Introduction

Let me start with an explanation. Academagia is a “life simulation” game, which puts it in the same genre as Princess Maker and Legend of Wulin Heroes. Essentially, the player controls the schedule of the main character, and depending on which choices are made and whether they succeed or fail, different attributes may rise or fall and the character develops one way or another. In Academagia, the main character is a young wizard who has come to the titular school to learn the ways of magic. Also, while the thread title may be rather tongue-in-cheek, the game really isn’t much like the Harry Potter series. Well, aside from the rival colleges system, including the green-themed bully college. And the definitely-not-quiddich mage sport.

Seriously, though, Academagia takes more of its cues from the rest of surprisingly extensive “wizard school” sub-genre than it takes from Harry Potter. For instance, the game take place in the more traditional high-magic quasi-medieval setting, as opposed to Potter’s modern day, plus the writing doesn’t take itself terribly seriously. I get the feeling that the elements taken from Rowling were more to capitalize on her fanbase than to rip her off entirely. And the main character is certainly not bound by fate to Magic Snake Hitler, so there's definitely that.

Now let’s talk a little bit about the game itself. Being an indie game, Academagia can be pretty rough around the edges. The coding isn’t terribly optimized, the writing can bug out from time to time, there’s only a few dozen environmental pictures in the whole game, and you’ll be staring at the same basic interface from start to finish. Still, the writing is fairly solid, and given that it’s the primary medium of the game, solid writing is incredibly important.

However, and most importantly, what stands as simultaneously the greatest strength and greatest weakness of Academagia is the sheer volume of options available to you. Seven attributes, seven colleges, seventeen classes, and twenty seven familiars! Dozens of character backgrounds! Hundreds of skills, hundreds of things to do in a day, hundreds of spell options, thousands of lore entries! Just as an example, Diplomacy, Persuasion, Oratory, Negotiate, Manipulation, Bluff, and Lie are all separate and unrelated skills. I’ve played through this game three times now, and I’m sure I’ve hardly seen half of what it’s got to offer. To make things even worse/better, the developer team is constantly releasing free DLC to add even more skills, adventures, and content into the game. I believe they are up to 14 as of this writing, and there is no sign of slowing down. And you know the craziest part? The game only covers the first year out of five.

So here’s where the Let’s Play comes in. We will create a character together, and then guide our young wizard through his (or her) first year at Academagia. Updates will cover up to a week at a time, and given the game’s format, it will mostly consist of writing with a few pictures scattered in. Special events, random events, and adventures will be basically straight from the game (aside for some formatting to make use of portraits), but I may also add some of my own stuff to spice up activities that are normally just skill training. Also, fair warning, but under the assumption that “showing off as much as possible” trumps “playing honestly,” I will be save-scumming like a bitch to get through some of the harder adventure options, since adventures are really the heart and soul of this game and accepting every failure will mean seeing fewer of them.

Iliana Ot’Matar

Xander77 posted:

Iliana comes from a rising merchant family who were never entirely comfortable with their charming and overtly ambitious daughter. Whether sending her off to wizard school was their own idea they were never quite sure, but now that she's here, there obvious path laid out before her - money, fame and power will all be hers, as will the love of an adoring public who is quite certain this charming young sorceress is the best and nicest student ever - and anyone who stands in her way suddenly has their lives and reputations inexplicably ruined.

Aranaz College is named after King Aranaz, a legendary tactician whose brutality is no less famed than his skill. This college once championed the art and science of Orthography, but the Praetexta council folded this discipline into Astrology and Artifice. The college remains, however, and is known for its pursuit of perfection, order and power.

Class Load

Calligraphy
History
Rhetoric
Dialectic
Glamour
Revision

Background

Fitness 2
Finesse 2
Charm 2
Luck 1
Strength 1
Intelligence 2
Insight 2

(The following descriptions have been somewhat customized)

Family: Helpful and Attentive
+2 Character, +2 Ethics, +1 in 2 random School Survival skills

Iliana’s parents cared deeply for their only child, and a good part of their time was spent trying to teach her to be well-behaved and thoughtful of others. And so she became--so long as anyone was looking.

Station: Merchant
+2 Wits, +2 Accounting, +2 Persuasion, starting allowance of 20 pims/2 weeks

Iliana’s parents are part of the rising class of merchants, and before she changed their minds and wound up accepted by Academagia, she picked up a notable amount about the art of trading.

Prodigy: Center of Attention
+1 Charm (net 3), +1 Flirting, +1 Leadership

Perhaps her doting parents were to blame, but from an early age Iliana learned that the best way to stay at center stage was to act as though she had been there the whole time. She has since learned how best to make use of this gift.

Tutoring: Grifter
+1 Character Study, Persuasion, Manipulate, Conversation, Negotiate, Diplomacy, and +5% chance to all Social Actions, but -25 pims from allowance from lack of usual income (net -5 pims/2 weeks)

While her parents weren’t precisely the most honest merchants at the market, Iliana was fascinated by a particularly...canny shop owner who managed to charge almost twice the value of his stock and keep his customers coming back for more. The merchant was fairly startled to realize a young girl had seen through his act, and fairly flattered when she demanded he teach her all he knew. He taught Iliana long ago to never cheat the honest man or the good woman, but sadly she just haven’t come across any yet. Also sadly, Iliana had previously convinced her parents to stop providing an allowance as a ploy in her scheme to get to Academagia (after all, she had learned a few other ways to get income elsewhere), but now that she’s stuck in school, she may need to butter up the folks some more if she wants to get a steady cash flow.

Iliana has had a cat for as far back as she can remember, and according to her parents, the name Rufus Felix Northbridge was her own idea. Sadly, Northbridge the First and Northbridge the Younger suffered tragic and messy fates that coincidentally occurred soon after they clawed up Iliana’s favorite doll and dress respectively, but the third generation has had much better luck. Why, he’s even been promoted to Captain! After getting the acceptance letter from Academagia, Iliana pointed at her cat and declared that he was now her Familiar, and got to bring him along to the new school. Though she wasn’t quite sure how the whole Familiar thing worked, Felix (he hates his first name) has seemed more receptive to Iliana’s commands since then, which is always good news. For him.

An incomplete list of students and faculty:

Aranaz: nerds and preppies. Calligraphy and History required. Hates Durand.

Aveline Cincebeaux. Blunt and critical. Sees problems everywhere.

Aymeri Couer. Wants a dark secret badly, but he's terrible at sneaking around.

Basia Rydz. Will do anything to be the top student in Academagia.

Carmine Sturzo. Has an odd tendency to get away with things he shouldn't.

Courtenay de Surval. Loves books and puzzles to a fault.

Emilia Strolin. Quiet and shy. Doesn't seem like she belongs in Aranaz...

Grainne Inneith. Loves spreading rumors, but indifferent to checking facts.

Malacresta Vercesi. Excessively good at Astrology, especially for an Aranaz student.

Milena di Montors. Operates a tutoring service for other students.

Montague Ruffo. Probably from Somma, but he won't discuss it.

Raoul Leconte. Probably should have picked Morvidus, but now he's stuck in Aranaz.

Rikildis von Kiep. Publishes a gossip rag just to keep her enemies on their toes.

Tabin Furenzti. Quiet and observing, and never wrong.

Vrenelle Bonvin. Loves running around everywhere and staying healthy. Encourages others to do the same.

Avila: New Age freaks and snobs. Astrology and Geometry required. Hates Godina.

Cinzia Ammacapani. Determined to be a leader, whether or not anyone wants to follow her.

Cosetta Re. Loves to tattle on others.

Cyrus Dawes. The pretty boy of First Year.

Gwendy Zuyder. Little Miss Great White Hunter. Morvidus hates her.

Irene Oxina. Overprotective of her friends.

Olivia Solari. Set her sights on Cyrus and won't stray an inch.

Oriabel Sidot. Obsessed with ghosts, but never managed to see one in person.

Durand: tree-huggers and goody-goodies. Botany, Dialectic, and Negation required. Hates Aranaz.

Durand de Thiomines. Loves history and old spells.

Flore Yveuillet. Pretty mean and nasty, especially for Durand.

Honors Plafox. Has a dramatic streak.

Jere Niemela. Mimics others for fun.

Kurt Henning. Young even for a First Year.

Lambert Cobo. A poor spy to rival Aymeri.

Magsa Nembo. Is entirely too goal-driven.

Prudence Cossins. The "bad girl" of Durand. Acts out for some unknown reason.

Sheary Warrington. Nicest, most helpful student in the First Year.

Tulia Faspalla. Spends all her time hyping College Durand.

Vincent Warrender. Loves the idea of the duel, if not getting into one himself.

Godina: pyros and jocks. Athletics, Incantation, and Music required. Hates Avila.

Alan Driscoll. Loves the treasure hunt.

Cirillo Laziosi. A betting man.

Katja Quinnecht. Loves the violin.

Llarina de Avuel. Loves to talk, but somehow stays likable for it.

Luti Jaconelli. One year away from being a rimbal star.

Neso Ulleri. Evades all forms of conflict and confrontation.

Noemia Falcon y Paredes. Scared of everything.

Silke Niederstatter. Master interior decorator.

Vuillaume Eparvier. Likes messing around with experiments.

Zorzi Galea. Wants desperately to be on a rimbal team despite being scrawny.

Hedi: gossip-junkies and pranksters. Glamour, Grammar, and Rhetoric required. Hates everyone equally.

Ausdauer Mollers. Quiet, loves reading, and loves sitting where people can trip over her.

Eduard Solov'ev. Captain Obvious for the oblivious.

Els Rottmundyn. Shouts criticisms for whatever faults she can find.

Herbert Downes. Can't stop talking.

Isabeau Glorieux. A kleptomaniac too nice to get caught.

Iustus Venture. Has trouble getting sleep, for some reason.

Leopold Rassent. Dislikes discussing his family.

Neta Xemutre. Possibly uses Glamour to get boys' attention.

Reitz von Lutersee. Trades in gossip and information.

Sigalis du Sonmeil. Has a sour hatred of all other people.

Sima Venesico. Unusually captivating to all students and even the teachers.

Tacito Viadana. Young detective.

Zoe Melis. Shy and dedicated to her studies.

Morvidus: animal geeks and bullies. Zoology and Revision required. Hates Vernin.

Beatrix von Wetgen. Loves to explore everywhere, and somehow got permission to do so.

Girars de Periarde. Militant vegetarian.

Hector Per Vittoria. Has a creepy-smart owl.

Joana Lio y Rossollo. Female bully of the First Year. Has a massive crush on Philippe.

Malthezar Mhadi. Only kid from Fantasy Africa and overprotective about his homeland.

Philippe Marchant. Male bully of the First Year. Acts like he has something to prove.

Vettor Conta. Has the habit of using water-based pranks on all the girls in his grade.

Vernin: shop class losers and screwy artists. Arithmetic and Enchantment required. Hates Morvidus.

Caspar Pfeuffer. A very good, very messy artist.

Cathrine Chard. Highborn and extremely arrogant.

Corradin d'Alfi. Suspiciously protective of his family's honor.

Everwine von Zoedorf. Spends his time scribbling on a single parchment for some unknown reason.

Magalda Quaranta. Has a mysterious crush, possibly on a rimbal player.

Marc Sury. Wants to be a jeweler like his father.

Philip Hauck. Obsessive perfectionist.

Rui da Casga. Lover of revenge and prank wars.

Vincent Eins. Loves competing with anyone on any terms. A good loser and a good winner.

Baldassare Monetario. Teaches Geometry. Desperately hates his job.

Contzel Ringraeyer. Teaches Glamour. Strict on appearances.

Errus Viada. Teaches History. Drinks. Tells great stories.

Evdokseia Valenta. Teaches Arithmetic. Seems foreign, but she loves her subject.

Finus Piaxenza. Hedi's Regent. Teaches no First Year classes. Expert mediator.

Giovanni di Lucca Alazzo. Vernin's Regent. Teaches no First Year classes. Expert fund-raiser, but not terribly good at Vernin's specialty.

Kate Badcrumble. Avila's Regent. Teaches Astrology. A big fan of old-fashioned manners.

Lio Massioti. Godina's Regent. Teaches Athletics. Enthusiastic about athletics and rimbal.

Lisle Aventyrare. Teaches Revision. Has a new teacher's enthusiasm. Loves pranks far too much for a professor.

Marlein Knoht. Teaches Incantation. Somewhat scatterbrained.

Oliver Storey. Morvidus' Regent. Teaches no First Year classes. Has gone somewhat nuts after dealing with the Marchant boys for years.

Orso Orsi. Legate of the Academagia. Teaches no First Year classes. Somehow both overworked and bored out of his skull. Also the most skilled wizard on campus.

Polisena Briardi. Durand's Regent. Teaches Negation. Extremely skilled and Orsi's right hand.

Regnault Pachait. Teaches Zoology. Somewhat unhinged after spending all his time around dangerous creatures. Tells great stories.

Rieulle Chastellain. Teaches Music. Overdramatic pretty boy.

Sixt von Rupprecht. Aranaz's Regent. Teaches Calligraphy. Schemed his way into his post. Completely untrustworthy. Runs Aranaz to his whims.

Tarvixio Sido. Teaches Dialectic. Been everywhere, seen everything, spends entire class periods talking about it.

Violante de Canapiedra. Teaches Rhetoric. Carries a perfect poker face.

William Vickery. Teaches Botany. Loves his plants, but gets easily stressed.

The Let's Play Archive

Academagia

by Bobbin Threadbare

Introduction

Table of Contents

Xander77 posted: