Darkest Dungeon: We were rewarded with Madness

Reports from Darkest Dungeon - spoilers ahead! You can follow the rest of the story here!

The gods smile upon us. Elizabeth, Alvinia and Shaliquor, Dr. Vahlen and the short in stature Skrmischa somehow found the way through the third floor of the dungeon, which had been twisted into living flesh and tissue. Their foes consisted of mammoth, beholder like cysts and horrific antibodies that could teleport them around the massive map. Despite all being near death, and hopelessly lost they still managed to find victory.

It was then my turn in what turned out to be the final floor where Kokabeel, Rocket Man, Sunbro Forever and I faced... the grounds keeper Penultimo? The mad man was in fact the wizard behind all the creatures here, and his mastery of sorcery was impressive but not unstoppable. It was only when he fused himself with the heart of darkness that his true power was revealed - unmaking Rocket Man and Kokabeel from existence before Sunbro and I finally put an end to his horrible life. It is just as well that we fought him now before the creature got stronger or we would not have had any chance.

As it is, he could already do this...

So this is what victory feels like, yet on the faces of those who descended into the Darkest Dungeon I can tell that their minds will be forever haunted by the experience. I imagine the Joining is the only thing that is keeping me sane right now... which is why I can write this. The nightmares are getting stronger though... if I make it out of this place I think it is time for me to take the long walk... the Calling, before it is too late.

-Agdan, Grey Warden

Darkest Dungeon: Casualties at Arrival

Reports from Darkest Dungeon - spoilers ahead! You can follow the rest of the story here!

This place is cursed, and that's saying something given where we are. The gun slinger Isey and I were the first to arrive at this forsaken hamlet which seems to be run by a crazed caretaker named Penultimo. It's amazing the place still stands given the disrepair and the amount of horrors lurking in all the nearby areas.

At least the boss wasn't joking when he said that more help would arrive as soon allies and other adventurers just seeking gold or glory began to arrive just days behind us. I took the initiative to announce myself the leader of this little group and ordered everyone to focus their efforts on hunting the necromancer at the nearby ruins.

It is clear who is the leader!

The Khajiit pirate Skullcat, the ex-princess Dusk, Sultan of Swing and Gamesting were all victims of the bandits he had hired as security. Even Isey was fatally shot by one of their crossbows. Deeper in lay other problems in the form of cultists who slew Melentia and the Nerevarine Brutus. We even had one loss, Chara, to spider venom. 

This would not dissuade our attempts though, as with each successful expedition I knew we drew closer to his lair.

-Fawadin

Tropico 3: The Pirate King

[This is part of my Tropico 3 Journal!]

Looks like the pirates liked me so much that the more violent military types took me to a nearby island to be their king! It's not a bad place with four easily accessible mines and some oil. Not so much of a logging industry though, and -no- elections. It's a monarchy after all. Turns out it's my job to actually change that with reforms and putting together an advisory cabinet for free speech is just the first step toward that goal. I do question their line of trying to make rum the island's primary export though, given I don't make a single factory for that.

With the eager US pushing forward money to help the island become a democracy it is pretty easy to keep everyone, especially the supposedly monarchist military people happy. The religious folk get a bit upset when I allow Mardi Gras, "Tropicostock" (Woodstock) and other various freedoms (like same sex marriages) to happen but I simply remind them with a visit from the Pope that they should know their place. My aide, Penultimo then manages a stroke of brilliance - getting self proclaimed monarchists to wear the red knight's cross making them easy targets to fall prey to "accidents" for my secret police. I kill most of them before the rest rebel, a number small enough for my army to annihilate without my further intervention.

Soon enough the citizens are ready to move to a democracy, and though I win the following election against Itzlar Pena (135/3) the lesson is taught and the mission is completed - I am free to let someone else rule once my term is up, and since I know that none of the citizens could handle that I made an alliance with the most qualified faction when it comes to liberty: The USSR!

Tropico 3: Planting the Wrong Seeds

[This is part of my Tropico 3 Journal!]

After a crash course in presidency with the supposed toucan worshipper named Penultimo, I have been sent to the "fruitful" island St. Helena and have been tasked to oversee the exports of 8000 units worth of agricultural goods as a test of my abilities. Being isolated, these islands have no other form of income other than exported goods so it was good to see that they already had a shipping port up and running upon my arrival. Using my superior skills I quickly decided to build more farms to get this task out of the way so I could move on to the more lucrative islands. And I mean personally. These builders are bloody slow!

Alas, while enjoying the salsa music from the radio it seems I overlooked the small matter of actually having enough housing and food for my subjects. I foolishly set all the farms to plant tobacco which, while being a profitable export, doesn't actually feed anyone so I was forced to switch a number over to be corn and banana plantations instead. This wasn't an instantaneous as I would have liked, and with falling popularity I quickly decided to setup a church and army base (for paladins! lol) to deal with any trouble makers.

Like this, with the figure in the back being El Presidente!

Just in time too as some plantation workers went on strike due to their poor wages and terrible hours. They quickly changed their tune when I sent the army in to shoot a few of them dead. They didn't ever strike again after that incident, but instead called for elections! Though my opponent Kiril Kikitin started off with the majority vote, a well constructed speech (yes the game lets you construct speeches) and my sudden "generous" edicts of Social Security and Food for the People (where they get two meals a day instead of one) was enough to swing the votes to my favour, 58 to 32.

I'm not sure if I would have survived a second election but it didn't matter because I soon reached the quota I had and finished the mission, leaving someone else to govern the remaining dissidents.