WTF is up with the Crusade "choices"?

[Sverd]

I seriously don't understand what the devs were smoking when they came up with some of these """""choices"""".

Capital Advisor: Let's get new logistics officers from the homeland!
Lann: We should promote some veterans instead.
Arueshalae: Let's make our priests the new quartermasters
Woljif: We should make random store clerks from the capital officers!

"Well, Lann's advice sounds the most reasonable, let's -"

CHOICE EFFECTS: All crusade units get a tiny extra dose of HP.

"Okay that's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, I guess I'll see what the capital advisor's option does."

CHOICE EFFECTS: All mercenary units get +1 to attack and saving throws.

"Jesus that's even worse. I guess I have to see what Woljif's absolutely moronic suggestion does."

CHOICE EFFECTS: All units. mercenary and otherwise, get +1 to attack and saving throws.


So then you're left with the stupidest, least sensical option being objectively superior to everything else and the obvious choice if you want to win the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ crusade mode. And it's like this for every single one. There is almost always an option that's clearly and objectively better than the other ones. And worse still, it's usually the stupidest one. Seriously, like... what?

[Conquista]

pretty much ya, crusade mode pretty unbalanced, but even if you do all the worse choices for it, you can still win it as long you have a mage general and enough archers

[Sverd]

Originally posted by Conquista:

pretty much ya, crusade mode pretty unbalanced, but even if you do all the worse choices for it, you can still win it as long you have a mage general and enough archers

True. I guess it doesn't matter in light of the fact that crusade mode itself is horrid. I made the dire mistake of buying a warrior general on my first run and found that it was pretty much unwinnable after Act II, so then I just downloaded toybox and bought a sorcerer general. Whoever was responsible for balancing crusade mode in general, choices and battles alike, must have been smoking an unfathomable amount of crack to think that level 1 scorching ray deleting 300 cultists or archers every turn was even remotely reasonable.

[The Cystocot]

Clearly, logical, sound tactics were getting the crusade nowhere for the past century, so ridiculous, outside-the-box thinking will win the day.

But yeah, some of it is just silly while others are just objectively better in every way.

For example, I made the mistake of turning church guards into witches on my current run, rather than assassins, so yay, now i can recruit 5 wastes of space a week whose abilities are always resisted instead of teleporting ninjas...
*sigh*

Always save before going into a rank-up meeting, folks.

[LArc7thHeaven]

In the end you just stacking sh1tload of marksmen with your spellcaster general spamming fireball and start assraping the demon hordes

[Agent]

Exactly why I think showing the numerical effects of your choices was a mistake. It reduces a roleplaying choice into a spreadsheet where you compare numbers and mostly ignore what the actual choice means.

[Dekkion]

My take on this is it’s an intentional trap you’re suppose to see through and avoid. The Mendevian advisors are recommending what they’ve been doing for the last 100 years, which as history shows stopped working after the First Crusade. Picking your companions recommendations are almost always superior since they are looking at things with a new perspective and are either offering novel ideas or effective ideas they’ve seen work elsewhere. In short your companions choices are surprises to the demon armies and/or genuine innovations in warfare. They change the preconceived notions both the demons and crusaders have and are therefore true game changers for the war’s paradigms, to your ultimate benefit.