wrongly speculating, in which case I'm glad to hear a counterpoint - is that this guy's value isn't in his experiences, it's in his faith and his soul. We have the greatest minds and the most skilled warriors around us, what comes at a premium is a common man who doesn't have any hungry ambitions and is 'normal' for lack of a better term, precisely because we are not.

I don't think we'll always have the option of dialing up the mechanicum, ecclesiarchy, or best girl Yvraine the Eldar that decided to ally themselves with us. They have other, more important, things to do than chat with us over Spacebook or come over for movie night. But our chamberlain will. I completely agree with you that the guardsman is the best representative of the common man in the world, but that might not be what Robu needs the most, since he is one of the most humane Primarchs and experienced warriors already.
The other ancillaries offer things that Robu has no experience with: unique experience with the dark Eldar, a true innovator, or one of the few sane men in the Imperium.

 

[LogOS]

Well... I have to think a bit more now.
What do we need for Roboute, re: perspective?
We already have a Techpriest who innovates, courtesy of Cawl.
That guy who fought Mandrakes must be absurdly bad-ass. But we aren't exactly short of combat power ourselves.
We already have an heretic against the Imperial Church in the form of Yassily

Disregard all those pointless.side characters of dark imperium, including the lulzly ecclesiarch. Theyre limiting and unnecessary. For now consider guilliman's 'companions' only as cawl, the victrix guard and the equerry. He can get new ones tho.

As for your other question, the heretic in A is an imperial cult dissident. Not (at least apparently) a chaos worshipper