Transcript

AJ (00:00.382)
I am, I’ve been sitting here this whole time and I’m not prepared still.

280?

Tara (00:07.155)
Clearly not. 280 sounds good.

AJ (00:11.521)
279, 280, I don’t know, 280 I guess. Right? You’re like, I don’t know.

Tara (00:23.6)
Either one.

We we have well surpassed basic stitches.

AJ (00:26.594)
Right?

AJ (00:32.745)
wow.

Tara (00:34.237)
Yeah.

AJ (00:35.852)
Huh. That’s interesting. Well, you guys are recording like every other week right now,

Tara (00:46.131)
We record, we post every other week, we record once a month.

AJ (00:50.768)
okay, yeah, yeah.

Tara (00:52.627)
which is great.

AJ (00:57.902)
Um, yeah, think we’re on, we’re on 280. We’ll just call it 280. There we go. That’s better.

Okay, so we’ll just call this one 280.

Tara (01:17.459)
someone will let us know if our numbers are off, or they won’t and it’ll just…

AJ (01:21.686)
It’ll just be what it is.

and nobody will be shocked that we don’t know anything.

So, all right then, here we go. You ready?

Tara (01:35.847)
Whew, sure.

AJ (01:38.814)
Hey everyone, welcome once again to Podcast in Death, the weekly podcast where we discuss the In Death series of books by J.D. Robb. I am AJ.

Tara (01:47.859)
and Terra.

AJ (01:49.07)
And this is episode 280, we think, of Podcasts in Deaf. And in this episode, this is an episode I’ve actually been trying to make happen for several weeks now. And we’re just going to go ahead and do it. Basically, I was thinking about the game that Feeny created for Roar. I can’t remember what book it was that Eve gave the game to him.

Tara (02:19.507)
I do not remember which book.

AJ (02:20.442)
but, she called it or they, called it, Feeney called it, I don’t know. the universe according to Roar.

And I got to thinking, what would that game look like? What does it look like? What does it play like? And I thought it would be interesting to go through that and see. I did a lot of chat GPT on this one because I don’t think most of our listeners are very, in, familiar with role playing games or these kinds of games. I’m sure there are plenty out there that are.

but I think probably the majority aren’t. And I know I’m not that familiar and your Tara is definitely not that familiar. So I did a lot of chat GPT because I wasn’t familiar and I wanted to make sure that I was doing this correctly. I may be still not doing correctly. But I have it in this document and do you want to go ahead and like read this so that you…

Tara (03:09.921)
Nope.

No.

Tara (03:25.555)
Doesn’t matter.

AJ (03:34.008)
kind of have a better understanding, I’ve read it.

Tara (03:40.401)
Yes.

I know that you also posted some stuff on Facebook too, so I wasn’t sure. Okay. So do you want to start them with the document? Okay. okay. So in here,

AJ (03:49.207)
I did.

AJ (03:54.914)
Yes, I do.

AJ (04:01.762)
We can go document down to maybe, I don’t need this part. Let’s take this part out. Down to like game systems.

Tara (04:17.202)
Okay.

AJ (04:18.134)
And then and then we can talk or if you have if you’re going through this and you have questions that I can’t answer. I have chat GPT here that can answer any question you could possibly have. In this so so yeah, let’s let’s take a look at the universe according to Roarke.

Tara (04:36.691)
Okay. So this is this game overview and all that according to what AJ gave the prompts in Jazz GBT, which I love it. So the universe according to RORC is a fully detailed organized compilation of all gameplay ideas, character systems, items, and storylines created for the universe according to RORC. This edition maintains and of every piece of information,

from the original concept formatted for clarity and completeness. So obviously this means Feeny has made several versions before he got it right. And of course he has and he’s been having fun doing it. So the game overview is that it is an immersive hollow RPG, an empire building simulation designed by Ryan Feeny as a personalized Christmas gift for Roarke. The game captures his life story from his days as a street thief in Dublin,

AJ (05:12.257)
Right, right.

AJ (05:16.27)
Exactly.

Tara (05:34.087)
to his rise as a global business mogul and eventual ruler of the known universe. It combines elements of moral decision-making, world-building, and humor, drawing on the iconic personalities and quirks of the In Death series. I’m starting to want to play this game. So the core game Bay plays… The core game… Yup. Listen.

AJ (05:57.73)
What?

Tara (06:02.855)
the core gameplay basics, which is not an easy thing to say.

AJ (06:07.638)
It is not.

Tara (06:09.711)
So this game blends two major genres, role-playing games, RPGs. You control a character, Roarke, Eve, or others, make decisions, complete missions, gain experience, and shape your destiny through moral choices and character development. Empire Builder, you expand your influence by acquiring land, wealth, and power, manage resources, build alliances, and conquer new territories. The core loop

You start small, take missions, earn XP and resources, upgrade your character and empire, face higher challenges, repeat until victory. Repeat until victory. love it. Three, storyline and levels. Each level represents a stage in Roarke’s life and offers unique environments, missions and choices. Number one, the streets of Dublin start as a destitute child surviving thefts, hunger and gang threats.

AJ (06:50.262)
Hahaha

Tara (07:07.891)
2. The Hustlers Rise Smuggling, hacking, and con artistry build Roarke’s early empire. 3. The Empire Builder Purchase businesses and juggle legality versus corruption. That’s a fun one. 4. The International Stage Expand to London, New York, and Tokyo using diplomacy and power. 5. The Futuristic Playground Engage in cyber warfare?

AJ (07:22.488)
Yeah.

Tara (07:35.567)
AI manipulation and orbital training. Six, the wars of expansion, wage wars for territory or win through diplomacy and wealth. And seven, ruling the known universe, maintain dominance while facing rebellion, betrayal, and moral decay.

And then four, game systems. So the character progression, level up through missions, unlocking skills like charm, tech savvy, justice drive, combat expertise. Morality and choices, decide between Roarke’s pragmatic path or Eve’s lawful path. Each choice alters reputation and story outcomes. Combat and missions, choose between real time or strategic combat.

Use hand-to-hand blasters, hacking, or diplomacy. Resources and economy, credits, food, candy, coffee, and property function as survival and progress systems. And empire expansion. Build an empire across cities and planets through wealth or alliances.

AJ (08:44.086)
Okay, so if we stop there, up to this point, I know it’s so much detail, that’s why I wanted to kind of stop there. So up to this point, does it make sense? I feel like if it makes sense to you, Tara, it’ll most likely make sense to everyone.

Tara (08:46.809)
So much detail. Mm-hmm.

Tara (09:01.105)
Yeah, it does. It does make sense. I know I really don’t play. I play board games sometimes. And so like I follow, you know, I like I obviously follow the idea of this. And it also sounds like there’s a lot of like D &D in in this type of thing. Like.

AJ (09:08.557)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (09:23.828)
Right. So it was kind of combining both. mean, by the end, I think I was creating more of a role playing game than anything else.

Tara (09:33.095)
I mean, I think that it makes the most sense for it to be more of a role playing game, you know? Because you are playing as characters whose end path is, yes, essentially in the course of the game anyway. There’s an ending and it’s great. But like, I don’t know, it makes it more interesting to think about what they would be thinking versus like,

AJ (09:36.514)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Tara (10:03.091)
you know, some standard video game where you’re just shooting bad guys, which is as much as I know about video games, obviously. I know there’s so much more to it. And I know that I know that like, like people play games where you’re like, you’re building a space. There’s like all those farm games and stuff. So I don’t know. think I think that if if this game existed, this is the route it would go to. But that’s me.

AJ (10:06.614)
Exactly.

AJ (10:12.843)
Right.

AJ (10:21.398)
Right. Yeah.

AJ (10:32.236)
Right. And I think that probably, even if it was like a hollow game or a video game, there would have to be some sort of points system so that you could level up and so that you could buy new weapons or buy other things, you know? And the thing that it mentioned in here,

Earn XP and resources.

Tara (11:06.423)
experience points right? Yay! Good job me!

AJ (11:07.956)
Experience points. So, yay, good job, Tara. So basically, so I put it in here so that I can explain a little bit more. Whenever you complete a mission, solve a mystery, win a fight, or make smart choices, you earn XP. Collect enough XP and your character can level up, becoming stronger, smarter, or unlocking new abilities. So for example, if you solve a case,

If Eve solves the case, she may get, you know, 50 experience points. Or if she wins a fight, she might get 25 experience points. Makes a moral choice, 15 experience points. If Roarke hacks a system, he might get 20 experience points. Or if they assist somebody else, like Peabody or Feeny or Mira, they get 10 experience points.

And this, I think this is funny, drink bad coffee, zero experience points, just regret, pure regret.

Tara (12:14.749)
That’s That’s… I love it.

AJ (12:17.442)
Yeah. So, um, so yeah, and then, you know, you get, you have levels. So if you want to go from level one to level two, you might need a hundred experience points. Level two to level three, you might need 300 more experience points or 300 experience points. Level three to level four, it might be 600 and that kind of thing. Um, this says.

The more you do, the more you learn, the better you get. In Roarke’s world, XP isn’t just about fighting, it’s also about clever thinking, emotional growth, and surviving Trina’s chair. Because I put that in there too. So it says in-game examples. So Eve gains 25 experience points for arresting a suspect without injury. Her total experience points might be then 475. She’s getting closer to unlocking her next level.

Tara (12:55.603)
love that.

AJ (13:13.706)
So, yeah, that is all part of how this game runs. So now the next part is, how do you gain points, right? Or what kind of points can you gain? And that comes from your core attributes.

Tara (13:13.917)
Nice.

Tara (13:22.899)
That’s so fun.

AJ (13:41.672)
do you want to read this part? Do want me to read it or? Okay. Yeah.

Tara (13:44.403)
Sure, I can read it if you want, the core attributes. That’s like the next thing in the document, right? Okay. Yeah. Okay. So, every character in the game has a unique combination of these 12 core attributes. They determine combat effectiveness, investigation success, emotional resilience, and in true in-death fashion,

AJ (13:50.668)
Yeah. Yeah.

Tara (14:12.017)
your ability to survive caffeine, sarcasm, and bad coffee.

is the worst. okay, so the first attribute is intelligence. It measures logic, hacking ability, and problem solving. It’s used for hacking, puzzles, code breaking, investigations, tech crafting, and sounding smarter than everyone else.

AJ (14:18.813)
Hahaha

AJ (14:38.324)
That’s important.

Tara (14:38.515)
I love that. A high score example, Feeny bypassing a global encryption net with a paperclip. I bet he’s done it. A low score example, Santiago trying to reboot his stunner by shaking it. Good thing is I don’t think Santiago would do that. But he would probably lose some kind of bet regarding that. number two is wisdom.

AJ (14:48.184)
Probably.

AJ (14:58.901)
No.

Tara (15:08.783)
It measures perception, intuition, and emotional insight. It’s used for reading people, recognizing lies, understanding motives, and resisting manipulation. A high score example is Mira diagnosing trauma mid-sentence. She would. A low score example, Peabody trusting McNabb to just fix it real quick. I don’t know what they meant by that, but.

AJ (15:35.342)
Yeah, well, it’s chat GPT, so it does its best.

Tara (15:37.491)
Chat GPT. It’s doing its best. That’s fine. The high score examples are fun. Three, strength. It measures physical power and endurance. It’s used for combat, breaking down doors, or carrying too much evidence. A high score example is Eve tackling a suspect through a glass wall. A low score example.

AJ (15:45.564)
Yeah.

Tara (16:06.107)
Feeny avoiding any tasks that involves running. That’s fair. That’s fair. Good for you. I feel like that’s a high score example in wisdom. Number four, endurance. It measures stamina, recovery, and resistance to damage or exhaustion. Used for surviving fights, all-nighters, or somersets disapproval. Eve’s a pro there.

AJ (16:10.573)
Yeah.

AJ (16:16.782)
Yeah

AJ (16:34.338)
Yeah.

Tara (16:36.281)
A high score example, Roarke working 48 hours straight looking perfect. Yeah, fuck him. God damn it, Roarke. A low score example, Mavis needing a nap after one rehearsal. Hey, don’t judge. Don’t judge, right? Right? Let her have a fucking nap. Number five is agility. It measures reflexes, coordination, and grace under pressure. It’s used for dodging attacks.

AJ (16:42.69)
Ha

Yeah.

AJ (16:50.038)
I mean, if she’s pregnant, she needs a lot of naps.

Right?

Tara (17:05.149)
picking locks and not spilling coffee while running. Whoever can run and have coffee, like you win. That’s actually how you win this game. You don’t spill the coffee, right? A high score example is Roarke dodging laser fire and pouring wine at the same time. I feel like this isn’t something that would happen, but it absolutely, he could do that.

AJ (17:12.974)
Or whoever can run in high heels too.

AJ (17:23.457)
Hahaha

AJ (17:28.161)
No.

Well, not in real life, but maybe in the game.

Tara (17:34.971)
Right in the game? Yes. And Rorak would be like, I could do that while he plays the game. He’d like, I could do that in real life. And we’d be like, maybe let’s not.

AJ (17:39.829)
Right.

Well, he’s in the middle of pouring some wine and somebody shoots at him and he dodges it. So, yeah.

Tara (17:46.769)
Yeah, it’s normal stuff. The low score example, Peabody tripping over her own enthusiasm, which is a little uncharitable, but maybe a little accurate. bless her. Number six is charisma. It measures charm, persuasion and the ability to make people like you or do what you want. Used for negotiation, distraction, leadership, seduction or inspiring teammates.

AJ (17:57.783)
Right, you’re right.

Tara (18:15.695)
A high score example would be Mavis convincing a mob boss to dance, which she could do. A low score example, Eve trying to be nice.

AJ (18:21.549)
Right.

AJ (18:25.774)
I mean… She tries.

Tara (18:28.179)
Chat GPT got jokes. Number seven is respect. It measures reputation and the authority others perceive in you. It’s used for commanding NPCs.

AJ (18:31.28)
Hahaha

AJ (18:42.634)
NPCs are non-playing characters. Non-playable characters.

Tara (18:45.595)
Okay, got it. Non-playable character, got it. Commanding NPCs, getting cooperation, or intimidating suspects. A high score example would be Eve walking into a room and everyone shutting up. Yeah, right, that’s her life. A low score example, McNabb telling Feeny, got this. Nah, that’s just how they talk to each other. Sorry, she had GPT. Number eight. This is…

AJ (18:58.766)
truth.

Tara (19:14.151)
This is also an attribute important in real life, coffee tolerance. It measures how much caffeine you can consume before hallucinating or fighting the vending machine.

AJ (19:17.058)
Right. Yeah.

Tara (19:26.573)
used for staying alert during long missions and not dying from precinct brew, which is terrible. High score example is a feeny functionally immortal through caffeine. I knew it. Low score example, Peabody vibrating through the floor after two cups, which is essentially how she started off. But I think she’s a pro now.

AJ (19:32.515)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (19:51.597)
Right.

Tara (19:55.281)
Number nine is morale. It measures emotional resilience, team spirit and optimism. It’s used for recovering from failure, boosting allies and surviving Trina’s salon. A high score example, Dennis Vera, pure moral battery and human form. Yeah. A low score example, Somerset when Gallahad’s near his shoes. Now Somerset would never leave his shoes where Gallahad could get to them and Gallahad would just like lay on them.

AJ (20:19.086)
I don’t think that… Well, it’s true.

Right.

Tara (20:25.149)
He’s not going to hurt them. Number 10 is luck. It measures random fortune, coincidence, and sheer plot convenience. It’s used for critical hits, escaping danger, finding candy where you left it. A high score example, Mavis talking her way out of a hostage situation, which she could do. A low score example, Feeny’s coat pockets catching fire. Let’s make sure that never happens to my guy, thanks.

AJ (20:53.826)
Right.

Tara (20:55.283)
Number 11 is emotional stability. It measures control under pressure, trauma resilience, and the ability to function while furious. Yes. Used for resisting panic, working for moral choices, and facing your past. A high score example, Mira calmly counseling serial killers. Yes. Which she has done. A low score example, Eve after three media interviews in a row.

AJ (21:05.601)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (21:15.606)
which she has done before.

AJ (21:22.429)
I mean

Tara (21:23.943)
Yeah, she’s definitely much better. Now she’s Kyung. But… And finally, number 12 is style. It measures presentation, confidence, and flair. It’s used for social influence, fashion-based intimidation, and bonus dialogue points. High score example, Roarke. Always Roarke.

AJ (21:27.351)
Right.

AJ (21:45.219)
Ha

Tara (21:46.907)
Low score example. Aw, rude. Anyone within three feet of Jenkinson’s tie.

AJ (21:52.686)
Amen.

Tara (21:55.123)
Poor Jenkinson. Poor anyone near him.

AJ (21:56.406)
Okay, all right. So I just wanted to get some examples of some of these core attributes because they’re going to come up in some of the other things we’re going to talk about. So these are the things that if you do certain things within the game, you’ll get plus points or negative points in each of these categories. That will determine your final score.

And each character too, usually when they do a role playing game like this, you come up with a character and you have to decide prior to play when you come up with your character. Like maybe one out of 10, how much of each of these the character has? Does that make sense?

Tara (22:49.128)
Yeah.

AJ (22:50.766)
So I don’t know if I have it on here, hang on a second. Because I did go through ChatGPT and ask. I probably didn’t, okay. Hang on a second, let me find it. So what I did.

AJ (23:18.594)
Hang on a sec.

What I did was, I asked chat GPT, so for example, if we have Eve as a example of this, when we go through all of these, what would Eve’s level be for each of these? So like her intelligence, this is saying nine out of 10. Might be higher, but we’ll just say.

Wisdom, this is the scores that it gave her. So it’s just a, you know, Wisdom is seven out of 10. Sometimes she’s not, you know, about that for me, an eight out of 10. Strength is high, eight out of 10. Endurance is very high, nine out of 10. Agility, it’s saying six out of 10. I don’t agree with that, higher.

Tara (24:20.657)
No, that would be higher, I think. Yeah.

AJ (24:23.502)
Charisma, three out of 10, it’s giving her low charisma points. Respect, very high, 10 out of 10. Coffee tolerance, I would say very high on that, 10 out 10 as well. Morale, six out of 10. This is saying Eve’s morale fluctuates, she’s tough, but the emotional cost of cases wears her down, so I understand that.

Tara (24:28.179)
Tara (24:35.763)
Yeah.

AJ (24:52.302)
Luck is moderate, her luck is more karmic irony. Things go wrong, but she always survives, so her luck is like a five out of 10. Emotional stability, four out of 10.

Tara (25:06.451)
That’s a little low.

AJ (25:08.086)
So you would say like five or six out of 10.

Tara (25:10.131)
I would at least give her a five, if not a six. She hasn’t actually hurt anyone on a job, and she’s wanted to.

AJ (25:13.44)
Okay.

AJ (25:23.635)
Right. So, and of course, her style is very low, two out of ten.

Tara (25:31.581)
Sorry, but yeah.

AJ (25:32.558)
So how this plays in is, so Rork would be very high on most of these, right?

Tara (25:41.725)
Yeah. I still think Eve’s strengths should be at nine, but that’s what I think.

AJ (25:42.764)
So if we look at…

AJ (25:47.85)
Right. Okay. But, so if you’re looking at luck, for example, Eve’s is moderate, you know, and Rorick’s would be really high. So if they’re doing something that required that, like they, they’re looking to find, for example, some evidence somewhere. They go someplace and they think there’s going to be evidence somewhere. What are the chances Eve is going to find that five out of 10?

Tara (25:53.437)
Golf. Rorx is… higher.

AJ (26:17.74)
What are the chances Rorke is going to find it? You know, nine out of 10. So this is where these come in and then you can get, you know, points based on how lucky you are or how much morale you have or give to somebody else or that kind of thing.

Tara (26:20.167)
Yeah.

AJ (26:37.024)
So that is how all of that plays in. So let me go back up.

AJ (26:49.804)
So this is kind of where I was trying to figure out how to add things into this game that would be fun and how they would work. One of the things that we thought about is, this is, think I asked on the Facebook page and on Instagram, like,

How would you recover health?

That kind of thing. And because that’s something that, you know, as you, as you go through a game, you, and you fight people or you chase down bad guys or whatever, your health deteriorates and you have to do something to recover. That’s technically, that’s what happens in every game you have. So, one of the ways that several people said, and that I was thinking of also.

is obviously her candy.

Tara (27:55.932)
Yes.

AJ (27:57.814)
So under resources and health systems, this part here, do you want to read that?

Tara (28:10.675)
Great. So yes, health recovery system, the end death way.

AJ (28:16.898)
Right.

Tara (28:18.759)
Number one is the candy stash, a core mechanic. You hide candy in Eve’s office or around Cop Central. Retrieve later, as Eve does in real life, retrieve later for health if it’s still there. There’s a risk. Candy thief NPCs like Peabody, McNabb, Somerset might swipe it. Bonus upgrade, fake candy decoy to protect your stash.

AJ (28:26.228)
as Eve does in real life.

Tara (28:49.235)
I guess there’s more info about this. below for more details about this mechanic. For now, I’m just going to move on to number two. We’ll come down to more details later. Number two is the coffee boost. Drink coffee from the auto chef or buy from corner vendors. It restores a small amount of health but gives a temporary focus buff, faster aim, better clue detection. There’s a downside. Over caffeinate, drink too many in a row.

and your health drops instead. Eve jitters out. Three is the soy dog or pizza slice. Street vendors scattered around New York locations, cheap and effective, restores mid-level health. Soy dog equals a quick snack. Pizza equals slightly more recovery but slower animation. You gotta wolf it down. An Easter egg here. Sometimes the vendor complains about Eve’s cop discount.

AJ (29:44.898)
That should be more like, you know, Roarke discount because she gets, you know, things free because a business, you know, is owned by Roarke.

Tara (29:54.387)
Right? Number four is Nadine’s baked goods barter. Special encounters with Nadine first let you trade favors for food. For example, you can give Nadine an exclusive quote, she hands over brownies, a big health recovery. Or you can refuse, she trashes you on the evening broadcast, temporary public image penalty. Humor, Feeny might mutter, worth it for the cupcakes.

AJ (30:17.548)
Hahaha

AJ (30:23.341)
in.

Tara (30:23.439)
many of the characters on this series would be like, I’ll take the cupcakes, it’s fine.

AJ (30:27.766)
Right.

Tara (30:30.483)
Number five is the health balance system. So that’s the notes from below. the candy is a high reward, high risk because it might get stolen. Coffee is a quick fix, but it’s a risk of overuse. Soy dog pizza equals steady recovery, easy access. And Nadine’s baked goods are rare, high value items tied to story choices. Nice.

AJ (30:42.273)
Right?

AJ (30:56.62)
Yeah.

And that this is, kept these in because I thought they were interesting because Chachi P is telling me why this works in the game. And I just thought all of these were interesting, so I kept them in.

Tara (31:13.011)
So you want to read them or do want me to?

AJ (31:15.182)
I can read it if you want. So why it works is it keeps recovery fun and character driven and not generic. Adds humor, somersets judgment if you eat too many soy dogs or a Peabody caught red handed with your stash. Builds in strategy, do you risk saving candy for later or grab the pizza now?

Tara (31:16.947)
Yeah, go for it.

Tara (31:25.107)
Ding ding. Yes.

AJ (31:44.352)
So all of that. Now, one thing that it mentioned up here that we might want to define is a buff. It said something about a temporary buff, a focus buff. So what that is in game terms is a temporary positive effect that boosts the character’s abilities, stats, or performance in a game.

Tara (31:59.239)
Yeah, I did. Yes.

AJ (32:11.286)
It’s called a buff because it buffs up or strengthens your character, like a power up or a short term advantage.

Does that make sense? Okay, so it’s saying triggered by things. Exactly. Yeah, and he grows for a short time, but then if he gets hit by something, he, you know, he shrinks down again. Yeah. Okay, so then, so now we’re going to go down to more information on the candy stash mechanic and how it works.

Tara (32:20.691)
Yeah.

It’s like the star in Super Mario.

Tara (32:35.687)
Yeah.

AJ (32:47.146)
And when it says mechanic, it just means the mechanism for how everything works.

Tara (32:51.239)
Yeah.

Tara (32:55.463)
Yeah. Do want me to read that or you want to? Okay, so this is how the candy stash mechanic works. Throughout missions set in Cobb Central and E’s office in particular, the player can stash candy in various hiding spots, desk drawers, file cabinets behind the auto chef, even in Peabody’s area. Later in the game when health is low, the player can return to their hiding spot to try and recover the candy for an instant health boost.

AJ (32:58.232)
Yeah, go ahead.

Tara (33:24.551)
the risk reward system, if the candy is still there, you get a chunk of health points. Also the little cheering horn there. Emoji, loved it. Love it. If it’s gone, womp womp, it means someone, likely the infamous candy thief, has already found it. No health points for you. Who steals it? A random NPC, Peabody, Trueheart, McNabb, even Somerset wandering through could snap your stash.

AJ (33:33.591)
Ha ha!

Tara (33:54.973)
Bonus, a snarky pop-up dialogue lets you know who took it. For example, McNabb, sorry Dallas, I was hypoglycemic. Nice. Leveling up the mechanic, as the game progresses, you can unlock upgrades to your stash ability. Better hiding skills, less chance candy gets stolen, bigger stash capacity, more candy equals more health recovery, and fake candy deco-

decoy, leave out a decoy stash, thief takes that, your real candy stays safe. Why it works? It’s funny, very in-depth, and ties directly to Eve’s ongoing struggle with candy hoarding. It adds strategy. Do you eat candy right now? Quick heal? Or stash it for later? Risk versus reward. It fits seamlessly as a mini game inside the main campaign. Yes. That is fun. I love that. Little side quest.

AJ (34:49.294)
Which is fun. Yeah.

And, and it does kind of like, do have this some sort of strategy there. If you have two candy bars, do you take one, eat it now and then leave the other? Do you take one and then maybe put the other one in your pocket for later? So you don’t have to go back to Cop Central. So everything is, you’re thinking about gameplay.

What if I’m somewhere and there’s no access to food, but my health is low and you know. So I think it’s fun that it’s like looking at all of these things.

Tara (35:31.687)
Yeah, I think that’s fun too. So the next one on the list was the, do you want to keep going with the coffee one? Yeah, so this is the coffee mechanic, bad cop coffee versus works blend. So the bad cop coffee, the auto chef sludge, obviously not Eve’s auto chef.

AJ (35:39.116)
Yeah, go ahead. Yeah.

AJ (35:56.808)
No, it’s saying you saw the ship and no. Cup Central break room, yes.

Tara (36:01.991)
Yeah, so Cup Central Break Room, the effect restores small health points but gives a debuff. Minus 5 % accuracy in combat, gives you jitters. And a dialogue penalty, Eve growls more at colleagues lowering team morale.

AJ (36:18.67)
So I think it’s fun that it’s giving you like minus points for certain things, you

Tara (36:21.202)
Well…

Tara (36:25.373)
That’s fair. And a humor bonus, random lines like, tastes like hot tar or pee body muttering, this stuff should be classified as a weapon. We do love the extra humor. But then there’s Rorke’s Blend, the good stuff. The source is Rorke’s personal stash at home, occasionally gifted during missions. Obviously, are we adding Eve’s auto chef into that or?

AJ (36:36.012)
Hahaha

AJ (36:39.66)
Alright.

AJ (36:54.37)
Yeah, we can add Eve’s auto chef in, and I guess that could be part of gameplay too. If you’re a character and you want that hit of health, can you sneak into Eve’s office and to her auto chef? Or where the good stuff is, or get McNabb to tell you how to transfer. Cause now we know that the auto chef can transfer to other places in, you know.

Tara (36:55.463)
Yeah, we add Eves Autoshef.

Tara (37:11.291)
Right. Where the good stuff is. Are you stuck with…

Tara (37:22.4)
That’s true. Just wild.

AJ (37:24.638)
So you have to have maybe McNabb with you and you can transfer the good stuff into the break room or wherever you want it to go. So there’s a little strategy there as well. But this is also saying occasionally gifted. So it could be something like you’re, you’re working side by side with Rorik. And if you get so many points, he goes, Hey, have you had any of my special coffee? Here’s a, you know, here’s a bag.

Tara (37:35.677)
Yeah.

AJ (37:53.036)
So now you have the bag with you. So there’s a lot of ways you can go. This is why yesterday I was like, I keep thinking of things to add because there’s so many ways that you can take this.

Tara (37:53.299)
and it would be, yes.

Tara (38:03.037)
It’s so fun.

Tara (38:08.197)
It’s so fun. So yeah, and so the effect is it restores the large, large health points and grants a buff 10 % increase in accuracy with steady nerves and a temporary focus mode where evidence glows or highlights for faster case solving. And the dialogue bonus, Eve Snark softens for a few lines or she gets a unique romantic interaction with Rorke.

AJ (38:36.571)
hahahaha aww

Tara (38:37.683)
aww. And then so the risk reward system in a pinch, you may have to choke down bad cop coffee for survival, but it’ll hurt your performance. And holding out for Rorke’s Blend is always better, but it’s rare and often requires effort, side quest, home visit, or work handing it over as a reward.

AJ (38:59.214)
So yeah, again, I just love how it was like thinking about this kind of thing too. if you’re a player, I need health, but maybe stopping and trying to find Rorke’s Blend Coffee is gonna take away too much health. You’re losing health as you go along, so maybe you might wanna just go ahead and find some bad coffee somewhere, even though it’ll hurt your performance. So there’s the things you have to think about.

Tara (39:07.1)
Ahem.

Tara (39:16.531)
Right.

AJ (39:29.332)
depending on the mission, you’re chasing after a bad guy and there’s a vendor, you might grab the coffee, but maybe your accuracy is down if you need to shoot your laser at the bad guy.

Tara (39:40.339)
Yeah.

AJ (39:46.816)
So I think it’s just fun to think about all the different ways that these things can be utilized within a game like this.

Tara (39:55.035)
Yeah, there’s so much. It’s very cool. So, yeah, that was the health. Yeah.

AJ (39:57.282)
Yeah.

So here’s where maybe the Facebook page can come in. I know we’ve got a couple of people that, because I asked a question on the Facebook page about, there’s typically around 12-ish.

or more core character types in role-playing games like this. And typically when you come up with your character, you decide which character type you’re gonna be.

Tara (40:43.997)
Yes.

AJ (40:44.596)
And in certain, and most people will not just have one, but they’ll have a couple and they’ll mix them so that they have a blend of two different kinds of character types. But on the Facebook page, I just ask people here the 12 character types and what character do you think fits each character type?

Tara (41:08.797)
Do want me to read their responses? Right, or do want me to go through the character types or just the responses? I’m just gonna read the titles of them. So the first one is the fighter warrior. The second one is the mage or the wizard. The third is the rogue or the thief.

AJ (41:09.932)
Yeah.

AJ (41:15.566)
Okay, go ahead. well, yeah, go through the character types, I guess. Yeah.

Tara (41:37.555)
The fourth is the Paladin. Five is the Cleric or the Healer. Six is the Ranger. Seven is the Sorcerer or the Warlock. Eight, the Barbarian. Nine, the Bard. 10, the Monk. 11, the Druid. 12, the Scholar, Alchemist or Inventor. 13, the Necromancer. 14, the Commoner or Everyman.

AJ (42:03.798)
I think the only ones that might be for people like what is this would be like the Paladin and this is saying the it’s a tank and healer hybrid. Righteous leadership, healing and moral clarity. A holy warrior bound by faith or oath torn between compassion and duty. And then the other one that might be not.

Tara (42:08.648)
Yeah.

Tara (42:12.156)
Yeah.

Tara (42:18.749)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (42:34.542)
maybe the the necromancer?

Tara (42:40.467)
So the next one we answer is, dark caster or summoner brings control over death, moral tension, and raw power. A description, a character type that straddles power and taboo. They raise the dead, blur the line between hero and villain, and add rich moral or philosophical depth to the genre.

AJ (43:02.102)
Okay. I think that the, you know, other ones are probably pretty self-explanatory.

Tara (43:09.981)
Yeah.

And so the responses that were on that post, I’ll go ahead and go through. So the first on the list is Alyssa de la Cruz. She said the bard would be Mavis, the cleric Somerset, druid Peabody? Fighter and rogue, Eve and Roarke, of course.

AJ (43:20.846)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (43:41.858)
Right.

Tara (43:43.655)
And Alicia said, I would say the Druid is Peabody’s mother, Phoebe Peabody. Rosalia said, fighter Dallas Roarke, the rogue Roarke, the paladin Peabody, the cleric Dr. Mira, the barbarian crack, the bard Mepis, the monk Sam Peabody, the scholar Feeny McNabb Roarke, the commoner Nadine. Interesting.

AJ (44:02.348)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (44:12.984)
Mm-hmm.

Tara (44:13.843)
Shelly A. She just gave me numbers. I’m going to. Yeah. So Dallas is one that is. To Phoebe Peabody.

AJ (44:20.888)
Just tell me the number and I’ll tell you what it is.

Fighter.

AJ (44:29.047)
The Mage.

Tara (44:30.811)
three rork.

AJ (44:32.418)
The Rogue.

Tara (44:33.917)
for Delia Peabody.

AJ (44:35.381)
The Paldin.

Tara (44:37.203)
Dr. Charlotte Mira.

AJ (44:39.135)
The Cleric or the Healer.

Tara (44:41.637)
sixth summer set.

AJ (44:43.01)
The Ranger, which is interesting for, it’s an interesting choice for a summer set.

Tara (44:44.817)
Seven, yeah, yeah, it is. Seven is Baxter.

AJ (44:50.828)
Sorcerer.

Tara (44:52.851)
I ate this crack.

AJ (44:54.732)
The Barbarian.

Tara (44:56.561)
Nine is Mavis.

AJ (44:58.359)
The Bard.

Tara (44:59.891)
tennis Charles.

AJ (45:01.772)
The monk, which again, again, that’s a interesting one for Charles. I can see it though.

Tara (45:03.475)
11 that’s yeah, that’s an interesting choice. Yeah 11 is is Sam Peabody

AJ (45:11.17)
The Druid?

Tara (45:13.299)
12 is feeny.

AJ (45:15.17)
The Scholar.

Tara (45:16.851)
13 is Morris.

AJ (45:18.53)
The Necromancer?

Tara (45:20.371)
14, Denys Vera.

AJ (45:22.678)
the commoner or the everyman.

Tara (45:27.187)
And Tani did the same thing, giving the numbers. So she said E for the first one. The fighter two, True Heart.

AJ (45:32.546)
Right.

AJ (45:37.226)
The fighter, yeah.

The mage. The wizard.

Tara (45:42.643)
Three was Roarke again. Four, Louise.

AJ (45:46.498)
The- yeah. Go ahead. The Paladin? Okay.

Tara (45:51.988)
huh. Five, Dr. Mira. Six, Feeny.

AJ (45:55.074)
The cleric.

The Ranger.

Tara (46:00.069)
7 McNabb.

AJ (46:02.114)
The Sorcerer of the Warlock.

Tara (46:05.243)
Eight is crack. Nine Mavis. Yes, and Mavis has been the bard every time. Ten Morris.

AJ (46:07.052)
Everybody think, crack is clearly a…

Right.

Tara (46:21.427)
Which is, what is 10? That’s okay. you’re good.

AJ (46:22.109)
sorry, I got distracted. The monk.

Tara (46:27.347)
11 is Peabody.

AJ (46:28.973)
The Druid.

Tara (46:30.963)
12 Somerset 13 Trina

AJ (46:32.417)
The Scholar.

AJ (46:36.332)
The Necromancer. I mean, sure.

Tara (46:38.331)
Okay, all right, all right. 14 Nadine. Yeah. Okay, y’all are killing me with just these numbers, guys. Why don’t, here, let’s switch it up. Read to me in order of what they are. Eve. Mavis.

AJ (46:42.796)
The commoner. Every man.

AJ (46:49.036)
Ha ha!

AJ (46:56.96)
Okay, the fighter, the mage.

The rogue. The paladin.

Tara (47:05.693)
Rock.

Dennis Mira.

AJ (47:09.997)
The cleric.

Tara (47:11.891)
or Somerset.

AJ (47:13.664)
Okay, the Ranger.

Tara (47:15.645)
Brian Kelly.

AJ (47:17.516)
The Sorcerer.

Tara (47:19.251)
Charles.

AJ (47:20.812)
The barbarian crack. The bard.

Tara (47:22.163)
crack.

Tara (47:26.375)
Mavis.

AJ (47:28.204)
The monk.

Tara (47:29.885)
Morris.

AJ (47:31.362)
The druid.

Tara (47:33.052)
Mira.

AJ (47:34.402)
The Scholar.

Tara (47:36.317)
Feeny.

AJ (47:37.516)
The Necromancer.

Tara (47:39.09)
Morris.

AJ (47:40.705)
The commoner everyman.

Tara (47:42.845)
Baxter and True Heart.

AJ (47:44.458)
Okay

Tara (47:46.579)
And then Annemarie asked Susan about Peabody and McNabb and she said Josh take another pass, but she didn’t actually give us one after that. I think that’s all of them. So very clearly we were giving like Eve, Roarke, Crack, Mavis. They got like the same one every time. Some interesting choices.

AJ (47:59.06)
Right. Yeah.

AJ (48:11.659)
Yeah.

Tara (48:15.247)
on necromancer here and there. Also the everyman. I think that for whatever reason, I just, I do not equate fact-stranded true heart with the everyman, but that’s me. The commoner.

AJ (48:17.142)
Right.

AJ (48:32.594)
yeah. so can I, so should I tell you what chat GPT says every, each one is?

Tara (48:44.051)
Of course, yes.

AJ (48:47.118)
According to chat gbt, Eve Dallas would be the paladin or the tank. She’s the frontline fighter, the protector, the archetype is the leader and the idealist. So I think that, you know, makes sense for Eve actually.

Tara (49:07.175)
Yeah, I think so too.

AJ (49:10.062)
Roarke would be the mage, the strategist, the sage. I think he is the thief, you know, we could add that in. He’s a frontline fighter, a protector. He’s a leader also. He’s an idealist.

Tara (49:16.657)
Yeah, yeah, I do too, but yeah.

Tara (49:28.243)
True.

AJ (49:31.758)
he’s also a sage. Sorry, I was reading the wrong one. So he is a controller, a utility caster, the sage and the outsider. Sometimes he thinks he can buy your outsmart morality.

DLP buddy, they’re saying the ranger.

yeah. Or the, the heart, the idealist. So there’s several different other kind of, you know, besides these, know, you have the leader, the trickster, the rebel, the sage, the heart, the lone wolf, the hothead, the outsider, the performer. Yeah. So this is showing you that you can like combine those to get a more rounded.

Tara (49:57.329)
question.

Tara (50:17.501)
summary.

AJ (50:26.03)
personality so P-Buddy would be the ranger support plus the heart. Keeps he human, balances sarcasm with empathy. McNabb would be the rogue, the trickster. He’s fast, flashy, great with gadgets.

Tara (50:28.307)
makes sense.

AJ (50:52.771)
Mira be the cleric and the sage. She’s mental and emotional healings restores sanity points.

Tara (50:58.919)
Ahem.

AJ (51:02.978)
Feeney is the scholar, engineer, and the mentor. Veteran knowledge, strategic planning, and old school intuition.

Mavis, of course, is the bard, so they agree there. Inspires others with music, charm, and chaos. Somerset is the monk in the cleric. Bounces Roarke and Eve, the true silent backbone of the house, which is 100 % correct. Dennis Mir is the commoner plus healer and the heart. The purest soul restores humanity and calms

Tara (51:17.363)
Yeah

AJ (51:43.328)
and calm and others. Nadine is the sorcerer, the bard plus the rebel. She’s information control reshapes narrative and morale, which is true.

Tara (51:51.699)
interesting.

Tara (51:57.767)
Yeah.

AJ (52:00.748)
And it’s saying True Heart is the fighter, the squire, or the idealist. Pure hearted, eager, and physically capable.

And I think that you could probably the fight or two for for a Baxter.

Tara (52:16.594)
Yeah.

AJ (52:18.518)
So, and I told it like, I don’t think Roarke is what you say he is. I think he’s a, he’s a thief. He’s a rogue and a thief. So they’re like, okay, you’re probably right. So Roarke is the rogue master thief, the outsider, high level rogue, utility specialist, unmatched stealth and infiltration skills. He can get into any building system or vault locks codes, lasers or just puzzles waiting to be solved.

Charm based persuasion, his charisma stat is maxed, he can smooth talk or seduce his way through almost any encounter. So I think that’s pretty close to, you know.

Tara (53:00.979)
Yeah.

AJ (53:03.726)
Okay, so now we’re going on to the different companions and what their roles might be. And I didn’t put everybody here. I just put in a few people so that we can kind of see like where they would fit into the game. If I thought it was interesting, you know. So we’re going to start with Dr. Mira.

Tara (53:33.651)
so these are non-playing characters, right? Non-playable characters, okay. So Dr. Charlotte Mira, the mind is the most complex battlefield you ever fight on. Don’t know where that quote came from. Is that something she said? Okay, cool. I love it. Okay, the role is the sage or counselor.

AJ (53:39.82)
Right.

AJ (53:51.69)
It probably made it up. Chat GPT makes up quotes.

Tara (54:00.327)
Dr. Mira is the game’s moral compass and emotional strategist. Your go-to source for advice when you’ve messed up relationships, lost morale, or can’t tell if you should forgive someone or tase them. She’s not a quest giver in the traditional sense. She’s more like a psychological checkpoint. You visit her for insight, emotional reset bonuses, and occasionally to unlock new dialogue options or

moral clarity that affects your ending. But as in life and NYPSD, you can’t just walk into Dr. Mira’s office because of the admin, of the admin gatekeeper system. And for whatever reason, it’s extra funny that that isn’t all caps. The admin gatekeeper system. Before you can access Dr. Mira’s advice, you must get past her admin, a cheerful, overworked and deeply suspicious woman.

AJ (54:39.405)
Ha ha ha.

AJ (54:43.543)
Yup.

You

Tara (54:56.957)
who guards Mira’s door like a caffeinated Cerberus with reading glasses. This isn’t just a conversation, it’s a social puzzle. To reach Mira, you need to navigate the admin’s moods and earn her approval. How you do that depends on who you’re playing. So on Roarke’s path is a charm check. For Roarke, this is practically a mini game called Talk Your Way into Therapy.

When you approach, you’ll get a charm dialogue wheel with options like you, my dear, keep this place running smoother than any government office I’ve ever bribed. That is a boost in access and admiration, I’m guessing. Or I wouldn’t dream of interrupting Dr. Mira’s schedule unless she’s expecting me, which, of course, she is a boost in access. Or I’ll wait all day if I have to, but I suspect you’d rather not have me cluttering your view.

plus access and flirtation buff. The outcome is the admin flusters. sighs audibly from behind her door and access is granted immediately. gains a smooth operator buff plus 10 % success in next social interaction. It’s like Ruck can just like breeze through anything. What?

AJ (56:00.59)
You

AJ (56:12.438)
Right, exactly. See, that’s the problem with this game is I was having a hard time figuring out what Roarke was not good at so that he could get minus points for things.

Tara (56:23.303)
Yeah, it’s not working. We’re working, it’s just good at everything. Now on Eve’s path, we have an empathy check with snacks. For Eve, this encounter is less charm and more try not to terrify the civilian. She must observe, empathize, and choose her words carefully, or offer a peace offering in the form of baked goods. You’ll enter a mini scene where you can scan the admin’s desk for clues and choose your approach. Desk items to interact with include

AJ (56:25.472)
Yeah.

Tara (56:51.763)
a photo of her grandbaby, cute kid, plus small progress, or a coffee mug reading don’t even start, mood neutral, cupcake tin, you bake, I respect that, gains in progress, and an NYPSD award plaque, Bette Mira can do her job without you, gain in big progress.

the fastest path to victory, use an item from your inventory, Nadine’s Baked Goods. Ooh, you must really want to see Mira. There’s an optional shortcut. Offer the admin one of Nadine’s brownies or cupcakes. You get an immediate effect. She beams, access granted instantly. Gameplay trade-off. You lose a high value healing item, minus 100 health potential.

AJ (57:27.232)
You

Tara (57:46.245)
A reward is access to Dr. Mira and a potential major insight unlock that could alter your next mission or relationship outcome. In other words, sacrifice your sugar, gain your sanity. If Mira’s advice saves your marriage, your moral compass, or your next case, it’s worth every crumb.

Tara (58:07.335)
ripped to those brownies. So, right, I know, right? But don’t worry, because now we have Mira’s counseling session. And once you’re inside, Mira acts as your emotional healer or strategist or conscious. Conscience, can’t speak today. Happy Tuesday, friends. Okay, it’s only fucking Tuesday. So session effects include a restoration of mental stamina.

AJ (58:10.978)
but you

AJ (58:27.083)
Hahaha

Tara (58:35.451)
A hidden stat that affects morale and dialogue outcomes. Resets the rage levels if Eve’s been too aggressive or guilt levels if Roarke’s been too ruthless. It also unlocks special insights and opens new choices later in the game. Therapy perks. Examples. Forgiveness protocol. New dialogue option when confronting Magdalena. Or other people, I’m assuming. Self-awareness.

AJ (58:59.597)
No.

Tara (59:04.219)
reduces negative relationship drift after a fight with Eve or Somerset, and moral clarity increases likelihood of achieving the partnership ending.

AJ (59:18.38)
Yep, I think it’s in here probably some.

Tara (59:22.317)
so the strategic value of Dr. Mira isn’t just a nice to have. Visiting her regularly improves your chance at a good ending. Ignoring her long enough and your character’s emotional stability stat drops, leading to mistakes, tension with allies, or worse decisions and high stakes missions. She’s basically the game’s moral checkpoint. You’re in-universe therapist and save point rolled into one. She sounds fucking great.

AJ (59:47.928)
So yeah, and again, I really love how it’s giving you, showing you like how this fits into the game. You have to visit her often if you wanna keep your emotional stability. And if you don’t, then it could go bad for you in the game. yeah. So now I thought, well, if we have Dr. Mira, we have to have Dennis Mary in here someplace.

Tara (59:56.614)
Mm-hmm.

Tara (01:00:06.163)
Right.

AJ (01:00:15.958)
and what would be the value of visiting him?

Tara (01:00:16.499)
Thanks. Only everything. Do you want to read about Dennis Pira?

AJ (01:00:21.173)
everything.

AJ (01:00:25.454)
Sure, so for Dennis Mira, his role is the comfort sage, the emotional support NPC. Dr. Mira’s husband Dennis isn’t a strategist like Charlotte. He’s the heart of the game support system. Where Charlotte gives logic and moral clarity, Dennis gives hugs, hot chocolate, and the occasional unintentional revelation.

You’ll often find him wandering the mirror household or popping up unexpectedly in NYPSD, usually looking for his glasses, his keys, or his wife. But if you talk to him, he can help heal your character’s morale and emotional stability. So how this system works is when you’re feeling burnt out or over caffeinated or guilt-ridden from your recent questionable moral choices, visiting Dennis provides a softer kind of recovery.

Each visit triggers one of three outcomes. One, the hot chocolate event. Dennis offers you a cup of his famous homemade hot chocolate. The effect is plus 75 health points, plus 25 happiness points, temporary warm and fuzzy buff, but slight resistance to stress, dialogue penalties. The second event that can trigger is the accidental insight.

Sometimes Dennis just says something profound without realizing it. Effect unlocks your random empathy bonus, improve dialogue success for insight during your next encounter with Eve Peabody or Mira. some sample dialogue options. You can’t fix everything, know, Somerset will just have to sit. You just have to, or you can’t fix everything, you know, sometimes you just have to sit with it. plus wisdom.

You remind me of Charlotte when she’s pretending she’s not worried. Plus empathy. Now, where was I going with this? No effect, but plus humor recovery. You never know what you’ll get. Genuine brilliance or total blank. Which is very true for Mr. Mira. The third one is the hug mechanic. If your morale or relationship score drops too low, Dennis automatically offers a hug.

Tara (01:02:27.047)
Hahaha!

Tara (01:02:36.816)
yeah.

AJ (01:02:46.602)
Effect is plus 50 emotional stability, restores lost morale points, triggers a gentle piano cue in the soundtrack. Yes, Feeny coded that in for vibes. Special Easter egg, if both Eve and Roarke are present, Dennis hugs them both at once, unlocking the hidden achievement. Two broken people, one hug.

Tara (01:02:59.165)
Yes, I love it.

Tara (01:03:11.891)
AJ (01:03:14.84)
So the differences between the two Miras. I thought this was interesting. Charlotte Mira, type of sage, she’s analytical and moral. What you get is strategic advice, psychological clarity, and mission insight. How to access, get past her admin charm or empathy. Dennis Mira is the emotional comfort sage. He gives you healing, morale, recovery, and random wisdom.

to access you just walk right in. No gatekeeping. He usually forgets you needed permission.

Tara (01:03:48.499)
That’s right.

AJ (01:03:49.51)
so, and I’m putting too much in for Dennis Meara, apparently, but, his randomized behavior system, if you’re, if you’re doing it this way, a dice roll outcome, if you roll a one to three, forgets he was, what he was going to say, no insight, but plus five morale. A four to six offers hot chocolate plus 75 health. A seven to nine shares an accidental insight. 10 plus wisdom and a 10 both.

hot chocolate and a hug. 100 health, 50 morale.

Tara (01:04:23.325)
Sounds great.

AJ (01:04:25.134)
So yeah, there’s a lot of other stuff here, but this says, Dennis Mira is more than a comfort NPC. He’s the emotional clue of the Sage system. Ignoring him makes your character colder, more brittle and prone to rash decisions. Spending time with him keeps your morale high and your relationship stronger. Even if all he really does is forget what he’s going to say.

and hand you a mug of cocoa.

Tara (01:05:00.339)
I was like, I’ll take a mug of cocoa.

AJ (01:05:03.0)
So, yeah. So the next one I added in here is Mavis.

Tara (01:05:06.865)
Ha!

Tara (01:05:17.829)
So Mavis is the bard, musician, charmer, former street grifter, an overview on Mavis, once a street hustler and con artist, now a beloved pop star and loyal friend. Mavis uses her charm, intuition and showmanship to turn impossible situations in your favor. Whether she’s performing in an audience for an audience or distracting a suspect, her words and wardrobe are pure magic. Her role in gameplay, she’s a support

NPC who boosts morale, defuses tension and manipulates social encounters. Mavis can appear mid mission or during negotiations to sway outcomes with her quick wit and emotional intelligence. So she has several abilities. The silver tongue, it adds 25 charisma to dialogue checks for the team. Street sense.

reveals hidden motives or scams in social situations. The performance boost, she restores 20 plus morale to allies with spontaneous concerts. And the grifter’s gambit, it creates distractions that allow for stealth or escape. So that’s awesome. Those are some great abilities. And why Mavis matters, she embodies the Bard’s gift. She inspires courage.

AJ (01:06:37.047)
Yeah.

Tara (01:06:43.069)
turns chaos into rhythm and uses charm where brute force fails. Her heart is as bright as her wardrobe and in the darkest missions, her laughter can save the day. Aww.

AJ (01:06:54.795)
Aw.

Tara (01:06:56.273)
And that’s all on Mavis. And then you have Trina. Sure.

AJ (01:06:59.989)
Right. Um. Do you want to read Trina’s? There’s a lot here. You don’t have to read it all, but,

Tara (01:07:08.263)
Yeah, so Trina, the glam technician, her role is morale and appearance specialist. Trina’s beauty salon isn’t just a place for hair and makeup. It’s a high tech morale center and battlefield for vanity, fear and accidental sabotage. Visit Trina to recover morale, boost your confidence stats or repair your reputation. But it always comes at a price emotional and tactical. So

So you can visit her salon between missions, which could potentially boost morale or confidence, improve appearance-based stats like charmer intimidation, or trigger chaos events because Trina always leaves her mark.

And then after a full Trina treatment, you can get plus 50 morale, plus 10 charisma, plus 10 confidence, and a temporary buff of looking good feeling dangerous. Which is not going to be Roarke, he’s never temporarily looking good feeling dangerous. Yeah, and then…

AJ (01:08:10.547)
Okay.

AJ (01:08:16.566)
Right?

Tara (01:08:22.565)
So for Eve, her downside with Trina is if you’re playing as Eve, every visit to Trina starts with a courage check. You can either brave the chair, endure the full Trina experience, which would gain buffs but suffer trauma, or run away, lose morale for cowardice. And if Eve fails the courage check mid-appointment, right, I mean, that’s Eve, she would love to do that.

AJ (01:08:40.128)
I mean…

AJ (01:08:46.51)
You’re right.

Tara (01:08:48.941)
She would say, I survived serial killers for this. I love it. Trina, hold still or I’ll contour you like a clown. You wouldn’t dare. And then also there’s the temporary tattoo chaos event, where Trina sometimes gets creative. I mean, you have a random chance of walking away with an unwanted temporary tattoo. It could be a heart with property of Roarke.

A sparkly NYPSD badge on your forehead. I don’t think Trina would go that far. A glitter skull that glows under the black light. Depends on where that is. Or, rare, the words hot stuff across your knuckles. I don’t think she’d do that either, but you never know. So, yeah, and then there’s different, like, know, buffs for each of those. And then some Trina random commentary for fun here.

AJ (01:09:31.755)
No, right.

Tara (01:09:45.139)
I don’t like any of these. I do like the second one. You’ve got you’ve got under eye circles that could host a crime scene.

AJ (01:09:49.742)
We don’t have to read any of them.

AJ (01:09:55.32)
Ha ha ha ha.

Tara (01:09:57.595)
Yep, that’s that’s something Trina would say. And then Eve has a reluctance mechanic because she has a hidden Trina tolerance meter that affects how smoothly appointments go. So this is the level of use reaction. Is she says no, and she runs away and loses 10 morale. But she goes fine, but no glitter. Basic morale buff of plus 20. If she says

just don’t talk, a full buff of 50 morale and 10 charm, and okay, maybe it’s not the worst. It unlocks bonus achievement, Spa Survivor. A Spa Survivor! Go Eve! But there’s a special crossover mechanic, the Trina Nadine Alliance. If you bring Nadine’s baked goods to Trina during your visit, she’s in a better mood. She’ll skip the tattoo prank and you’ll get a 25.0

bonus morale. That’s my view word that yeah. The strategic use of Trina. Trina services are risk reward mechanic. You’ll look and feel better improving persuasion and social outcomes. If you’re Roarke already looks perfect. Fuck him. But you also risk walking into your next mission glowing like a disco ball.

AJ (01:10:59.15)
So that’s, for Eve, that’s worth it.

AJ (01:11:24.278)
I mean…

Tara (01:11:24.717)
Smart players plan their Trina visits carefully.

AJ (01:11:29.831)
so I don’t think I put it, I don’t think it’s on here, but it gave me this.

Tara (01:11:30.555)
Ahem.

AJ (01:11:37.742)
You know, the downside, if she gives you a, um, a temporary tattoo that your enemies can see, then they’re like temporarily, the good side would be they’re temporarily distracted and you can, you know, go after them more easily. And, um, one of the downsides could be that they see your tattoo and laugh at you. So you lose like creditability points or whatever.

Tara (01:12:07.082)
my god, that’s funny.

AJ (01:12:08.43)
So, yeah, I just think that’s really, really funny. So the next one I put on here is, I’m looking, okay. I’m gonna do Morris and then I’ll give you the next one, which is Galahad.

Tara (01:12:14.963)
That’s literally funny.

Tara (01:12:27.249)
Okay.

AJ (01:12:28.846)
So the next one is is Lee Morris the soul keeper he’s He I have him as necromancer monk hybrid

Tara (01:12:38.353)
Yeah, that tracks.

AJ (01:12:40.11)
So Morris bridges science and spirit, a medical examiner with the quiet wisdom of a monk and the soul of a jazz musician. In gameplay terms, he is the one who helps you speak for the dead, sometimes literally. He doesn’t raise corpses, he raises truth. And he does it with grace, rhythm, and a saxophone solo that could make ghosts cry.

A core gameplay mechanic, music of the dead. When you visit Morris in the morgue after certain missions, you’ll have a chance to commune with the victims. But instead of using items like, using items or spells, the ritual requires music. Morris asks, tell me what should we play for them? This becomes a dialogue based selection system where you choose a song or musical style that matches the victim’s life, personality, or final moments.

So for example, your chosen song determines the tone of the ritual and your rewards. The better your emotional intuition, the more insights you gain. For example, jazz might be plus wisdom. Classic rock might be plus morale. Classical might be plus empathy. Tribal percussion music might be plus instinct. Blues might be plus peace. Silence is neutral.

Choosing a song that actually matches the victim’s personality based on case notes or evidence unlocks special Echo of Truth bonus clue.

AJ (01:14:16.64)
Secondary ability. Well, first of all

I really love, cause I asked it to add this in because that’s, cause it was saying originally like, you go in and you give Morris something, you know, a gift to give him, to get him to, you know, give you an insight or whatever. And I thought, no, that wouldn’t be a gift for Morris because he’s always playing music for the person that’s in his, you know, Morris.

Tara (01:14:46.195)
Right.

AJ (01:14:47.756)
So it would have to have something to do with music. So that’s why I had it put in this system where he asked you, should I play for them? And based on your answer, either you get a good outcome or a bad outcome. If it’s somebody that liked, random, the girl that died first, she likes Avenue A, if you’re playing

Tara (01:15:01.267)
like that, yeah.

AJ (01:15:16.302)
classical music for her, then she’s not going to give you anything. But maybe if you play Avenue A for her, she gives you a clue.

Tara (01:15:16.445)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (01:15:26.915)
You know?

Tara (01:15:27.355)
Okay, yeah. I like that.

AJ (01:15:30.604)
So, secondary ability, the quiet resurrection and rare missions. Morris’s connection to the departed lets him guide you to Echo’s psychic imprints of a victim’s last thoughts. These scenes play like ghostly reconstructions. Think Assassin’s Creed memory echoes or L.A. Noir’s evidence visions.

unlocks automatically if you’ve chosen the correct ritual song three times. The effect is it reveals hidden evidence, unlocks deeper case insights or secret dialogue with Eve about faith, loss, and humanity.

Monk element, peacekeeper aura, because he’s more monk than dark mage, Morris also brings calm to chaos whenever he’s in your party or assist your investigation. All teammates gain plus 10 emotional stability. Fear effects reduced by 25%. Background music automatically shifts to gentle jazz. If you stay in this morgue too long, your character automatically relaxes and starts

Idle animations like leaning against a counter, tapping feet, or slowly breathing a subtle reminder that even the living need peace.

Yeah, so choose the wrong song or mock the ritual and you’ll lose trust with Morris. He’ll still help you, but he’ll be disappointed. That sounds like Morris. I’ll still help you, but I’m disappointed in you for choosing the wrong song. Repeated offenses could cause a temporary loss of Echo of Truth perk or even a haunting debuff. Low morale, eerie whispers, Gallahad hissing at shadows. I love this.

Tara (01:17:03.076)
Right?

AJ (01:17:22.37)
This is like Feeney’s developer note here.

Tara (01:17:26.036)
yeah.

AJ (01:17:26.698)
You play Nickelback in my morgue again, you’re banned. So why this works, it fits Morris’s canon personality, soulful, grounded, and spiritual without ever being magical. It gives players an intuitive emotional gameplay mechanic that mirrors Eve’s growth, learning to empathize and not just investigate.

Tara (01:17:31.507)
That’s right.

Tara (01:17:35.731)
You

AJ (01:17:55.306)
It adds a new kind of puzzle, emotional detection instead of logical evidence, and it gives every visit to the morgue meaning beyond check the body.

AJ (01:18:07.118)
So yeah, I thought that was just an interesting way to bring in, you know, Morris’s, you know, playing music for the dead every time Eve is in there.

Tara (01:18:11.281)
I like it.

Tara (01:18:19.986)
love it.

AJ (01:18:23.17)
Alright.

Tara (01:18:24.339)
Well, the next thing on here is there is a Galahad mechanic.

the Chaos Cat. And he is the Chaos Cat and we love him. So this is a health and happiness boost. If Galahad rubs against Eve, Roarke, or another allied character, you gain health points, comfort, stress relief, and happiness and morale. It boosts team dialogue, tone, especially with Peabody. Animation. Galahad does a tail flick and deep rumble purr.

AJ (01:18:34.614)
He is the chaos guy.

Tara (01:19:02.291)
quick glow effect on the character. There’s also a combat assist, the ambush cat, a random chance during close quarters fight. Gallahad leaps out and either trips a bad guy, stunning them for two to three seconds or distracts with a hiss or a pounce, lowering enemy accuracy. Example, Eve shouts, get him cat. She wouldn’t say it like that, but that’s okay. And Gallahad

Gallagher advised just enough time for a knockout blow. She would, however, yell at Gallagher if she thought he was going to go eat the bacon. So.

AJ (01:19:36.416)
Yeah, but we have seen combat cat already a couple of times in this series. Yeah.

Tara (01:19:40.625)
We have, yeah, Galahad is a fucking star. So there’s also, but there’s a food thief penalty. If you stash candy, pizza, or Nadine’s brownies carelessly, Galahad might sneak in and eat it. He will, he will, don’t be careless. The effect is you would get no health points when you go back for your food. And it would be cute, but frustrating.

AJ (01:19:59.794)
hahahaha

Tara (01:20:09.359)
animation of Galahad licking his paw smugly. Yep, right out of the book. A feeny developer note, even the bloody cats against me, level 12’s cursed. And then there’s a summon Galahad special ability. As the game progresses, unlocks a summon Galahad ability. It’s a cooldown based action, can heal by petting him, adds health, or trigger a feline frenzy.

AJ (01:20:12.782)
Hehehehehe

Tara (01:20:38.855)
where Gala had lunges at enemies for a quick distraction. Balancing can’t be spammed. He’s a cat, so sometimes he just ignores you and naps. Mm-hmm. Like, I need him. I guess he’s taking a fucking nap.

AJ (01:20:48.11)
I love that part of it. Like if you want to summon Galahad.

AJ (01:20:56.078)
You

Which is so gal head.

Tara (01:21:00.019)
It’s so Gallahad. So there’s some Easter eggs here. If Gallahad interacts with Somerset, Somerset mutters, at least someone in this house shows respect. Rorik sometimes gives Gallahad dialogue like, that’s my lad. No, he doesn’t.

AJ (01:21:18.887)
He’ll give him some kind of, he’ll say something. Yeah.

Tara (01:21:20.883)
He’ll give him something a little more fun. And if Gallehad saves Eve twice in one mission, achievement unlocked nine lives. I do love these little unlocks. And why it works, it’s funny. It’s true to the books and aids and adds unpredictability, which we love. Gallehad embodies the mix of comfort and chaos that makes the series so good. Correct. And.

AJ (01:21:29.506)
Right.

AJ (01:21:39.16)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (01:21:45.581)
Yep.

Tara (01:21:47.651)
He’s not just a buff pet, he adds risk, reward, and humor. We love Gala Head. He’s a winner.

AJ (01:21:53.101)
Yep.

So, okay, so the next NPC I have here is Captain Ryan Feeney. He’s the scholar head of the electronics division. Feeney is the beating heart of the NYPSD electronics division, part mentor, part chaos generator, and 100 % old school cop. He’s the man you go to when your system’s fried.

your suspects hiding behind a firewall, or your rookie has no idea which end of the stunner is which. He’s equal parts tech wizard and grumpy philosopher, blending street smarts with digital genius. And behind sarcasm and caffeine addiction, Feeney’s moral compass runs true north, even if his shirt buttons don’t.

So his architect is the scholar, he’s the brains behind the badge. Feeny represents knowledge, patience, and the art of seeing patterns in chaos. He’s not about brute force, he’s about figuring out how to turn the enemy’s against them while sipping bad precinct coffee. If Roarke is the game’s architect, Feeny is the archivist. He understands the rules of the system and how to bend them just enough to make things interesting.

Tara (01:23:18.737)
That’s right.

AJ (01:23:19.95)
so let’s see. So his special abilities are he’s a master hacker. He can override most security systems, open encrypted doors and dig up dirt on anyone, including Rork, though that never ends well. He can’t find anything on Rork because Rork’s erased everything. the effect is plus 30 points to all hacking or tech related actions.

Tara (01:23:41.393)
right.

AJ (01:23:49.654)
Then his tech jury rigging, Feeny can make or repair nearly anything out of spare parts. He’s been known to turn a busted data pad into a functioning surveillance rig, or at least a decent coffee warmer. The effect is restores broken tech items in the field, chance of short circuit 10%. Which again, I love because obviously on these missions you’re going to have broken tech.

so you can call on Feeny and he can come in and repair it.

Tara (01:24:19.539)
us.

AJ (01:24:24.952)
Caffeine Enlightenment. After consuming Precinct Coffee Bad or Rorx Blend Good, Feeny gets a temporary boost to focus and reaction time. Bad Coffee, plus 10 Alertness, minus five Health. Rorx Blend, plus 20 Intelligence, plus 10 Happiness.

He also has the ability for a mentor’s insight when Eve Peabody or McNabb are in your party, Feeny occasionally gives insight dialogues, advice that boosts morale or boost morale. What am I, boost morale? Advice that boosts morale, accuracy, or emotional stability. The effect is plus 15 morale to teammates and unlocks the special Eve Feeny dialogue.

And this sounds like something Feeny would say to Dallas, Dallas, when you stop trusting your gut, that’s when you start losing.

Tara (01:25:24.327)
He would say

AJ (01:25:26.822)
And he can debug reality. Feeny occasionally spots glitches in the world, invisible traps, false data or inconsistencies, and holographic environments. Reveals hidden enemies or items in certain zones. So I like that.

AJ (01:25:48.918)
So, Feeney, his role in the party is, Feeney is the strategic brain of the team. He’s not a frontline fighter, but he’s indispensable for disabling traps, firewalls, and security systems, providing missions, intel via comms, repairing broken weapons or drones, keeping everyone grounded. He’s also the one who built the game within the game, The Universe According to Roarke. That means he occasionally drops.

The fourth wall breaking hints about hidden mechanics or Easter eggs.

And he, and this is something he might say in the game. You think I’d make it that easy? Ha, try level 12, hotshot.

Tara (01:26:32.583)
Level 12 must be really hard.

AJ (01:26:35.048)
Right. Well this is because you know, Feeny did say that he could never get past level 12.

Tara (01:26:42.397)
to

AJ (01:26:44.332)
So, why Feeney rocks? Feeney brings humanity to the chaos. He’s a voice of reason in a world full of lasers, murderers, and candy-based healing items. He’s proof that wisdom experience and a little cranky mentorship can change the course of the case or our universe.

Tara (01:27:04.051)
Absolutely. I love it.

AJ (01:27:05.112)
Yep.

Tara (01:27:08.635)
there’s another one. Another NPC and it’s Somerset, which is the Cleric, the Scholar, Guardian of Roarke Manor. And an overview on Somerset. Somerset is Roarke’s butler, medic, moral compass, and professional disappointment manager. Calm, precise, and perpetually unimpressed.

He maintains order in both the mansion and the lives of its chaotic inhabitants. He is not a fighter, lies.

AJ (01:27:41.422)
Well, yeah.

Tara (01:27:43.123)
He is the healer, the confessor, and the one who sighs the loudest when you track blood across the foyer. Yeah, he’s secretly a fighter, too. But that’s even better. His role in the gameplay is as a support NPC, he anchors Roarke Manor as your sanctuary hub. Somerset restores health, cleanses debuffs, and delivers sharp lectures that boost wisdom or morale.

AJ (01:27:50.562)
Mm-hmm. Yes.

Tara (01:28:11.419)
So he can heal wounds, which for fully restores HP removes status effects minus dignity. He has a moral debrief where he reviews your choices post mission and it may raise or lower integrity score. He has sanctuary mode, which auto triggers during a manor attack, while our healing allies locking down the estate.

and the housekeeper’s wrath, where you track dirt or chaos indoors, you’ll lose five morale. Expect judgmental stares. Yes.

AJ (01:28:49.038)
So our next section is special weapons and gadgets and I have a couple here. Do you want to read those?

Tara (01:28:56.242)
Ahem.

Tara (01:29:01.683)
Sure, this game is so in-depth, I love it. So, some special weapons and gadgets include Jenkinson’s Eye-Searing Tie, a flash device. Its item class is Wearable Tactical Distraction Device. It’s rare, one per precinct, and its origin is she’d only to Detective Jenkinson, confiscated by Eve in fits of visual rage.

AJ (01:29:05.238)
Right? It’s like, yeah.

Tara (01:29:30.823)
How to use it, the tie emits an ultra-saturated color spectrum visible even through most protective eyewear. When activated, it functions as a flash-style stun device, temporarily blinding everyone in its radius. The duration is 3 to 5 seconds of blindness or confusion, and 60 seconds of cooldown, where it must recharge its radiance. The range is 10 meters. Wider if in sunlight. That’s rude. Don’t…

Don’t bring that outside, I’ll never see again. It can be used against enemies and against allies. Anyone without protective eyewear, including Eve, can also get hit with partial blindness and grumpy dialogue. And if it’s used near Feeny, the dialogue, sweet mother of circuits, Jenkinson, tone it down. That sounds like Feeny. In-game commentary after first use.

AJ (01:30:23.5)
Ha ha ha ha

Tara (01:30:29.625)
Eve, told you to burn that thing. And there is a developer’s note from Feeny. He’s not wrong. It’s weaponized fashion.

So there is an upgrade path. This tie is, whoa. So players can connect new tie patterns. It’s very special. So there are new tie patterns for added effects. The solar flare yellow is a normal blinding burst. It’s the default. The disco inferno pink adds a dazzle effect. Enemies dance involuntarily for two seconds.

AJ (01:30:46.452)
Yeah, it’s a special, you know, it’s a special weapon.

AJ (01:31:04.238)
You

Love it.

Tara (01:31:09.947)
A toxic lime, leaves a glowing afterimage trail that disorients pursuers. And the Peabody Plaid reduces ally damage but increases embarrassment. Great. And the strategic use of it, because it affects both enemies and allies, it is a risk reward item. Use it at the wrong time and you might blind your entire team, including Eve.

which leads to some very colorful dialogue penalties. And then there’s an achievement you can unlock of the fashion statement. It’s triggered by successfully defeating five enemies using Jenkinson’s tie without injuring an ally. The reward is that Eve admits, fine, it worked, but it’s still hideous.

AJ (01:32:03.01)
Then the next item is…

Tara (01:32:05.095)
The next one is the Santiago’s Loser Hat, which is a debuff accessory. It’s an item type of humiliation and debuff accessory. The rarity is legendary in the worst possible way. Its location is in the bullpen, NYPSD homicide bullpen, passed from one unfortunate detective to the next. And how it works is whenever a player loses a duel, skirmish, or competitive mini-game,

The system automatically triggers the hat protocol is engaged. The loser must wear Santiago’s enormous obnoxious faux leather cowboy hat for a set number of in-game minutes. The gameplay effects include a duration of five in-game minutes or until the next successful mission, a debuff of minus 10 % charisma. No one takes you seriously. And a buff of plus 10 % team morale. Everyone else is cracking up.

AJ (01:32:56.814)
You

Tara (01:33:02.001)
So it’s a punishment and a gift, like Feeny’s sense of humor. And here is how to pass the hat. If another team member loses a bet, challenge, or mission later, the hat transfers automatically to them with a little animation of a floating hat twirling through the air before landing dramatically on its new victim. It can also appear in multiplayer or co-op missions. If you fail a hack, if you blow a stealth mission, or you lose an argument to Eve, so the hack

AJ (01:33:05.59)
Hahaha

AJ (01:33:19.95)
You

Tara (01:33:31.091)
If you blow a stealth mission, Peabody gets the hat. And if you lose an argument to Roarke might get the hat.

AJ (01:33:40.248)
Ha ha ha.

Tara (01:33:41.359)
and there’s an achievement here. Hats off to unlock successfully wear the hat through three missions without dying. Reward is Eve reluctantly compliments you. Fine. You survived. Now burn it.

AJ (01:34:00.14)
Yeah, I mean, you know.

Tara (01:34:01.199)
And the bonus variation of is you could introduce the hat power ups later. There’s a glitter edition, adds minor distraction, a hollow hat 3000, projects embarrassed in music while active, and Somerset’s Nightmare, auto plays a disapproving sidetrack every 30 seconds.

AJ (01:34:07.886)
Ha

AJ (01:34:20.75)
So yeah. so, one thing I put in there is, is so for example, cause we’re going through the gameplay is essentially starts when Rork is little was a kid and he has to like pick pockets and whatnot. Then he gets to be a teenager and he’s running games and he is, you know, doing all the things.

Tara (01:34:23.361)
those are funny.

AJ (01:34:49.782)
You know, it as a teenager. I don’t know.

Tara (01:34:51.943)
Right. Whatever that is.

AJ (01:34:54.112)
At a certain point he gets to be a young man and of course that’s going to trigger Magdalena Purcell because…

Tara (01:35:00.987)
Yes.

AJ (01:35:02.982)
so one of the special quest lines in this game could be the long con of Magdalena Purcell. It’s a dual timeline quest. in the young Roarke era, quest title is Partners in Crime, setting as Dublin and London, on heist missions. Premises Roarke meets Magdalena, a skilled grifter. They run scams and thefts together.

Tara (01:35:07.016)
Ahem.

Tara (01:35:14.643)
you

AJ (01:35:32.962)
Gameplay mechanics, dual missions, player chooses between stealth griffs, Magdalena’s specialty, or tech heists, Roarke’s specialty. The trust meter, Magdalena suggests risky but lucrative plans. If you trust her blindly, the payout is bigger, but so is the danger. Betrayal, cutscene, eventually Magdalena turns on Roarke, she marries their wealthy Mark, framing Roarke for the failed heist.

The outcome is Rorak loses credits, resources, trust meter with allies decreases, the emotional sting, but the game moves on. Feeney’s developer notes, if you didn’t see that coming lad, you deserve the sell. I mean, you know. So later in the game, this is a part two in the Empire era. The quest title is The Return of Magdalena. The setting is Rorak’s

Tara (01:36:29.308)
You

AJ (01:36:30.336)
Empire headquarters in futuristic New York. Premise, years later, now that Rook is powerful, Magdalena resurfaces, dressed in glamour, charming, acting like no time has passed. Gameplay mechanics. Choice-driven encounter. If you trust her again, she infiltrates your empire, siphoning credits and betraying allies. If you reject her, she tries to sabotage you anyway, but with less access.

The Eve’s reaction system. If Roarke entertains Magdalena too long, Eve’s trust meter drops. A low trust meter could trigger the risk of a split ending where Eve walks away, damaging Roarke’s empire and alliances. Thematic gameplay tie-in. RPG mechanic, echo choices. What you did in the past changes the future. If young Roarke ignored

warning signs and leaned into Magdalena’s schemes, she’s more dangerous when she returns. If he mistrusted her early, her power is weaker later.

Empire Builder Mechanic, Trust as a Resource, like Credits or Territory, Roarke must manage personal trust with Eve and allies, lose too much, and even a massive empire crumbles.

Possible ending to the questline? The Shrug. True to canon ending. Roarke shrugs her betrayal off, focuses on Eve. Magdalena fails to break them. Outcomes. Stronger bond with Eve. Achievement unlocked? Not today, darling. The Fall. Bad ending. Player indulges Magdalena’s schemes a second time. Eve leaves. Empire destabilizes.

Tara (01:38:06.259)
Ahem.

AJ (01:38:21.676)
The outcome is Roarke loses allies, his empire fractures, and a split ending looms. The reckoning and alternate ending. Player confronts Magdalene aggressively, perhaps with Eve’s help. The outcome is she’s removed as a threat for good. Empire stays strong, but you sacrifice some moral standing. Public sees Roarke as ruthless. Why this works in the game. Foreshadowing.

Early game betrayal teaches the player the importance of trust morality. Echo mechanics, late game reappearance ties back to earlier decisions making the player feel their choices mattered. Emotional stakes, it’s not just money resources, it’s about Roarke’s loyalty to Eve and whether he’ll risk everything for an old flame.

AJ (01:39:12.468)
So yeah, so I don’t know if we need the rest of this achievements and endings and all of that.

Tara (01:39:12.787)
It’s kind of fun.

Tara (01:39:21.233)
to you. can read it if you want.

AJ (01:39:21.474)
I

yeah, I mean, if you want, go ahead.

Tara (01:39:27.995)
All right. So the achievements and endings of the game. So we’ve kind of like. Kind of said them already, but this is kind of like a overview, so you know where they all fall. A recap. Thank you. Words are hard. It’s only fucking Tuesday achievements. The nine lives Gala had saved you twice. The smooth operator, you charmed Mira’s admin, the spa survivor.

AJ (01:39:42.295)
Recap.

AJ (01:39:46.604)
Ha ha ha ha ha!

Tara (01:39:57.107)
you survived Trina’s treatments. Not today darling resists Magdalena’s return. Tone deaf, picked disco music for the wrong corpse. Warm and fuzzy, received Coco thrice from Dennis. The Feeny fumble fail level 12 again. Feeny is really in his feels about this one. Hats off, survived three missions wearing Santiago’s hats. The endings

AJ (01:40:07.678)
You

AJ (01:40:19.235)
Yeah.

AJ (01:40:24.344)
By the way, if you pick disco music for me, you’ll never get the tone deaf achievement.

Tara (01:40:31.411)
That’s I’ll make sure that they know. This guy’s great. I feel like that would be great. I know you do. I just feel like that would be fun, man. Like, I don’t know. So then so the game has these endings. You could be the ruler where you dominate the universe. Brooks like already done that. The redeemed moral victory with Eve, the split.

AJ (01:40:38.57)
I love disco.

AJ (01:40:53.344)
Right?

Tara (01:40:59.427)
lose Eve and collapse. You don’t want that one, guys. The partnership balanced ending with both both Eve and Roark victorious or the level 12 curse permanent frustration for Feeny. Sorry, Feeny. You made the game too hard for yourself. I love the. There’s some notes here. So lastly, there are some developer notes from Feeny.

AJ (01:41:03.083)
No.

AJ (01:41:13.602)
Yep.

AJ (01:41:17.303)
You

Tara (01:41:28.815)
this is my favorite of them all. If the tie-blines are allies, that’s a you problem.

AJ (01:41:36.988)
I’m

Tara (01:41:39.923)
And then I don’t really like any of these other ones, but I do like the last one that again level 12 is still cursed. Don’t ask. So, yeah, I just want Feenie to be able to get over this cursed 12 issue.

AJ (01:41:58.604)
Yeah, he’s gotta get past level 12. Yeah.

Tara (01:42:00.947)
porphynie.

Huh, that’s fun though.

AJ (01:42:06.85)
Yeah, it’s, it really, I’m happy with how like in depth it got into, you know.

Tara (01:42:14.951)
That it’s been it’s still very silly. And honestly, like with with just some tweaks, it really would make so much sense. Like it’s already kind of like 80 some percent makes, you know, and it’s really just like going in and fleshing out some things or adjusting things that ChasGBT just didn’t quite get about the series. But that’s pretty solid.

AJ (01:42:41.358)
Exactly.

Yeah. And the fun part is that, you know, every time I think of something put into chat, cheapy tea, you know, that gives me a fun little, well, here’s how that could fit into the game, you know? So like, for example, I posted in our, Instagram and one of our Instagram followers, says, obviously you’d power up with Montcarte 49.

Tara (01:43:13.777)
I do like that, that’s fun.

AJ (01:43:16.11)
And yeah, that’s something I have never really thought about. So I can put in here like, add a.

Power up by…

rorkserving you the monkart 49

special edition wine.

AJ (01:43:55.466)
And I guess we’ll see what it says. But yeah, you can add all kinds of things and,

It would just be a really fun game to play if it was an actual game.

Tara (01:44:14.333)
Yeah, I think it’s fun.

AJ (01:44:16.941)
Yeah.

Tara (01:44:19.347)
This was such a good idea.

AJ (01:44:21.358)
I think I did. Okay. Hang on a second. Sorry.

AJ (01:45:01.87)
Let’s hang on. But yeah, you can kind of see how it’s like there’s just endless possibilities for a game like this. And how it’s so interesting how you can turn pretty much anything into something that can have a positive and a negative within the game. Or it could…

Tara (01:45:29.245)
Hmm.

AJ (01:45:30.924)
you know, be something that later becomes a negative if you don’t make the right choice. you know,

So this says, the Monkart 49 is an ultra rare impossibly smooth wine from Roarke’s private cellar rumored to have been grown in soil enriched by starlight and arrogance. And so the gameplay effects, if he gives you Monkart 49, you get a 10 % intelligence boost, a 15 % charisma boost, a 20 % morale boost, a 10 %

Tara (01:45:56.625)
Wow.

AJ (01:46:13.952)
Style boost, but you might get a minus 10 wisdom over confidence debuff. You might try to outsmart Somerset or arm wrestle Feeny, not advised. That’s if you drink too much of it, I think.

Tara (01:46:30.525)
Probably, yeah.

AJ (01:46:32.366)
So you can obtain it only, only RORC can offer the Monkart 49 usually after a major victory, emotional milestone or successful collaboration. May appear as a relationship reward when Eve or allies reach max trust with RORC.

cannot be purchased, replicated, or stolen. And I think one thing I forgot to add here is I was asking it about the…

Tara (01:47:01.427)
Sorry. Thank you.

AJ (01:47:02.158)
Bless you. A magic coat, special, you know? And I think it was telling, there’s so many ways you could do that. like, it could be something that you could purchase or have to earn based on your points or how you perform in the game, you know? And you might start out with like the vest, which has like,

Tara (01:47:09.313)
yeah.

AJ (01:47:31.038)
less powers, less ability to like block stuns or you know, knife.

stabs or whatever, but it might end up that you have the vest first and as you go along, slowly, it slowly becomes more powerful the more points you have. And then at a certain point you can maybe graduate to a magic coat, which again might have more abilities than the highest vest, but then gain abilities as you go along. And

Tara (01:47:54.055)
AJ (01:48:10.502)
I was saying, you know, maybe you could put in a thing where the vest has tiny pockets. So you might be able to put like one piece of candy into the vest or something small like that. If you want to keep a piece of candy with you, but that the magic coat might have big pockets. So you can keep a bunch of things in there that you can use later. So yeah, it’s, it’s,

It’s really fun how you can just add a lot of these in-depth related things into this game and have it figure out, you know, yeah, this is how you could use this in the game, you know. So.

Tara (01:48:48.467)
and it’s really fun.

AJ (01:48:58.958)
So yeah, I think it’s really interesting. You know, I’m not a game player like this, but I was just fascinated with this topic.

Tara (01:49:09.371)
I mean, you know Roarke plays it all the time.

AJ (01:49:13.25)
Yeah.

Tara (01:49:14.493)
Do you think VR can be level 12?

AJ (01:49:16.888)
Probably. Because he’s a rock. You know.

Tara (01:49:19.707)
Right? And Feeny is probably very salty about that.

AJ (01:49:24.884)
Yeah. But anyway, so yeah, that’s, that’s our talk about the universe according to work. And if you guys have any input or, you know, want to talk about it more later, we can. So I don’t know that I’m going to do podcast business because I don’t know that we have any.

Tara (01:49:53.299)
I don’t have any.

AJ (01:49:54.998)
Okay. So if you have any, like I said, if you have any input on this topic, just let us know. go to any of our social media, Facebook or Instagram or blue sky or tick tock, and let us know what you think about this particular topic. If you have something to say about it, you can call our number. The number is two zero five four seven six two seven five three. Look at that. I did it without even looking at anything.

That’s 2054 Roarke. You can also send us an email at show at podcastingdeath.com.

all of that stuff, I guess. So, I think next week we’re getting closer to Halloween. think next week we’ve decided to do some sort of Halloween themed episode.

Tara (01:50:48.807)
Yes.

Tara (01:50:52.636)
Yes.

AJ (01:50:54.584)
We’re not sure what that is yet, but we’ll figure it out. We’re going to do one. It just has to be. Now we’re going to talk about pumpkins. We’re going to talk about Halloween pumpkins. Sorry. We’ll talk about pumpkins.

Tara (01:50:56.386)
F-up, we’re gonna do one.

It’s gonna be fun.

Tara (01:51:10.429)
I had to send it to you. I was like, I found this, not AJ.

AJ (01:51:14.39)
It was very funny.

Tara (01:51:16.701)
Thank you, Amy Sedaris. She is a treasure.

AJ (01:51:20.77)
Yeah, it was funny. So yeah, so a Halloween episode we’re going to work on. And then after that is secrets. Yeah. In death, which again, I will say again, I’m actually really enjoying. I think reading it the first time, I think I’ve only read it like maybe once or twice, but going through it now it’s

Tara (01:51:32.435)
Secrets? Yes.

Tara (01:51:38.515)
I am too.

Tara (01:51:47.623)
Maybe read it once. Or maybe I’ve read it twice.

AJ (01:51:50.646)
Yeah, I’m actually really, really, really enjoying it. it should be a really fun episode.

Tara (01:51:57.009)
Yeah, I’m enjoying it too, so I’m probably behind you, but I’m enjoying it.

AJ (01:52:02.986)
Okay. All right. So that’s what’s coming up on Podcasts on Death. you have any, you know, contact us if you have any suggestions of other things we can talk about, we would love to hear from you. And I think that’s it for this episode of Podcasts Death. you, unless you have anything else you want to talk about.

Tara (01:52:22.648)
I don’t. That was great.

AJ (01:52:25.174)
It really was. And you know, it was really fun. And maybe we’ll talk about it later if we, if somebody decides to do a little better job with organizing this or, or more, has more clarity on role playing games, which I don’t. So if that’s you, if you’re out there and you’re like, I am the expert on role playing games, let us know. And maybe we’ll do another episode where we talk to you and we can go through.

Tara (01:52:45.447)
Nope, me neither.

AJ (01:52:55.19)
universe according to work again. in the meantime, that’s it for this episode of podcasts and death. So for podcasts and death, this is AJ.

Tara (01:52:57.843)
We’d love that.

Tara (01:53:06.365)
This is Tara.

AJ (01:53:07.803)
And we’ll see you next week, Bye.

Tara (01:53:09.779)
Bye guys.

Tara (01:53:13.619)
Ooh.