Blame yourself or God! Let's Play Final Fantasy Tactics!

While we're talking about names, the Random Name Generator rocks. One of my favorites I've had was Pit, who I totally made an archer and shot the living hell out of monsters. Hilarity ensued a few missions later when I picked up a female named Cherry.

Chemist Ninjas FTW! Maybe you could add a Samurai or two for sheer badassness.

I've got a WotL game around somewhere that I abandoned in Chapter 3 when Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G took over my PSP. I think it made a nest there, it didn't leave for 6 months...

Yes, I loved my generics. In fact, I use their names in other RPGs when I can't think of any.

Generics are all well and good, but I'd like to see a Monk/Oracle named Kenshiro. Use Secret Fist and Repeating Fist as much as possible.

Dude, I don't know what you're talking about. They totally kicked that war's ass.

The original translation is famously bad, but I do get sick of Ye Olde Role Playinge Speake pretty quickly. And "I got a good feeling!" is the most (or only) entertaining part of the dispatch missions.

The luxurious number of spaces for names always forces me to come up with long ones like Ozymandius or Illuminatus.

One of my Survbots in EO is named Cherry.

"Opal" and "Leonard" are still two names I use thanks to FFT. Leonard, in fact, is the name of my FFXI character.

I'm generally in favor of the new translation since it's, you know, comprehensible.

Of course the original had lines like "Surrender or die in obscurity!".

I don't see why they had to replace the lines in the new translation instead of just changing it to fancy-English form. And was it really that bad? My disc is scratched to hell so it never loads beyond the first cutscene after deciding a name and all that.

Anyway, this game is awesome, and I'm one of those ridiculous FFVII fans so I demand you use Cloud (or if you can't find room for him, in at least one battle). In addition, at least one Samurai.

God speed.

Oh, and Dancers rock.

I look forward to reading your LP about FFTactics. I personally suck at it and will probably always be stuck in the beginning.

I've been looking forward to this one and I'm really excited to be along for the ride.

I just replayed through FFT a few different ways a couple of months ago, and the most fun way I found was to single-character it as Ramza. Any class, any skills, any equipment, but only Ramza gets to play.

It made some battles a lot easier, and some I'd always blown through really difficult (Yardow Fort City comes to mind).

And it was a lot of fun punching Adrammalech to death with Two Swords/Martial Arts/Brave 100 before he got to move. "Yes, it was me. I killed your father. That weakling didn't deserve to OW OH GOD MY FACE STOP IT OW FUCK AJORA HELP ME"

If you're going to go the Two Swords/Martial Arts route, rename Ramza to "Guido".

Sadly I'm not yet that person, and I don't know if i'll ever be... I got the game when it first came out (In fact I still have it) I also have the PSP version. I spent 20 odd hours on the PSX version and none on the PSP one.

Thing is, is I like TBS strategy games, I just don't like math or stats or number crunching or min maxing or figuring out how best to tweak this or that character. So I burn out. On games like X-Com you can pretty much ignore that and still have a good time and beat the game. In FFT though if you don't invest all this time in creating the right team, you hit a wall at one point and then hate the game... At least that is what happens for me... It just happened in FFTA2 where I played through the entire game til I got to the final boss, I thought I was doing well... I hadn't discovered all the jobs or all the pieces of equipment I'd need to get all the good abilities ( I watch youtube...) and he's impossible to beat with my team. I spent 30 or 40 hours on the game and I'll never beat it because I don't want to play the game just to get the right job and the right abilities for it to win...

So while I personally suck at these games, I'm excited to see how it ends and see a story that perhaps is coherent enough to follow.

I don't think I ever crunched the numbers in FFT. I just experimented a bunch.

i didnt know there _were_ numbers to crunch in fft.

FFT (and FFTA2) is as difficult as you make it be. While there certainly are a few battles in both games that are difficult, they can be beat with pure grinding (one pair of battles in FFT excluded, but they throw a 'do you want to save?' warning before you get into the battle, which would hopefully tell players to choose a different save... but maybe I've just been playing RPGs too long).

I'm curious what problem you're having. I beat him rather handily with my team (and on Hard), and I never saw anything out of him that was threatening. What is he doing to you that you can't beat?

(The next update will be up later today, but don't expect daily updates; this LP is a lot of work!)

- Eddie

You are just...an incredibly confusing person sometimes.

It's a good thing you make such sweet Home videos.

i was being facetious. The thing about tactics is that number crunching is well and safely hidden behind the scenes, so its very easy to ignore if you want. I personally never bothered with the math of FFT.

Perhaps there aren't numbers but there is definitely crunching and member/party tweaking going on look here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/psx/game/197339.html

Thats 53 in-depth faqs?! That's a lot of time to sink in to something, something that I want to enjoy but can't seem to.

Eddie I'll private message you my party and my deaths in FFTA2 when I get home tonight (maybe, this is my 9th straight 8+ hour day at work... only 3 more days just like the previous 9)

well, i'm not going to lie--fft definately takes a certain hardcore mindset to really get into, and balancing your party and equipment and so forth is a big part of that.

I blundered through FFT the first two times without understanding the mechanics. Riovanes Castle aside, I don't think anything in the game is inordinately difficult for a newbie with no interest in status screens and help blurbs*. You do eventually get Orlandu after all.

*Assuming you have enough interest in RPGs to be playing it in the first place.

and since this is the original, i expect, nay, i DEMAND that everyone be walking around with a pouch full of Defenders and Save The Queens.

I don't think you even NEED the roving Gameshark by the point you get him, and you still have to grind him a bit to master his better skills or get him Dualwield. Anyone even slightly familiar with FF5 (which, admittedly, was a lot harder when FFT was first released) would understand the Job system enough to wing it through most battles... and then they could grind their way through.

I think he can solo the rest of the game from when you get him with just his Excalibur and store bought items. Without changing jobs! And if he starts with Night Sword and one other good skill, maaaaybe even without opening the Formation menu.

Ramza: Why...?


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Delita's name appears for
the first time a year before
the Lion War broke out.

Many soldiers who returned from the war,
had no jobs, little money,
and even less loyalty to the crown.

Many became thieves and
rebels plotting rebellion
against the royal family.

At that time robbery and
murder were commonplace in Ivalice.
Many heroes and
wizards came out of there.
And Gariland was no exception either.

(Scene: A group of students are gathered in an meeting
hall, gossiping to each other about the latest news. A
young Ramza and Delita are among them. They are the
future members of the Hokuten Knights.)





Cadet: Must have been the Death Corps...





Ramza: What do you mean?

Delita: Prince Larg's coming to town.

Ramza: Prince Larg? Why?

Delita: Not only Larg, but Marquis Elmdor of Limberry, too.

Ramza: That's news! It's not an official visit, is it?

Delita: There are danger zones everywhere in Ivalice. The
Hokuten Knights are in full operation, but suffering from a
shortage of men.

Ramza: So, they need us cadets.

Voice: Everyone, fall in!

(Everyone lines up in an orderly fashion as a senior officer
enters the room, whom moves to stand on the platform in
front of them.)




Hokuten Knight: As you know, barbarians are rapidly
increasing here in Gallione. The traitorous Death Corps
detest the royal family. We cannot overlook them.

We will begin exterminating these traitors. By order of our
Master. Larg's Knights stationed at Igros Castle and many
other groups will participate. Your duty is to support the
flank. Specifically, you'll go to Igros and help guard it.

(A female knight enters the room, and proceeds to the
platform.)





Hokuten Knight: Cadets, ready your swords! A gang of
tortured thieves is trying to sneak into this town.





Hokuten Knight: This is the frontline of operations! That's
all! Prepare immediately!


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Magic City Gariland

Welcome back to Let's Play Final Fantasy Tactics! After slaughtering some of Goltana's men, we watched our charge
get kidnapped by a friend (?) of ours. Chapter 1 is a flashback that sets up this moment.

While technically the second fight of the game, this is really the one where players learn how to swim. You get to
control a team of five (Ramza + four members from the academy), and this map is pretty subtly showing off a lot of
terrain features that are important to know.

A lot of first time players actually have a lot of difficulty on this map, and I was no exception. There are very few times
I like to admit that I lost the very first real battle of the game but it's really an honest mistake; the game isn't very
clear that you actually have to place more than just Ramza on the blocks (as seen in the first screenshot below). So,
especially after a fight where you only control one character, I give no grief to those who didn't think to start hitting 'L1'
or 'R1' after putting Ramza down.

I mean, look at the screen! It lists several buttons you can press, but the buttons to 'flip through your roster' is not
one of them.

Anyway, you'll have four Squires and two Chemists to choose from. If you're lucky, you can get some units with a high
Brave and/or Faith score right off the bat. A further explanation about Brave and Faith will be coming, but for now just
know that any value over "65" is a great score to have. In fact, unlike recruited units, these starting characters can
have a liiiiittle higher score (Recruits cap at 70 Brave or Faith, these guys can get up to 74).

But don't count on it. Usually I get one good one or two units, forcing me to dump the trashy units and recruit new
ones. Of course, a few people have pipped up asking to let ye old name generator do the picking (sans Ramza of
course), so let's see whom the game gives us! First however, we'll take a peek at Ramza's status screen:



In the top right, we can see a unit's portrait, level, experience, and HP/MP/CT.

Portrait: What they look like! This also (usually) indicates a character's gender. Monsters are always considered
genderless, with one exception.

Level: The unit's experience level, ala nearly every Final Fantasy game. This goes to 99, and affects how many Job
Points (JP) your character gains when they do a 'useful' action (i.e. hitting someone with a sword). A unit with a higher
level than an opponent will gain less exp, and vice versa. The unit with the highest level also determines the levels of
enemies in random battles.
Exp: A number from 0 to 100; A unit gains a level when this reaches 100 (it then resets to 0). Similar to the Ogre Battle
games in this respect.
HP: A unit's Hit Points! A unit with 0 HP falls unconscious. Armor raises this value. Male units tend to gain more HP than
females.
MP: A unit's Magic Points! A unit always starts a battle with a full MP bar, which they can use to cast spells. MP, unlike
some games, does not regenerate by itself during battle, so you have to use items or abilities to raise it. Female units
tend to gain more MP than males.
CT: This stands for "Charge Time" and is used to determine when a unit takes its turn, based on their speed. When CT
hits 100, a unit gets their turn.

The top left has a few points of interest:

Class: Ramza here is a Squire. Unlike generics, his and other special characters' sprites never changes to reflect their
class so this is where you can check it at a glance.
Zodiac Sign: That's the arrow with the line through it. Ramza here is a Sagittarius (because he was born November
30th). Zodiac sign has a minor effect (and sometimes a major effect when gender gets involved) when dealing with
enemies or other members of your party. A full explanation of the Zodiac Wheel will be saved for a future post.
Brave: A unit's ability to grit their teeth and fight in combat. A high brave allows a unit the confidence to be more
daring in battle, both scoring more powerful hits and reacting to enemy attacks. This value ranges from 0 to 100.
Faith: A unit's ability to believe in the supernatural. A high faith increases the power and success of magical
attacks/abilities, both to and from a unit (A fire or cure spell will, for example. hurt or heal a low faith character less).
Ranges from 0-100.

Ramza's scores of 70 and 70 make him suited for any job we stick him in; I'll use him to fill in any gaps you guys leave
with your job choices.

In the middle we get some combat information:

Move: How many of the square tiles a unit can move. Terrain affects this, as do equipment, abilities, and class.
Jump: How far a unit can jump up or down to a different elevation. Also affected by the same things as Move.
Speed: A unit's speed. This is primarily affected by gaining levels in a class; the explanation of which will be saved for
another time.
Weap.Power: How strong your attack it. There is a column for both right (R) and left (L) hands. Characters default to
being right-handed, but there is nothing preventing you from equipping weapons in left hands. Dual-wielding is reserved
for Ninjas, but several classes can fill their off hand with a shield.

The first number is the weapon's power, while the second number is the weapon's evasion chance (in this case, 5%).
This number is only used when using a Knight's "Weapon Guard" ability however.

AT: A unit's base physical or magical strength, which is determined via class and leveling. The sword of course,
represents physical attacks and the rod magical.
C-EV: How much avoidance the unit's class is contributing to evasion.
S-EV: Evasion gained from using a shield.
A-EV: Evasion gained from using an accessory.

The bottom half shows equipment and abilities for a unit. This is particularly useful if you have a Thief or someone with
their skill-set.

Eqp., from top to bottom:
Right handed item (Broad Sword)
Left handed item (empty)
Headgear (Leather Hat)
Armor (Clothes)
Accessory (Battle Boots)

Ability, from top to bottom:
Class ability (Guts, the "lightning bolt") - The abilities associated with the class that this character has learned.
Secondary ability (empty, the second "lightning bolt") - Characters can use the abilities from a single other class they
have access to (and have learned).
Reaction ability (empty, the "deflection" icon) - This is (generally) the ability that triggers when a unit takes damage.
Support ability (empty, the "circle" icon) - Abilities that modify a class, such as a Ninja's Two Swords ability, or a
Squire's Gained JP Up ability.
Move ability (empty, the "foot" icon) - Abilities that modify movement.

We can get into specifics later. For now, presenting our first generics!



Junk and Tabatha are a pair of the squires we start with, and the ones with the worst stats. Junk has miserable Brave
and Faith, but his name is Junk, so I'm guessing that is somewhat appropriate. Tabatha isn't winning any awards for
great stats either, but she could make a decent fighter.

Note that Junk has a better Physical AT, and Tabatha has a better Magical AT. Even at level one the differences in
gender assert themselves. The good news is that despite its gender's propensity towards certain classes, the game
isn't so difficult that you need to crunch numbers to create really good characters.



Jean and Sissie are our other squires, and both are excellent starters. Jean in particular starts with a huge Brave, which
will make him quite apt in melee combat. His Faith stat is quite high as well, so like Ramza, he'll do well in any class he
stumbles into. Sissie is slightly worse than Jean, but I think we will agree, has a much better name.



Sullivan and Jessica are our starting chemists, and both have excellent stats on both sides. You'll notice that as
Chemists they start with slightly lower hit points and one less point of move, reflecting their class.

For this battle I'm going to use my A-list guys (Sorry Junk and Tabitha!) but once we're done this fight, we can start
getting down to brass tacks, choosing whom to recruit and whom to cut, and what direction each shall take.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Thief: OK, all we have to do is kill these kids! Then, we can
escape! Don't you worry! We'll kill every one of you!

Delita: Ramza, watch out! Don't rush them!

Ramza: Don't patronize me, Delita! I'm also a Beoulve!!

Thief: Beoulve!? THE Beoulve family!? So, you must be
cadets from the military academy! Snot-nosed little nobles!!



Thief: What can a bunch of kids like you do? Buncha
spoiled punks like you'll never beat us!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Your opposition here are four Squires and a lone Chemist. As Delita is joining us as a guest, that means we outnumber
them, so beating them should be relatively simple. The biggest issue on this map is the terrain. There's only really two
places to go, either left, skirting across the pool of water in the middle, or up one of the buildings to combat the female
Squire on top of it, with a friend of hers sneaking around the side. You CAN move in water, but it costs two movement
points, making it slow going.

The chemist is biggest threat, but he won't be able to do much throw potions (+30 hp) around. He tends to stick
behind his companions, so you really can't do much but double and triple team the enemy units, until you can get to
him. Delita, being a guest, is computer controlled. He'll mostly go after whoever he can reach. Don't worry too much if
he falls; guests cannot die in this game.



Dying will of course, be covered in greater detail later. But the general gist is, that once you've taken a unit down to 0
hit points, a number appears about their body, counting down the turns until they go from 'critically wounded' to 'dead.'
A unit that dies leaves behind either a crystal that can restore health and mp (or sometimes a few skills to learn), or a
chest with an item in it.

Your units are no exception; let a character's timer run out before you can toss them a Phoenix Down or Raise spell,
and they're gone for good. Ramza turning into a crystal or treasure chest is, of course, GAME OVER.

Sometimes you can get lucky too and have one or more units with a Squire ability other than 'Dash.' Dash is a weak
attack that can sometimes push a unit back a panel (with a high hit rate) but 'Throw Stone' is more useful this early
in the game. It'll do the same damage as Dash, can knock back, and unlike Dash can be thrown from a few squares
away (and doesn't have Dash's crippling height problem which makes it impossible to use unless you're on roughly the
same 'height' as your target). Lame!



Of course, all this talk about squires seems to demand a further look. It is time to learn about our first class: The Squire!

Squire
Squire is the entry class that lead to the other physical classes, such as Knights and Monks. They're pretty unremark-
able.'Throw Stone' is a good skill early on to gain Job Points and Experience, and 'Gained JP Up' is one of the most
useful skills in the game (and one I'll be using a lot off screen) but otherwise the abilities are underwhelming, at best.

Note: Special Characters, including those who are called 'squires', have their “Basic Skill” replaced by a unique skill set.
The Reaction, Support, and Movement abilities are common between all 'squire' classes however. For example, the Dark
Knight Gafgarion replaces his 'Basic Skill' with 'Dark Sword' (and the resulting Dark Sword abilities) but his reaction is still
'Counter Tackle,' his Movement skill is just '+1 Move,' etc.

Ramza's squire class is unique. He can equip robes, and has a few extra skills. None of them are good enough to keep
Ramza in the Squire class, but his "Yell" skill increases a nearby unit's Speed value with a 100% chance hit rate, which
is very good until you can replace his secondary skill set with something else.


Skill Guide
Range: The first number determines how far away you can 'cast' a skill. If there is a second number, it determines the
maximum height difference a skill will tolerate before it won't effect an adjacent square. The Time Mage skill "Haste" for
example, has a height difference of "zero." That means unless a nearby unit is on the EXACT same elevation as the
square or unit being targeted, it will not effect them. “Auto” means it targets the caster exclusively (I don't know why
they didn't call it 'self').

Effect: Determines how many squares an effect hits:
“1” = single target/square.

“2” = a plus shape that targets each horizontal and vertically adjacent square for 5 squares total.
.o.
ooo
.o.

“3” = diamond, 13 squares, etc.
..o..
.ooo.
ooooo
.ooo.
..o..

If there is a comma and then number after the first, it indicates the difference in height of which it will still effect panels adjacent to the primary panel (i.e. 2,1 would effect a "plus" shaped area of which no panel near the center may have a height difference greater than one).

CTR: The casting time for a skill. The smaller this number, the quicker it takes to get a spell off. “Now” means that it's
cast instantly.

JP Cost: How many job points it costs to buy a skill.

(Information below is shamelessly created with the help of Stobias's FFT Job/Class FAQ. He rates each ability
too, in case you wanted a second opinion)



Squire Traits
Weapons: Knife, Sword, Axe, Flail
Helmet: Hat
Armor: Clothes

Move: 4
Jump: 3
Physical Evasion Rate: 5%

Abilities to get: Throw Stone, Gained JP UP, Move +1

Class Skill: Basic Skill
Accumulate: Charge up one's power to raise physical attack power [physical attack +1].
Range: Auto. Effect: 1. CTR: Now. JP Cost:300
(Useful, but hardly worth staying in the class to get)

Dash: Run into enemy with body [can knock target back one square].
Range: 1,1. Effect: 1. CTR: Now. JP Cost: 80
(Very unwieldy height requirement, low damage. But accurate.)

Throw Stone: Throw stones at a distant enemy [can knock target back one square].
Range: 4. Effect: 1. CTR: Now. JP Cost: 90
(If you've got nothing better to do, throwing a stone isn't a bad idea)

Heal: Recover from abnormal status effects [Cancel: Darkness, Silence, Poison].
Range: 1,2. Effect: 1. CTR: Now. JP Cost: 150
(None of those status ailments are particularly deadly, and you need to be standing right next to them to use
it. Pass.)

Reaction ability:
Counter Tackle: Counter with dash attack.
JP Cost: 180
(Better than nothing, but not by much.)

Support Abilities:
Equip Axe: Equip axe regardless of job.
JP Cost: 170
(Axes deal somewhat random damage. While their potential is high, they're really not worth using.)

Monster Skill: Target friendly monster within a range of 3 acquires new abilities.
JP Cost: 200
(With one exception, worthless. That "range 3" refers to vertical range; a monster MUST be next to the unit with Monster Skill for them to get their new ability.)

Defend: Defend and prepare for attack.
(Your evasion doubles. There are better ways to do this without wasting a turn tho.)
JP Cost: 50

Gained JP UP: Amount of JP earned in battle is increased.
JP Cost: 200
(JP Gain is increased by 50%. Very useful!)

Move Ability:
Move +1: Increase movement range by 1.
(Nothing spectacular, but every point of move is worth it.)
JP Cost: 200

Since everyone is already talking about adding (insert class) to the party, I felt it would be appropriate to explain how
you gain access to new jobs.

Every character has an associated level with each class, which is raised either by performing useful actions as said
class, or by participating in battles with another character who is that class (the details of which, we'll save for later).
This level is INDEPENDENT of character level. Experience level is in no way tired to what jobs you have access to.
Gaining enough Job Points (JP) will raise a job's level, starting at level 1 and going to a maximum of level 8. While a
higher job level allows for larger JP gains, it also affects which jobs your character has access to, as shown below with
this chart:

The chart might be a bit confusing to anyone but veteran players, but the basic gist is that once you have enough Job
Levels from certain classes, the new ones will open up. For example, Squire (at the top of the image) unlocks both the
Knight and Archer jobs once you become a Level 2 Squire (that is, has gained 200 Job Points as a squire. Level 3 is 350
JP, etc.). All jobs 'level' at the same rate, although classes are a bit easier to level later in the game as your Character
level (which as you remember, ranges from 1 to 99) increases (which raises JP gained as well).

Chemists are found at the bottom of the list, and unlock Wizards (Black Mages) and Priests (White Mages).

For example, if Ramza wanted access to the Samurai class, he needs the following Job Levels:

• Knight level 3
• Monk level 4
• Lancer level 2

Monks are unlocked by becoming a level 2 Knight. The trickier part is becoming a Lancer (side lament: Why not call
them Dragoons!?), for it requires a level 3 Thief!

I would also like the point out that while I could easily grind the requirements to shoot characters into certain classes,
some jobs are very picky about what weapons they can use. Samurais for example, can only use Katanas (and their
abilities are all tied to Katanas too), but katanas are not available until halfway into Chapter 2 (about 13 battles from
now).

Note: Dancers and Bards are gender specific; males cannot become dancers, and females cannot become bards.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Ramza: You wouldn't have died this way if you'd led an honest life.

Bonus Gil: 500g
War Trophies: 2000g, Mythril Knife, Phoenix Down, Potion

We're done the battle! Finishing the battle unlocks a path to our next destination, and allows us access to a few
options, available in most cities: The Bar (to have a drink and catch up on rumours), the Shop (to equip our team) and
the Soldier Office (to recruit new level 1 characters).



Each city is classified under different categories, which determine what items they sell. "Magic City Gariland" caters to
magic using folk, but is slightly unique that unlike other cities (which themselves cater to magic users; castles are the
ones that you'll find fighter stuff) they do sell the weak Broadsword, which will be a small upgrade for any squires you
might have that are using Daggers (The Mythril Knife is slightly stronger than both weapons). Trade cities, which we'll
encounter later, have equipment for some of the more unique classes.



Bars offer rumours that are either interesting or help fill in some of the backstory/history of Ivalice. I'll be posting new
ones as I get them as text for those that are interested, in a supplemental post after this one.

Once we're done Chapter 1, Bars will start offering jobs we can send our generics out on. This is the way!



If you have the gil (and if you fight or grind enough random battles, you will), you can spend your hard earned gil at
shops like this one. Shops gain new equipment as the story progresses, and the equipment they gain is tied to the
'type' of place they are (Cities, Castles, Trade Cities). 'Fitting Room' allows you to try on equipment before buying it,
and there is a neat function that you can use to automatically try on the best equipment available for multiple
characters, buying everything as one lump sum at the end.



The soldier office allows you to recruit new level 1 squires to the cause. It costs 1500g for a male, and 1400g for a
female, for some bizarre reason I can only assume is because the game is from Japan. When you pick a male or female,
the game randomly creates a squire with random Brave and Faith values between 40 to 70, and a random zodiac sign.
You can than choose their name (or accept the random one the game gives them).

Sadly, the Change Name option only allows you to change to name of monsters. Once a name is picked, it's stuck!



The world map also allows you to save your game, access the tutorial, and look up people and events for information.
The formation screen lets you switch equipment and jobs around, and dismiss characters, although as Ramza above
shows, it's impossible to dismiss him (or a guest character).

So, if we want we can start making recruits for our new company! The game doesn't officially let you name your group,
but I'm going to need to something to rally behind. My pick is to name ourselves the "Hadouken Knights" but I'm sure
other people have some better suggestions.

There have already been a lot of suggestions as towards names and jobs, and while I'll keep all those already in mind,
I'll keep taking suggestions. The game only allows a maximum of five characters in a battle (excluding guest chara-
cters), so really it's more practical to focus on only four generics, but I'm not opposed to shuffling some around.
Preference will be given to people who put a little 'oomph' into telling me why their character (or why an existing
character like Jessica) should stick around in the to-be-named company. What the 'oomph' should be I'll leave up to
you, the readers!

And don't worry about filling roles; I'll use Ramza to fill in any gaps. If you have a preference for gender or Zodiac sign,
please list it!

That about ends this post. Next time I'll introduce any new hirelings, introduce the Chemist, and we'll see how some of
our new recruits handle themselves in a fight! But before we leave, it's time for a flashback inside the flashback we're
already in!

Introducing: The Beoulves! See you next time!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The end of the 50 Year War
- The Beoulve Residence

(Scene: It is the last days of the 50 Year War. Balbanes
Beoulve, Ramza's father, stands surrounded by Ramza's
brothers and sister. He has lived to see the end of the
war, but knows death will soon claim him.)




Zalbag: Through swift action we were able to recover
Limberry.





Balbanes: Good...then, at last... this long war... will
finally come to an end.



Zalbag: Where is Ramza? Just when we need him most!

Balbanes: Dycedarg, Zalbag... my beloved sons... Take
care of Ramza. He may be your half brother, but he is
my own flesh.


(The sounds of running footsteps greet Ramza as he
rushes into the room.)

Ramza: Father!!

(Ramza moves next to Balbanes bed.)

Dycedarg: Lower your voice.



(Ramza moves closer and grasps his fathers hand.)

Ramza: Father...

Balbanes: It has been a long time... You've become a fine
man... You start at the Academy...in spring, don't you?

Ramza: .........

Balbanes: Listen, Ramza...... A Beoulve has served the
royal family for generations. The warrior spirit is in us.
Never shame your name...





Balbanes: Delita's a good boy. He should serve you well...
I've asked the dean to accept him into the Academy. It
shocked the dean a bit. He will serve you well... Treat
him well...

Ramza: Y, yes......father.........

Balbanes: Take good care of Alma... Become a fine
knight... Ramza.




* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

To be continued...

Don't listen to Eddie's lies, Accumulate is awesome. That, Throw Stone, and Gained JP Up are all you need out of the basic Squire class. It's great for filler when you can't even throw a rock (and even sometimes when you can), makes your physical fighters get better and better, and is one of the best ways to grind if you're into that sort of thing. Kinda pricy, but worth getting before you leave Squires behind.

In depth and intense...

Man, i couldn't play the game without accumulate and throw stone.

also, i love this thread so much.