Tome 03: Mental Exhaustion

1. You've now gone through two swaps. How does this effect your alliances? What's groups do you feel strong with?

2. You've now met a lot of players, is there anyone you'd be wanting to eliminate pre-merge? Either for being a threat or because you've struggled to get on with?

3. Have you heard musings of any items or idols being possessed? If so, do you have any theories as to who might have these items or idols?

4. Who would you say is the strongest bond you have in the game currently? How do you think the swaps have effected your relationship with them?

5. What would be the craziest possible twist you could think of that could be done in a game? Do you anticipate we've already thought of this and plan to execute this plan, or is it too insane even for our standards?

It has given me a significant number of acquaintances, but few people I feel want to work with me long term. I thought I would have strong allies in Epona, Mipha, and Sidon; however, the first is stuck on Exile and will likely only work with me so long as I'm a useful shield; the second had a considerable amount of time to bond with Riju and Patricia — both of whom have reputations of being charismatic personalities; and the third is so well connected between Courage and Kakariko that, as time goes on, it's hard to believe we can be as tight as I had hoped. It's like that guy from overseas who is a fellow intern. He is super flirtatious because it's convenient, but as soon as the program ends you never hear from him again. I'd like to be proven wrong, as without at least ONE of the aforementioned players I'm pretty much on my own.

I don't have a read of him one way or another, but I would REALLY like to get something going with Revali. By now, he should know he is a walking target, and he is (at least for the moment) isolated in this new tribe. I need to figure out a way to make him feel comfortable with me despite having just come from a tribe with Kass.


One of Robbie or Link depending on which faction I think it would be more advantageous to hinder. I'm leaning toward Robbie, as on a superficial level I love the idea of a Champions' alliance, but once I get some more tangible information I can figure out the best move. I feel like I will be the target here, so preferably whatever name is not mine. 

Riju leaving, while disheartening, might help me rekindle ties with Mipha. If Royal Horse and Kass team up and pull in at least one more player, then it could be Riju leaving unless the Gerudo managed to get an advantage. Honestly, her idoling out Horse may help me in the long run as well, as that is one less person for Sidon to have on standby. 


I have not, but like I posted earlier I'm inclined to believe any idol or idols that could be in circulation have been claimed already. I'm honestly mad at myself for taking so long with the anagram — I thought for sure it would be something more specifically tailored to Breath of the Wild. I honestly can't wait to be eliminated on a round where every other player either possesses individual immunity or activates an advantage/idol. 


Players can do all things through Hylia except try me. 

I honestly don't even know at this point. How much self-reflection can a player do before imploding?



I don't even want to venture a guess. It would be nice to find an advantage like malice, which allows the player to nullify or otherwise reverse other advantages (like Calamity Ganon does with the Divine Beasts and guardians). Would be a convenient counter to an army of other advantages.

Approached Revali with a not-so-subtle alliance proposition. Tact be damned?

That is normally NOT how I operate, but it seems as though Revali in particular responds more to facts, numbers, and logical arguments than flowery entreaties. Being so blunt could either convince him to take the leap of faith or backfire horribly. At this point, though, if I don't start setting plans in motion I won't have anywhere to turn.

Phase I of this round was a whirlwind. I need to stop procrastinating on jotting things down otherwise I am going to forget details that could very well save me at some point. Having an opportunity to speak with all remaining players was incredibly useful in identifying linkages; more often than not, what WASN'T said in the dialogues proved just as informative as what happened to be included in players' accounts of the game.

The irony of the situation is that I have less of an idea of where the original Wisdom players fit into the grand scheme of things than I do Courage and Power. For players such as Hunnie, Pelison, and Ancient Oven, I've made a (baseless) assumption that they are primarily tied to their swap partners at the moment.



I've identified Sidon and Riju as what I am going to classify as "keystone players," or competitors that seem to be at the center of dominant hierarchies at this stage of the game. Based on consistent PM information, these two factions (primarily the majority group in Courage vs. the minority group of Riju and Link) seem to remain in direct opposition to one another.

• Repeat Epona's message about Horse wanting to nuke Riju from space here.

• Other important messages to keep in mind:





The potential contention between Robbie and Link seems to be my biggest window of opportunity if we go to Tribal Council. These messages also suggest Robbie is MUCH more connected to Sidon/Horse than they would want me to believe.

On the flip side of the coin, the Riju/Link connection would be a formidable obstacle moving forward as well. The potential of Riju/Link/Mipha/Patricia joining forces if given the opportunity would be an absolute nightmare as well.

TRIBAL COUNCIL - STAMINA VESSEL

ANCIENT OVEN | MASTER KOHGA | OAKI | PATRICIA | PRINCE SIDON

Ideal Eliminations:

I would like to preface this assessment by saying I thoroughly enjoyed talking with both of these players. Under different circumstances, I believe we could have made good partners; however, I must plan my options around the cards I was dealt. Both of these players (at least at the moment) provide obstacles that I would rather not have to contend with on my own. As happens, my information would lead me to believe they are also working in direct opposition, and may thus likely attempt to target one another this round.

• Master Kohga | I'm not a fan of Yiga Clan members at the best of times. Kohga, I believe, is Revali's strongest ally left in the game. By severing that link, the likelihood of my efforts of developing a bond with Revali increase exponentially. If the Champion was worried about having few true allies before, then eliminating Kohga ensures he is desperate enough to reach an agreement. That gives me a shield moving forward. That gives me options.

• Patricia | Patricia is an amazing player, so removing them from the picture before having to face off at the merge would be nice regardless of the situation. As it so happens, I suspect the threesome of Patricia/Riju/Mipha is too powerful to be left unchecked. I considered Mipha one of my closest bonds in Wisdom, but since reuniting I've gotten very brief and often general PMs, which isn't a great sign. If Patricia leaves, then that makes a potential vacancy in that group for me. It also neutralizes an asset for Kass, so if things seem to go south with Royal Horse/Sidon, I can at least try to regroup with the bard.

Laying everything out on the table with Revali. I'm either giving into paranoia and tanking my game or recalibrating my relationships to, hopefully, have some shot of making it to the Merge (or farther).