Once More Unto The Breach Of Etiquette (ToB)

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Just a quick update, as there is little to report on the Wally front. Wally finished the Marching Mountains. The only person to speak to there was that rude concubine, who Wally insulted until she begged him to let her go. Back to Nyalee with the hearts, no chance to insult her. Wally killed Yaga-Shura, though it took two tries because Imoen got chunked somehow during the fight. Though I thought Wally's responses to the solar were fairly neutral (there weren't any good insults available, and the 'I shall destroy ALL!" responses just ain't in character), his second challenge room still got resolved evilly. Then we talked to Melissan again, and again no chance to insult her. Wally took a vacation to Watcher's Keep, which he is clearing now before going to deal with his other siblings. What a Monty Haul that dungeon is! There's practically no one in it to talk to. Wally insulted the Helmites a little, but nothing too good. He's still in there now.

Another talk with Imoen this session. Bhaal powers starting to stress her out. Wally told her he didn't care and she called him a big jerk. We'll see if this leads anywhere new. And Mazzy had a fun dialogue with Wally in which he got to call her a half-pint semi-paladin. She told him not to be such a boor and ended the conversation. No word from her since.

Further bulletins as events warrant...
L

 

"Half-pint semi-paladin" Go Mazzy!
Hope we'll get to see more like that.

 

Wally and company have finally finished hacking their way through Watcher's Keep. I don't know whether Wally is still behind due to all the quests he didn't get to finish back in SoA, or if it's because Mazzy and Sarevok are so far behind the others XP-wise, but this was probably my toughest time through this dungeon. It was not, however, made any harder by Wally's bad attitude. There was almost no one to talk to in Watcher's Keep. Unfortunately, just as Wally's romp through SoA revealed much of the depth of that game's design, his ToB quest is revealing some of the shallowness of these final chapters. The fighting to interacting ratio is way out of proportion, and there are not a lot of alternate ways to do things. Wally did get to ask that dragon if he tasted like chicken, which he enjoyed. Then he locked those hypocrite Helmites in the basement with Demogorgon, thumbed his nose at them, and left. It was the ruder thing to do, and besides, I'm not sure Wally and crew could have taken ol' Demmy.

Back on the quest, Wally killed those stupid cops in the oasis--the ones who are impossible to reason with. He kept a bounty poster as a souvenir. Then he got to Amkethran, where, finally, there were people to talk to again. Even so, it reminded me more of Brynnlaw than the thriving quarters of Athkatla. Wally went around and did all the linear mini-quests in town. He insulted the mercenary archers, provoking a fight. He strung the mayor along but eventually did save his daughter. He kept the monks from killing the priest. Didn't have the option to insult the priest afterwards, so he just gave him some money and sent him on his
way. Was as rude to Saemon as the game lets you be, not that it had any effect on anything. The lich quest was fun for Wally, as he got to bait and insult both Marlowe and the lich during the course of it. First he told Marlowe he was going to kill him, just to make him sweat; then he tricked him into going to the lich; then he told him he wasn't going to free his daughter; then he double-crossed the lich and freed the daughter anyway; and then he wrapped it all up by calling Marlowe a cretin and telling him to get out of his face. Wally had a blast, though I couldn't help noticing that the plot went exactly the same no matter what the PC said. Oh, well, you can't win 'em all.

Meanwhile, Imoen started talking to Wally about her Bhaal powers again. Seems to have forgotten she was mad at him in the last conversation. Mazzy, however, has not spoken again. I remember getting another dialogue with her last time I had her in the party in which I had the option to say "I wonder how much garbage would spew out of your mouth if you were a full-size person?" Wally hasn't gotten a chance at that conversation yet. He may not, since she called him a boor in the previous dialogue. She may not be speaking to him anymore.

Anyway, that's all she wrote for tonight. Wally'll head out to kill the last few Bhaalspawn soon--wish him luck!

Further bulletins as events warrant,
L

 

Good luck Wally! Draconis and Abizagal await

 

Wally killed Sendai this morning. Didn't have much opportunity to insult the drow dressed up as the woodcutter, unfortunately. Wally was grateful to get to meet the Spectator beholder, who he'd missed SoA by not going to the Sahaugin City (being too abusive to Saemon loses you that option). Other than that, the dungeon was a standard hack and slash for Wally. When he met the solar, she was not impressed by his answering her question about why he would fulfill Alaundo's prophecy "Err... because if it wasn't for world-shaking prophecies, life would be boring?" Due to his smartass remark, he failed that challenge room, too. This solar apparently only likes really polite heroes. Wally hasn't shown any interest in becoming a Lord of Murder ever, but she still thinks he's evil as a bag of nails. Oh, well, that's just Wally's luck with women for you.

Wally's sharp tongue seems not to have persuaded Sarevok to hang up the evil hat. He did tell him he didn't want power and conquest, but he called him a fool while doing it, which didn't make the best impression. He also agreed to the oath, and he told Sarevok he could kick his ass during one conversation instead of talking about his freedom and second chance and what-all. Apparently Sarevok can only be redeemed by someone with a slightly higher charisma than our Wally.

Wally's at Abazigal's now, picking through those underwater mazes. I'll let you know when he's done.

Further bulletins as events warrant...

 

I hope you aren't truly disappointed with the lack of "dialogue-depth" in TOB. It kind of makes sense in an "realistic expectations" sort of way. I mean, I don't hear of many big name athletes, politicians or celebrities running around and insulting EVERYBODY at EVERY chance in my real world. So, despite the "lack of opportunities" for Wally to be truly insulting, it may be a reflection of the real world. Think about it, as you increase in worldly experience, as your reputation precedes you if you actually gain some celebrity, others act and react differently to you - which in turn affects your own actions/reactions. Just a thought.

Anyway, I still have a vivid picture in my mind of Wally - mostly from the SOA episodes - and how he would prefer to interact given the opportunity. He's just not getting those opportunities - like I am not gettin the opportunity to play QB for my poor LSU Tigers who now have 2 losses. (If only I had been there playing QB.....) Well, you get the idea.

So, keep this up. It is still enjoyable reading for those with "fill in the blanks/man, if only I could..." imaginations like me.

[This message has been edited by Kailynne Johanne (edited October 10, 2001).]

 

I'm less disappointed in the lack of available insults, than in how little using them affects anything. In SoA if you insulted somebody they might attack you, they might leave the map, they might refuse to give you a quest or a hint, or they might give you a completely different dialogue than if you had approached them reasonably. Wally was unable to do a good 40% of the game as a consequence of his acting like a total ass at all times, and he also got several interaction possibilities that I'd never gotten before, just by being obnoxious to people. Some of them even had REALLY startling effects, like when Wally insulted Lady Delcia and Nalia became so upset she ran off and committed suicide!

In ToB, there are plenty of insults scattered through the conversational options, but using them has no effect. In almost every case the NPC has exactly the same *line* in response that they have if you make a more reasonable statement. In very few instances is Wally's bad behavior having any effect on him or revealing anything about the game I hadn't seen before.

That's what's disappointing me. I'm also realizing how little character interaction there actually is in these last few chapters. There just aren't a lot of people to talk to in this game. Oh, well, you can't win 'em all.

Anyway, Wally slew Abazigal. He was able to insult the dying monk a little, and the eyeball mage, but that was about it. Another visit with the solar. For the first time, one of Wally's challenge rooms came out "good," probably because he mocked Bhaal in one of his answers. Wally's resounding response to the solar's praise: "Whatever." (-: Then Elminster showed up, and Wally insulted him a little and stole another ring of protection +2 off him. Finally, he went back to town, insulted Saemon a little, and went into Balthazar's on his own. It wasn't that he didn't trust Saemon, he was just still pissed off at him for making him miss the sahaugin city over a few little rude threats. One damn hard fight with Balthazar (god damn, monks are munchkins,) and then another challenge room. Another damn hard fight, and another evil result; the solar did not appreciate Wally's flippant attitude towards Melissan ("Oh, stop, now you're scaring me. *yawn*"). Wally is resting now. I'll probably finish this thing tonight.

 

Okay, try this reasoning then. Big humumgous mofo insults a 100lb weakling. Do you really experct the weakling to return the insult? Or attack? Or what?

But, I do see your point in terms of results obtained from similar actions in SOA. That could be somewhat disappointing.

 

Wally finished the game. Slew Melissan, and became a god. The solar and the endgame were bitterly convinced that he would become the evil god of Murder, but we all know better: Wally is the chaotic neutral god of Mouthing Off, prayed to by comedians, schoolboys, and wise-asses the world over. (-:

The End!

 

Hip hip hooray! Wally can mouth off Ao now! Congrats Tjek for taking Wally through the game.

 

(Sound of bones creaking as I bow this old body into a position of supplication and respect.)

My hats off to you for sticking with it though you seemd to become disenchanted the longer you played this one out.

 

Thanks, guys. (-: I've got a new one I'm just starting up at http://www.sorcerers.net/ubb/Forum2/HTML/003915.html , if people are really thirsty for more.

 

Congrats from me, too!

 

Wow.... I Wally! Tjek, you rule!!!

 

hey awsome WALLY has returned