The Meat Grinder - Hardcore Gameplay Experiences (WARNING: SPOILERS!)

[N0ught]

In light of the new possibilities for "hardcore" style play, I thought we should have a section for people to relay their many heroic or tragic exploits.

For the sake of "rules", the following should suffice:

1 ~ Completely random character generation choices (the exception being gender if you want).
2 ~ No cheats or exploits.
3 ~ No re-loading saves for any kind of a better result. No multiple files. Saving is only for leaving the game and coming back to it.
4 ~ If permanent death occurs, your character is really dead, and you must delete all saves.

This style of gameplay can be exciting, to say the least! Let's see how it goes.

 

[xlw00tlx]

i gathered an army of 3000 filth/patchwork(using tweak mount and blade to increase party size and prisoners,its not cheat so doesnt count   )
got plate 55-17 defence the helm of antihero ,zues spears(the aiming of those sucks)and vampire sword
i conquered the Necropolis(3/4 of my army died there) then i died  cause i stole dirt from Imothep tomb
=)

 

[N0ught]

Haha. Nice ending. But try not to use any enhancements next time.

 

[xlw00tlx]

conquering necropolis isnt a good idea anyway,all evil generals dissapear after

 

[[email protected]]

I was born a boy, on the twenty-eighth day of Locust Moon, under the sign of the Shroud.

My character's name is Hardkour Parcore, because puns. 
The random character creation choices made me the son of an impoverished noble, and a page in my early life. Things got interesting when I reached the age of maturity and became a sea raider. Then, my ship crashed in the rocks just north of Wercheg in a storm, and I awoke on the deck of a ship crewed by men who looked like the children of Calypso and a reef. Their eyes were like crab's eyes, and their limbs were covered in barnacles, and from their gaping maws protruded tentacles like those of a squid. They lumbered slowly through their duties on the ship, ignoring me completely, it seemed... The scar on my chest was burning. Well, a birthmark, really. On the day of my birth, the widwife had screamed and fled my dwelling when she saw it. The shape of a thorn bush, the black, ugly thing made my skin look charred. I tried to explore the ship I had awoken on, but before I could get below decks I was violently thrown to my knees by the force of the vessel beaching itself! The half-crustacean pirates walked into the railing, intentionally falling headfirst onto the beach below, bleeding ink from any wounds they suffered from the fall. I followed them more carefully, taking with me a stout stave that had been lying on the deck.
    On the beach I would see two burnt-looking, headless skeletons. The undead were not completely unknown to me, but their presence here made my scar feel like it was on fire. I looked at it beneath my cloak, and was shocked to see the thing actually smoking! The skeletons, those detestable filth started following me. They haven't left my sides since, and serve as sufficiently intimidating bodyguards. A seer in Wercheg, Mopsus by name, told me that I would bring about the death of Calradia, and the rise of Typhon. I refuse. I will devote my life to the Slayers, and to Almighty Aries, the god of War. With the holy blade of quicksilver I will not rest until the whole of Calradia is united against the coming storm.
    I have since been found by my old captain, Arson of Ambean. He tells me that there is one there who could eventually aid us, but it will take time to be worthy of his audience. We recruited some mercenary swordsmen, and rescued some slave girls from a group of necromancer Acolytes bound for Old Zendar. They have joined with us and proven to be adept Huntresses. I write these things from the Tavern at Sargoth, and as I write, my skeletal guards stand ever watchful, one inside my room and the other just beyond the door. We travel soon back to Wercheg, to investigate reports of a supernatural fire burning down a shop...
More will follow.

 

[PotatoKat]

Started a game, I played for 29 days then died on 30th day because I choose the wrong route to escort a Swadian caravan. XD

 

[beornotbe]

Here is the easiest and fastest routine on highest difficulty with auto-save and manul block (I have reach lv30 and became anti hero). You don't need to burn a single village or raid caravan
Start game regardless of your background. Go for wisdom and chrisma, at least have pathfinding of 2 and 2 at every med skill. Then pray to God you don't spawn in the khanate.
Travel to Zendar, drop all important once-only equipment in the box without talking to the blood fountain.
Now, if you started the game with horse, good. You keep a sword/crossbow/blood banner and go for looters (looters only) until you get the shovel
If you started without shovel or horse, sell anything except your main wepon and the staff you should already left at zendar and go to pick up raven and ork (pretty close to each other) If you manage to find Fientis around the north, recruit him and take his sword. Go to any nord village and recruit once. Make sure your party has less than 10, more than 5. DO NOT GO TO KHANATE OR OLD ZENDAR. Find looter and get the shovel.
Now disband your party, travel to any rhodok city and starts grave digging. (Rhodok troops suck at melee due to spear issue, if you have high start stat you can take four of them easily)
Dig until you become DEATH.
Now go for mortal companion set A. Check the companion guide online. (People in set A are generally good natured)
Go for Dupin, ork, and ash. Don't recruit raven and Thorn. Thorn could be a serial killer, Raven dislike Dupin and ork.
Now you can go punishing the necromancers for cheating death. You are death and therefore you shall rise wherever you have fallen. Their little dark art are mere joke to death, as death shall be the end of all, and there is no exception. However, there are still things you need to beware of, for you don't want to lose your gear by defeat.
Beware of the following troops:
HORROR with lance(very stupid but deadly, just one good coached hit can take you down)
Horror with hammer (still deal some damage to you)
Fleshburner with lance
Plague Doctor with hammer (same)
Blood Preserver with the projectile (blunt damage)
Shadow Lord with the mace (beware, extremely deadly with the speed of their horse)
Any kind of golem(DO NOT RUSH INTO THEM use your full reach to deal with them)
Shadow Knight (easy kill, don't give them the chance to swing, don't stand in front of their coached helberd.Also remember the shadow sword has potential to deal great damage to you when thurst)
Destroyer (Same as golems)
ANY BLOOD ENGINE TYPE MONSTER(I call them DEATH BANE. You don't want to be hit by them.)
Werewolf and vampire(just...stay away from werewolf until you get more than double numbered troops)
Surprisingly you will find grind exp from necromancers is not a good idea as their troops are rarely high leveled.
You can take nearly all kinds of necromancer party by yourself EXCEPT ARTIFICER. Don't mass with artificers unless you have at least half their number of highest tier troops.
During your level up process, I strongly suggest you get your wisdom and chrisma to 18. Leadership, all medi skill, training and pathfinding to 6. Pathfinding and leadership should be the priority. Pathfinding is essential for servival and leadership give you more troops to spend.
In regard of troop choice, I recommand slayers before lv30. They often get destroyed near old zendar by necromancers. By hunting necromancers you could quickly get a large group of them. They are generally your best chance for fighting necromancers at this stage.
Before get 4 riding, plague doctor's horse is your best choice. After you get 4, hell raiser's horse. All the way until you get to lv30.
Kill necromancer party is the quickest way to earn money as horror almost always drop large amount of undamaged two handed sword which has good selling price.
In all necromancer gears, shadow sword, shadow helberd, destroyer's harmmer, blood engine canon, horse of plague doctor, hell raiser and shadow lord are some of the best drops. They are generally the staff you want to get.
When you get your wisdom and chrisma to 18, start to work your A to 12 and S to 21. (or reverse if you want to become vampire)
Once you get the necromancer gears I mentioned above, stop grind necromancers. Become mercenary and start to siege castles. Human troops generally have higher exp and cause few damage to you. Still, a thrown axe, bolt or arrow from a huscarl or sharpshooter in your face can deal great damage. Other than that you are pretty much invincible. Every city and castle is exp pack for you. Grind all your way to lv30 is piece of cake now.
Regretablly, you cannot get horseman's curse as it is just too risky to die, but relic master  force you to have a deal with bloodfountain anyway. So be a badass and don't bent knees to Bloodfountain for power. (Through this build I still supply you with necessary stat to become werewolf/Vampire and lich.)

Oh, if you are possessed and get killed in my early steps, feel sorry for you Go grind mortal army for 60000 as soon as possible with your own strong army and talk to the reader for exocism as soon as possible. If you play on good AI, almost every archer go for your head with laser accuracy all the time, your 50 protection horror mask will not protect you from even 1 head shot from high tier mortal/necromancer units.
Sorry for the spelling and grammer mistakes. I must have made tons of them.

 

[[email protected]]

Well, my last character is obviously obsolete due to the updates, and I cannot remember what happened to it. I tried another one this morning by the Hardcore rules, and was very disappointed to find it completely mundane. I'm gonna give it another shot in the hopes that it'll be more interesting.

 

[The Lord7]

My 1st attempt in Hardcore mode In S&S 25.13c.
I was a boy / my father was fisherman / early life as shop assistant / adult as smith / Wanderlust
this is a normal start not great but not bad also.
after 14 days in-game I attacked a vaegars vetrans (horsemen) they knocked me and I got blinded 
after one day of trying to play as blinded I retired from adventure and ended up a beggar in an alm-house in rivacheg.
Starting a 2nd attempt 

 

[mountandbladefan]

My dad was a slave trader. I learned to be a baker, and became a eunuch.

Party: 22 strong

Battles-6

Wins-6

Losses-0

More to come!

​

 

[Guerrero veterano]

Alphamon was born a boy the third day of Drought Moon under the sign of The Skull his father was a dark knight from him inherited his helm.
He spent early life as an investigator especially recovering information.
After he became an inventor with useful but dangerous experiments
He decided to travel Calradian kingdoms for searching about paranormal and obtaining information and power.
He explored a forest with a uncommon name Usherwood. His bandits were in a celebration after killing a sheriff . He after travelled to Nomar a village near forest and asked to the elder if they needed assitances. The elder asked for training againist bandit ravagers. Alphamon said he would train the villagers. He tried in vain to recruit a millitia in Nomar and Ruluns where the elder wanted nothing

He after travelled to Suno avoiding two groups of looters of ten and eight each.
He investigated the town and catched a horse stealer and lost some renown after accusing the wrong person in other case.
Alphamon is a commander of ann small troop of swadian infantries and militia He lost tournaments at Dhirim and Tirhe also found Lamia without sayin nothing
Alphamon travelled to the castle and spoke with Lord Klargus avoiding contact with Valdym the Bastard and with Lady Anna. Lord Klargus was rude but he obtained a good result after offering to deliver a card to Lord Plais in Uxhal.

After a day he recruited three militia at Nomar travelling to Uxhal did a recruitment on Ibiran after the day he had four troops and was near Todshar.

At evening Alphamon explore Burglen and tried to recruit but did not
Arrived at Uxhal at Heliou Howling Moon 15 and met Lord Plais and his wife Nelda met Lord Delinard near Burglen and travelled to Nomar while fought 10 looters entertaing the major group and letting his militias to knock two spent 11 cartridges but did not kill so he used his tork to kill them
Alphamon was at Nomar at Heliou Howling Blood Moon 15 at evening after Alphamon went to castle Kelredan explored it and met Persephone spent the night in the castle paying two denars at the dawn destroyed five looters with his militia after travelled to Suno doing tinkering until midnight at midnight did a meeting with the guild master after killed the eighteen bandits fifteen with TORK and three with militias

After Alphamon liberated the Nomar village from bandits and recruited a militia he discovered the nogromancy and killed a lot of evil acolytes after did a escort for an dhirim caravan from Suno and for sustaining his new militia won the tournament of Yalen
More will come

 

[Guerrero veterano]

Alphamon first book
Alphamon was born a boy the third day of Drought Moon under the sign of The Skull his father was a dark knight from him inherited his helm.
He spent early life as an investigator especially recovering information.
After he became an inventor with useful but dangerous experiments
He decided to travel Calradian kingdoms for searching about paranormal and obtaining information and power.
He explored a forest with a uncommon name Usherwood. His bandits were in a celebration after killing a sheriff . He after travelled to Nomar a village near forest and asked to the elder if they needed assitances. The elder asked for training againist bandit ravagers. Alphamon said he would train the villagers. He tried in vain to recruit a millitia in Nomar and Ruluns where the elder wanted nothing

He after travelled to Suno avoiding two groups of looters of ten and eight each.
He investigated the town and catched a horse stealer and lost some renown after accusing the wrong person in other case.
Alphamon is a commander of ann small troop of swadian infantries and militia He lost tournaments at Dhirim and Tirhe also found Lamia without sayin nothing
Alphamon travelled to the castle and spoke with Lord Klargus avoiding contact with Valdym the Bastard and with Lady Anna. Lord Klargus was rude but he obtained a good result after offering to deliver a card to Lord Plais in Uxhal.

After a day he recruited three militia at Nomar travelling to Uxhal did a recruitment on Ibiran after the day he had four troops and was near Todshar.

At evening Alphamon explore Burglen and tried to recruit but did not
Arrived at Uxhal at Heliou Howling Moon 15 and met Lord Plais and his wife Nelda met Lord Delinard near Burglen and travelled to Nomar while fought 10 looters entertaing the major group and letting his militias to knock two spent 11 cartridges but did not kill so he used his tork to kill them
Alphamon was at Nomar at Heliou Howling Blood Moon 15 at evening after Alphamon went to castle Kelredan explored it and met Persephone spent the night in the castle paying two denars at the dawn destroyed five looters with his militia after travelled to Suno doing tinkering until midnight at midnight did a meeting with the guild master after killed the eighteen bandits fifteen with TORK and three with militias

After Alphamon liberated the Nomar village from bandits and recruited a militia he discovered the nogromancy and killed a lot of evil acolytes after did a escort for an dhirim caravan from Suno and for sustaining his new militia won the tournament of Yalen.
Alphamon had four friends Oak, Ask, Thorn and Marnid. In the disputes he favored Oak againist his brother Thorn
Alphamon had 7 acolytes to undertand the dark magic of the necromatic raiders
Alphamon was very rich and bought the Dark Knight boots and wanted to become a Dark Knight his militia became an army of swadian infantry and fought hard againist necromantic rading. Lost tournaments in Uxhal Tihr and Dhirim in Praven lost the tournament in second place againist the Swadia chief Harlaus.
Alpham0on suffered pickpocketing. But he ran out of money had debts and Thorn as many now swadian sergeant Alphamon died in an ambush of bandits at Dhirim.
A second chapter already started
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