Roro Roku Plus (Free Generational Change SLG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is an article introducing "Roro Roku Plus," an entry in the 15th WOLF RPG Editor Contest.
It follows in the footsteps of consumer titles such as "7 - The Cavalry of Mallmoth" and "Venus & Braves," as well as free games like "-7 (Minor Seven)" and "Hanyou 9."Generational change unit management simulationThis is a work of art.
This is one of my favorite game genres.

My completion time for the main story was approximately 10 hours on easy difficulty.
On normal difficulty, with some practice, it took me about 7 hours.
After completing the main story on normal difficulty, I played for an additional 30 hours or so to finish the game (because I was trying out various things).

Game Overview

This is a simulation game where you play as a cavalry captain and defeat monsters that appear all over the continent.
As time passes, the members of the group grow older, so the player recruits and trains new members, maintaining peace through generational change over many generations.

The general flow of the game is as follows:
The process goes something like this: ① Go on an expedition to defeat monsters → ② The number of people wanting to join increases → ③ Members are replaced → ① Go on an expedition to defeat monsters...

If you leave the monsters that appear unchecked, the "miasma level" will increase when the new year begins or when a city is destroyed.
If the miasma level reaches 100 when the new year arrives, it's game over, so you need to go on expeditions to keep the miasma level low.

The level of miasma decreases when you defeat monsters and when you return to your base.
Your monster count will decrease significantly if you return after defeating many monsters, so be careful not to misjudge the timing of your return.

As you defeat monsters and time passes, the number of recruits you can add to your list at your base will increase.
During expeditions, time passes quickly as you walk around the map, so if you don't actively recruit and train good personnel, your troops will quickly weaken.
Since talent goes through growth, peak, and decline phases, failing to consider the age balance of each member can lead to a simultaneous weakening of the team, potentially resulting in a complete collapse.
It is essential to always manage the entire unit with a slightly forward-looking perspective.

Battles against monsters are fought with one monster against seven team members.
You will place up to seven characters in the front, middle, and back rows within a 3x4 grid, and battle while rotating the rows.
Characters have abilities depending on their class, such as strengthening the attack and defense of the squad member in front of them, or healing members in the same row.
Since all of the enemy's actions are revealed, you need to consider when to rotate your allies and position them accordingly to prepare for battle.

Once combat begins, the battle proceeds almost entirely automatically.
The only thing the player can do is either maintain the formation or rotate the players.
The real thrill lies in strategically planning how long you can withstand enemy attacks and when to change your formation, ultimately defeating powerful foes.
We have to decide whether or not to rotate players within three seconds, so there's a sense of tension when making decisions in unexpected situations.

This game features extremely comprehensive help content.
It's difficult to understand everything from the start, so be sure to ask questions whenever you encounter something you don't understand.
The more you understand the system, the deeper and more fascinating it becomes.

Impressions (for those who haven't played yet)

On easy mode, it took me about 10 hours to complete the main story (I was playing at a fairly slow pace).
This is undoubtedly a generational SLG that inherits the legacy of games like Venus & Braves.
While the story elements in the main game are kept to a minimum, with a game system like this one, that actually allows you to become more immersed in the work, and you should naturally be able to find some kind of drama in it.
When a member retires, you feel like saying, "Thank you for all your hard work," or when a new child joins, you think, "Ah, so that's the son of that strong guy."

The game incorporates original elements that go beyond a simple rehash of existing works, such as a "x2" effect for attack and defense support, and the addition of "adjacent healing" and "other healing" in addition to row healing.
The presence of latent skills has a somewhat modest effect, so it's not worth intentionally incorporating them into your team, but it's a nice bonus if the conditions are met (though it's not worth choosing team members specifically for their skills).

Once you complete the main story, you'll be able to fight even more formidable enemies.
The bosses you face after clearing the main story are at a difficulty level that makes the previous stages feel like a tutorial, and will really test your understanding of the game's systems.

In this game, you cannot make children the main contributors, so the upper limit of strength is the children's generation.
Otherwise, you could easily create powerful units just by playing aimlessly, potentially turning the game into a chore. I think it's a perfect balance.
With things like leveling up your squad members, racking up wins, hunting monsters to lower the miasma level, and completing events, there was always something to do, making it a game I couldn't stop playing.

The more you play, the deeper your understanding of the game system will become, so you'll feel a sense of personal growth, much like how a player's skills improve in a roguelike game.
Perhaps players can see themselves reflected in the cavalry unit that gradually grows stronger.

Those playing this genre for the first time may be confused at first because they don't understand the mechanics.
However, I really want you to experience the atmosphere of this game, which truly embodies the spirit of a generational shift simulation game.

Strategy Notes (for those who have played the game to some extent)

For those unfamiliar with this genre, I'd like to share my own strategy for playing the game.
Those who are more experienced may have more refined strategies, but I hope you can use this as a reference for one play style.
Please excuse any overlap in content, as I am continuously adding to this as I write.

Guideline for Strategy Phases

First, I've outlined the general stages of completing the entire game.
There may be some parts you don't understand, but we will explain them in more detail in later sections.

Phase 1 (Dawn)

This is the time when the Knights' Order was being established.
We will build up our forces through new recruitment, focusing on gathering members who can contribute immediately.
It will depend on luck, but if you make good use of the captain and Vim-chan, you should be able to get through it.
You'll gradually get the hang of it by fighting monsters of levels 1 and 2.
Let's recognize our most capable members as meritorious contributors and prepare for the next generation.

Stage 2 (Growth Period)

This is the time when the captain's child is born, and the captain's family begins to play a central role in the fighting force.
It's like having 3-4 members from the captain's family in the combat team at all times.
Just like in the early days, let's seek out strong contributors and build a foundation that will allow us to defeat five level 3 monsters under the same captain.
The demon general that appears every 20 years should be defeatable at this stage.

Stage 3 (Maturity)

The captain's achievement level V can now be achieved at all times, and the hidden area, flower field, and torii gate will appear simultaneously.
If the team members can benefit from these three advantages from a young age, it will raise the overall strength of the team.
Now, maintain this state, effectively earn faith points, and use the power of the divine artifacts to defeat powerful enemies.

After the main story, you can easily defeat the "dragon" if you use the Holy Grail at this stage, but I felt that you wouldn't have much leeway against the "dragon" without using the Holy Stone.

Things to do on an expedition

Increase in the number of people wishing to enlist

The purpose of these expeditions is to increase the number of people who wish to enlist.
You can never have too many talented people, and if you can produce outstanding individuals, you can increase the number of powerful commanding families and raise the overall strength of your unit.
The number of people wishing to join the army increases by contacting informants (human icons) on the map or by defeating monsters (the number increases by 1 for each monster level).

When selecting recruits, the most important factors are class, ability level, age, and peak performance period.
Let's not just include characters in their prime, but also young members who are still growing up.
Characters with high HP are useful in many situations, so I think HP is the most important parameter.
Instead of focusing solely on "strength," choose a newcomer with high ability scores necessary for the role required of that character.

Furthermore, returning to base immediately after the new year allows you to utilize the recruited personnel for a longer period.
Especially for rare professions, the peak period is short, so even being able to use them for one more year is a big advantage.

Monster extermination

Naturally, one of the objectives of the expedition is to defeat monsters.
Defeating monsters will lower the level of miasma and increase the number of people who want to join the army.
Additionally, the member who delivers the final blow to a monster will level up, boosting their abilities.

Defeating high-level monsters will quickly raise your level.
However, until your forces are sufficiently strong, avoid engaging high-level monsters and only target monsters of level 1 or 2.

If you encounter a strong monster that seems impossible to defeat, you can leave it alone, and it will eventually disappear on its own after destroying a town a few times (thankfully, it doesn't move to another town like in other games!).
When fighting weak monsters, try to have the lowest-level members defeat them, being careful not to give unnecessary experience points to the max-level members.

As the miasma level increases, you'll inevitably have to face high-level monsters.
At this point, we won't focus on training our troops; instead, we'll deploy our most powerful forces, leveled up to the maximum, and fight with all our might.
In some cases, it's important to make full use of even sacred treasures without hesitation.

Event Collection

Visiting objects on the map is also an important objective during expeditions.
In particular, "hidden places," "flower fields," and "torii gates" offer opportunities to improve the skills of the team members, so it's a good idea to prioritize visiting them while the team members are still young.
If a "hidden area" appears near your base, it's a chance to repeatedly reload the game and increase the desired ability stats of your younger players.
When evaluating stats, it's ideal if HP, attack, and attack support increase, as these are stats that are difficult to raise otherwise (personally, I'd be happiest if HP increased by two stages).

Guideline for return

There are several indicators for when to return to base.
Once we reach 30 applicants, we won't be able to increase their numbers any further by defeating monsters, so it's probably time to call it quits.
Also, if the miasma level decreases upon returning, it would be a waste to return when the miasma level is 0.
If the miasma level decreases by 20 upon returning, then it's most efficient to return when the miasma level is 20 or higher.

Another time to consider returning is when many of the team members have passed their prime.
Let's properly recognize the strong team members as meritorious contributors and fulfill the conditions for the child's appearance.

Regarding training

Leveling Up and Aging

One year after the celebratory day, the ability scores of team members in their growth phase or prime will increase.
The values that increase with age rise more as the character's level increases.
Therefore, as stated in the help section,By raising your level to the maximum as early as possible, you can increase the ceiling of your stats that you can reach at your peak.
While it's difficult to deliver the finishing blow in battle when they're young, let's train them by making good use of attack support.
Using the "Instruction Manual" item to specify which stats you want to raise, or leveling up through the "Secret Realm" event, are also effective methods.

If you have a team member who has reached the maximum level, it's a good idea to remove them from your formation if you have the opportunity, to avoid them unnecessarily delivering the finishing blow.
However, even for squad members who have reached level 6, accumulating victories is still meaningful from the perspective of both merit and faith points.
Leadership is S and faith level increases by +5 upon leaving the group.Reaching 20 wins will be one of the criteria for participation.That would be good.

Regarding those who have made significant contributions

Those who have distinguished themselves later have the role of raising the captain's children.
Children possess a strength that is essentially an enhanced version of that of a distinguished veteran, so assembling a team of highly capable veterans is crucial for running a unit effectively.
When a team member reaches 20 victories, their leadership ability will be upgraded to S, so encourage any team members you think are strong to reach 20 victories (and of course, level them up to level 6).

The captain's family enjoys a higher status than those who were responsible for education, and their peak performance period is relatively long, so they can be expected to contribute for an extended period.
Therefore, it would be easier to fight if you aim for characters that can support the training of new recruits, or convenient characters that can withstand attacks from powerful enemies on their own and maintain the formation.

However, keep in mind that members of the captain's family cannot be credited as meritorious contributors, so you won't be able to create squad members stronger than the next generation.
Since you can be inducted into the Hall of Fame, if you can secure seven powerful members for the Hall of Fame, you can easily defeat level 3 monsters using the divine artifact "Holy Relic".
Using this method will drastically reduce the risk of getting stuck due to high levels of miasma, even when your forces are not yet fully assembled.
Wait until a family member who has no intention of becoming a captain voluntarily retires, and then you can acquire faith points.
If a regular member is discharged before voluntarily retiring, you can still gain loyalty points through the "meritorious service → voluntary retirement" process.
However, since the captain's family cannot be recognized as meritorious contributors, they can only gain faith points if they "go from active duty to voluntary retirement".
Just because their prime is over doesn't mean we should discharge them and replace them with new recruits.

About the captain

The captain can be appointed from within the captain's family at any time.
The Captain family generally has high abilities and a long peak performance period, so it's a good idea to train them to be units that can easily support other members or units that can withstand powerful enemy attacks on their own for a while.
Astrologers who can heal the entire row, and sorcerers who can prevent the enemy from acting for that turn (though you need to raise their speed enough to act before the enemy), are useful at any time.
It's quite difficult to create a strong captain right away with these classes, so in the early stages, start by developing classes that are easier to create, such as mages and alchemists who can heal and support, or knights, adventurers, and assassins who can single-handedly manage a row.
However, as long as their ability level is at the level of a captain's family, they'll generally be useful regardless of their class.
It's a good idea to try out different options to find what suits your taste.

The strength of newly recruited members is a matter of luck, and it's not the case that stronger members will be gathered as time goes on.
To face powerful bosses, you need to strengthen your captain and his family, accumulate faith points, and utilize divine treasures.
Always keep these two things in mind when you're fighting.

Additionally, if you defeat five Level 3 monsters and then change captains, a torii gate, a flower field, and a hidden area will appear simultaneously when the next captain takes over.
By repeating this process, you can raise the overall level of your team members, so remember this as the top priority for each generation.

During expeditions, once you've completed these three events, return to your base, and only fight monsters if they're in your path or if the miasma level is dangerously high.
In the early stages, defeating five level 3 monsters is quite a challenge, but if your Hall of Fame members are well-trained, you can use relics to complete the challenge at a low cost.

About combat

Basic policy

When fighting a weaker opponent, the battle is usually short and not too difficult, but when fighting a stronger opponent, you need tactics that anticipate a long battle.
Please consider this merely as one example of a tactical approach.

First, make sure to check if there are any characters who can be defeated in one hit if attacked by the enemy.
Since the characters usually rotate each turn, when the enemy attacks, think about and check who is in the front row.
If any of your characters are being defeated, take countermeasures such as placing a character with defensive support behind them.
It's easy to overlook, but be sure to take into account the bonus added by the enemy's "initial attack power" when calculating.

Furthermore, if the enemy's attack targets are not random but have rules such as "target women" or "target younger individuals," then deploying a team member who meets the conditions will ensure the safety of other members in the same rank.
Making good use of these aspects will make battles easier.
If the enemy's target is random, the probability of being targeted changes depending on where each soldier is positioned in the line.
It's best to position less tough team members towards the edges of the formation screen (refer to the percentages on the formation screen).

Once you've confirmed you won't be defeated in one hit, the next thing to think about is healing.
You don't need to worry too much about team members who can heal themselves, but be careful with characters who cannot heal themselves.
If there isn't a class in the same row that can heal other members, you'll be at a disadvantage in a long battle.
Squad members with the "Heal Others" or "Heal Adjacent Units" abilities cannot heal themselves, so place them with other squad members who can heal each other (this is unnecessary if you can shut down damage with defensive support).

Ideally, you should always keep your HP full, but sometimes the amount of healing may not be enough, and some characters' HP will gradually decrease as they go through the rotation.
For situations like that, if you create one tough row, you can keep it there without rotating, allowing the back row to recover for two turns.
Furthermore, having a tough, highly resilient column provides flexibility as a recovery strategy in case calculation errors prevent you from recovering as expected.

Additionally, monsters with high initial attack, initial defense, and recovery power will struggle if they are rotated frequently, so it's easier to keep them in the same row for a longer period of time.

If you find it tedious to meticulously calculate turn order and damage amounts during training, it's easier to gather the characters you want to train in one row (the theory being that if you weaken the enemy sufficiently before rotating, someone in the next row will be able to defeat them).
Generally, the higher the amount of damage dealt, the higher the probability of finishing off an enemy. Therefore, when prioritizing leveling up a team member, place a team member with high attack support skills behind them.

Regarding formations

When considering how to place all seven people in the twelve squares, there are probably only these three patterns.
While players may have different ideas about how to use them effectively, let's consider some examples of tactics.
It's most effective to use different strategies depending on the current balance of your party members and the type of monster you're facing.

[Type 3-2-2]

This is Holy Wall (a rather abrupt name).
Even without any exceptionally strong members, the formation allows the entire team to strengthen their defenses, making it a formation that can safely handle long battles.
Personally, this is the formation I've relied on the most.
The six players are lined up in pairs, allowing them to effectively support each other offensively and defensively.
If there's one member who doesn't fit in, you can make them a hunter or spearman so they can carry out indirect attacks without being interrupted.
Since soldiers who are left out of position cannot receive defensive support, they will need a certain amount of HP, and there will also need soldiers in the same row who can heal adjacent to them or others.

This formation makes it easy to incorporate various support abilities even for team members with low HP, so I think it's a pattern that will be effective both during training and in normal situations.
However, since it tends to be difficult to concentrate attacks in one turn, you may struggle against enemies with high initial defense or healing power.

[4-2-1 type], [4-1-2 type]

By placing a tough and powerful ace in a single row, this formation makes it easier to counter the enemy's powerful attacks.
However, the two flanks of a four-person formation cannot receive defensive support, so you need to be careful about that (it's relatively safe against random single-target attacks).
By placing soldiers with strong indirect attack capabilities in a four-person line, this formation makes it easier to unleash fire while the front line holds off enemy attacks.
Furthermore, if the enemy is the type that spreads its attacks with random single-target attacks, the damage will be spread out among the four characters in a row, so you can compensate even if your HP or defensive support is somewhat insufficient.

A four-person formation allows for multiple attacks within the same turn, making it effective against enemies with high initial defense counts or large healing amounts.
I think this formation would really bring out the best in the team if you arrange them in a way that allows you to concentrate your attacks in a line of four.

[Type 1-3-3]

This formation places a tough ace in the single-player line, while the three-player line allows only one of them to receive support.
Note that the other group of three will only be able to receive assistance from a maximum of one person.
However, this formation also makes it easy to incorporate classes that can perform indirect attacks, so I think it's useful when you want to stabilize the balance of firepower for each row.

"4-3-0 type", [3-4-0 type]

This formation is designed entirely for short, decisive battles, and rotations are not considered at all.
In other words, it's Rapid Stream (mystery).
This will be useful when you have team members you want to train by defeating weaker monsters.

This formation is based on the idea that the soldiers in the front row will be supported to the fullest extent by the rows behind them, allowing them to take down the enemy in one swift attack.
Since it involves less damage and turn order calculations, it's a good strategy to use if you have team members you want to level up by defeating weaker monsters.

Furthermore, it can be used in situations where you want to defeat a powerful enemy in one go, provided you have sufficient firepower.

Utilize divine treasures in battles against formidable enemies.

Many of the divine treasures that can be purchased by spending faith points are very powerful.
While the Holy Stone is incredibly powerful and therefore quite expensive, the Holy Grail, which doubles HP, makes battles considerably easier.
Holy texts and holy water are also quite useful, so when challenging level 3 monsters, it's a good idea to actively use them to make things easier.
You can only carry one per expedition, but how about setting a goal of defeating one level 3 monster per expedition?

Furthermore, it's more economical to use relics to fight demon generals and post-game bosses with Hall of Fame members.
However, since relics cannot be used in conjunction with other items, the ultimate potential for growth will likely be greater with the current squad members plus divine artifacts.

Regarding enemy status effects and special actions

·poison
When poisoned, your healing abilities will not activate.
I don't really want to take hits from enemies with self-healing abilities, because they lose the opportunity to heal until they complete another round.
If you use defensive support to reduce the damage to zero, you won't get poisoned and can survive.
However, healing from other players will activate properly, so there is no problem if the column is composed of multiple other-player heals or adjacent-player heals (however, be aware that if the column is hit by a poison attack, no one will be able to activate their heals).

- Curse application & curse attack
When afflicted with the curse status, you will take damage when attempting to heal (however, this will not cause your HP to drop below zero and lead to your own death).
In the case of a "curse attack," you can rest assured that you won't be cursed if you can reduce the damage to zero with defensive support, but there is no way to prevent "curse application."
Also, since the curse is removed once a healing action is taken, if a cursed team member is in the back row and stays put for a while, they can be healed.

・Petrification
If you are petrified before you can act, you will be unable to attack that turn.
Also,When attacked while petrified, damage is multiplied by 1.5.Be careful with calculations when dealing with multiple attacks.
Aside from the fact that it prevents us from attacking, it's not a particularly dangerous status effect since it's removed by rotation and doesn't hinder recovery.

- The difference between "charging power" and "enhancing attack power"
The former increases attack power only for the immediate attack, while the latter provides a permanent increase throughout the battle.
In other words, if you engage in a long battle against a monster that uses attack power enhancement, you will be at a disadvantage, so aim for a quick and decisive battle.

User experience for each profession

I've written about my personal experience using each job class, rating their ease of use from A to D.
However, the ease of use of each class varies greatly depending on your play style, so please take this as just a suggestion.
I think there's a good chance that I just haven't thought of a good way to use it yet.

Vanguard

Warrior D
I didn't use it at all during the gameplay.
While it has high HP and decent attack power, it's a difficult class to incorporate into a team because it completely lacks the ability to support or heal others.
However, since there are few ability stats, if growth is concentrated on HP and attack, it seems like it could become a decent fighting force.

・Assassin C
Although its HP is somewhat low, it has high attack power and self-healing abilities.
If you can withstand one hit from the enemy, you can usually fully heal yourself, making it easy to use.
If an assassin with high HP applies, they're a top candidate.
Also, since it's a poison attack, it becomes somewhat easier against monsters with high healing abilities.
Its low HP makes it difficult against high-level monsters, but it's an immediate asset against low-level opponents.

Martial Artist C
It has high HP, decent attack power, and attack support abilities.
I didn't use it much because it lacked defensive support and required tough soldiers in the front row.
However, if it's a short-term battle where maintaining the front line isn't a concern, it has a certain ease that makes it seem like it could be incorporated relatively easily.

・Samurai B
Although its HP is somewhat low, its attack power and self-buffs are high, and it also has a high critical hit rate, making it useful as an attacker when you want to launch a quick battle.
Its high speed is a significant advantage, as it allows it to act before being immobilized by petrification or other means.
However, since their ability to sustain combat is not high, this is a class that needs support in healing and defense.

・Ninja B
Because it can attack twice while also providing support to itself, its offensive capabilities are higher than those of an assassin.
The healing from the adjacent unit is only a token amount,I like this strategy because if you surround a class that has healing abilities or adjacent healing abilities with two ninjas, the surrounding class will receive two adjacent healing buffs from the ninjas, which compensates for their weaknesses (adjacent healing).(Especially compatible with alchemists who possess [this ability]).
Its HP isn't low, so the fact that it can withstand attacks reasonably well even without defensive support is a major advantage.

- Spearman C
While its melee attack power is very high, its low HP makes it somewhat unreliable.
Indirect attacks are merely a secondary source of power, so it's not worth forming a formation that relies solely on them.
The self-healing ability is minimal, so I think another healer is needed.
If indirect attack is developed to a high level, it has the potential to be a major source of damage.

Middle guard position

Hunter B
Although it cannot heal itself, it is an excellent attacker with decent attack power, capable of indirect attacks from the middle row and close-range attacks from the front row.
Be careful, as having team members in the front row can prevent you from performing at your best.
Since this unit doesn't have its own healing ability, place it in the same row as other units that have healing abilities or adjacent unit healing abilities.
Its appeal lies in its ability to add depth to attacks and boost overall damage.

Knight B
With high HP and defensive support, it provides solid support to the squad members standing in front of it.
While its attack power isn't particularly high, making it difficult to rely on as an attacker, its toughness allows it to withstand multiple turns, giving the impression that it's a very useful unit that can be used immediately in battle.
Having knights endure attacks while others launch indirect attacks from behind is also an effective tactic.

・Sniper C
This class has reduced attack power and HP for hunters, but it also has self-healing abilities.
Compared to the Hunter, its stats are somewhat unbalanced, making it feel a bit difficult to use.
If their overall abilities improve, I think they could perform like a Dragon Knight.

Sorcerer C
While its abilities other than defensive support and adjacent healing are low, its petrification ability, which disables the opponent's actions, is very powerful.
It's pointless if you can't act before your opponent, so I want to somehow improve my speed.
Also, be aware that if you can't inflict damage on your opponent, you won't be able to petrify them even if you act first.
If you can raise a fast sorcerer, you'll have the advantage of being able to petrify enemies and neutralize their powerful attacks during their turn (preventing them from charging up their power is also an effective tactic).
Against monsters with low speed, it serves to neutralize their troublesome attacks.
A sorcerer with sufficient speed can single-handedly handle a line of enemies.

・Adventurer B
It might sound bad to say that everything is mediocre, but this is a class that has the potential to become an all-around member if nurtured properly, and could also be seen as a mass-produced version of the Black Knight.
If you belong to a family of captains, where ability scores tend to be high, then you have the advantage of being able to become quite powerful.
However, because there are so many status categories, the abilities that increase when leveling up tend to be scattered, making it difficult to raise a specific ability score.

Swordsman C
This mid-range character boasts high HP, defensive support, and decent attack power.
Although it cannot heal on its own, it can provide defensive support to the front row twice, so if the monster can only perform single attacks, you can rest assured for two turns even if you keep the front row at bay.
If you have a row that you want to withstand attacks for two turns, this class is a reliable choice when placed behind it.
It could be said that this is almost a superior version of the warrior.

Rearguard position

・Priest C
It's difficult to use due to its low HP, but it excels in defensive support and other healing abilities.
They are excellent as an immediate asset when there is a shortage of healers and support characters.
Conversely, if you can somehow manage to improve their low HP, they can become an excellent healer.

・Monk B
While it has no offensive power, its greatest strength is that it has more HP than the priest.
Both defensive support and other healing abilities are lower than those of the priest,Having a healer with high HP is useful in many situations.
Because its attack power is low, there are fewer instances of accidentally stealing the finishing blow and leveling up, making it easy to incorporate into battles aimed at character development.
Since defensive support and healing amounts can be increased with flower fields and torii gates, the fact that the disadvantages can be overcome in the later stages of the game is a significant advantage.

・Magician B
This reliable backline character possesses a full range of support abilities, including offensive assistance, adjacent character healing, and defensive support.
Although their own attack power is low, this class is useful for increasing the overall damage of the entire squad thanks to their high attack support capabilities.
Placing them behind the team members you want to train can also be helpful for their development.

・Summoner C
This class has lost the mage's healing abilities, but in return, its support and speed have been greatly increased.
The fact that it has a full range of powerful support abilities is appealing, but you will need team members who can provide support through defensive assistance and healing.
In short battles where recovery isn't a concern, it's powerful because it makes it easier to boost attackers.

・Astrology B
This is the only class with row-wide healing that can heal itself as well.
It has defensive support capabilities and high support power, and its ability to attack four times is also a strong point.
While it's difficult to utilize them effectively if individual abilities are low, they can become quite powerful if they are produced within the captain's family.
This class can use up the priest's four-hit attack buff in a single turn.

Alchemist B
It's like a class that's been adjusted to be more focused on healing, similar to the mage class.
It has a somewhat unusual characteristic: it provides attack support to its neighbors on both sides.
Since this unit heals adjacent units while providing attack support, placing ninjas who also attack multiple times and heal adjacent units on both sides creates a great synergy effect.
August 21, 2023Correction:It seems that the highest attack support value takes priority, so even if you place a ninja next to you, it won't make a difference if the ninja's self-attack support value is higher.
I apologize for the misinformation (the recovery process is duplicated).

Rare Jobs

Black Knight A
It feels like using a knight focused on offensive capabilities, and it's quite powerful.
With sufficiently high HP, it should be able to perform more than adequately even when supporting a line by itself.
While rare professions generally have short career paths, I would definitely like to recognize those who have made significant contributions and appoint them to roles in the education of children.

Dragon Knight A
This is a powerful class that combines the high close-range attack of a spearman with the ranged attack of a hunter.
Furthermore, it can even heal neighboring units, but it cannot assist other players, so careful use is required.
Since it has two indirect attack opportunities, the increased number of moves needed to break through the initial defense is also a welcome feature.

・Holy Knight A
This class feels like a priest with sufficient offensive capabilities.
Since it's a healer, it requires other team members to heal it, but with its x2 defensive support, it's a versatile class that can be effective wherever you place it.

Summary for creating strong team members

1. Recruit team members who have strong initial stats and who have a long period of time from joining to reaching their peak performance.
The rate of growth is greater during the growth phase than during the peak period, so this point is considered important.
Of course, it would be even better if their peak period lasted a long time.

2. Raise that team member to level 6 as early as possible.
I believe the extent to which a character's stats improve with age depends to some extent on their current ability scores.
Therefore, it is important to raise your level and increase your ability scores at a young age.
The ability scores that were increased at the torii gate and flower fields have continued to grow steadily since then, so it can be considered that they increased in the same way as when leveling up.

3. Recognize that team member as a meritorious contributor and assign them to be a tutor for children.
Essentially, it's like a more powerful version of that key contributor is being created.
If the family has fewer than five members, a check will be performed upon their return to determine if a child has been born.
After designating a character as a meritorious contributor, be careful to ensure that they don't voluntarily retire without becoming an educator.
If necessary, repeatedly saving and loading your game before returning can also be effective.
Conversely, if a character is only moderately strong, it might be better not to make them the main contributor (for example, if they are the sole contributor when a child is born, they are forced to become an educator).

4. Raise that child to level 6 as early as possible.
If you raise a character to level 6 early in their growth period, they will have extremely high ability scores during their prime.

5. Once the children are fully grown, they will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Once you have a strong roster of Hall of Fame characters, you'll be able to easily defeat level 3 monsters using relics (meaning you can defeat level 3 monsters by spending 10 Faith).
If you defeat five level 3 monsters under the same captain and then the captain changes, you will receive the "Merit V" reward, which will cause a flower field, a torii gate, and a hidden area to appear simultaneously in the next captain's term.
This allows for an increase in the base stats of your team members, further extending the maximum potential of their strength.
Maintaining the Merit V reward will further enhance the overall strength of your squad.
The ability scores that can be increased at the flower garden and torii gate—"Recovery Power" and "Defense Support"—will greatly improve the usability of professions that possess these two abilities.

A very young newcomer with all stats at 1 can achieve incredibly high stats by the end of their prime if they level up in the hidden areas early on and strengthen their defensive support and healing abilities in flower fields and torii gates.
Ultimately, classes with defensive support and healing abilities that can be endlessly enhanced with flower fields and torii gates become extremely powerful.
Since HP is the only stat that cannot be faked, I feel that HP is the only stat that should be specified in the instruction manual.
If there are new applicants who have a guide book, it's important to secure them regardless of their strength level.

When evaluating the growth of young talent in remote locations, prioritizing HP (health points) is almost always the safest bet.
If a hidden area appears near your base, you should actively pursue it, as it's easy to repeatedly reload and refine your game until you get the desired stat boost.

Impressions (Normal difficulty, after defeating the boss in the main story, spoiler warning)

I'll write down my thoughts on playing the game after clearing the main story, in a rambling, informal style.

I played for about 30 hours extra after clearing the main story on Normal difficulty until I defeated the Demon Lord.
The dragon that appeared after defeating the Demon General could be defeated with the Holy Grail and Holy Water, but the dragon was quite strong.
Using Holy Stones makes it easy, but it uses a lot of faith points, so I was trying various things to see if I could defeat it using relics or chalices.
I haven't tried everything, but there are dragons that I've managed to defeat using relics and chalices, so I think it's possible to defeat them with some ingenuity.
I'd love to see a video of a hardcore player clearing the game without using any items.

Now, my "Digger Cavalry," which borrowed many character names from SaGa Frontier 2, didn't have too much trouble in the final battle against the Demon King because we used a Holy Stone.
Thanks to the powerful attacks of Captain Premiere Knights and his family member Johann Knights, which sometimes dealt over 500 damage, the decisive battle, which was expected to be a long one, ended quickly.
The boss-level attack patterns are brutal, so I realized in the final battle that it might be better to accept some casualties and go for a quick victory rather than trying to prolong the fight.

A power play like an astrologian with 99 attack power + a priest with 99 attack support = 792 damage might be the optimal solution... (Maybe it's possible with holy water?)

The two battles leading up to the final match are a tough challenge, as you must conserve your items if you want to use them in the final battle.
After much trial and error, I chose the Azure Dragon/White Dragon route.
I managed to get through it because its HP was weaker than in the previous battle, but this was the most difficult battle yet.
Since losing meant starting over from the first match, I was nervous for the second match.
Saving the formation and retrying wouldn't take much effort, but it's more of a matter of preference.

Now, more than 200 yearsplayAfter a long fight, we finally restored peace.
There was no plan to defeat them by a certain date; it was more of a "we'll go if we can" kind of approach, and we defeated each boss when our forces were ready.
Once you get the hang of it, you won't be chased by the miasma level as much, and in that sense, I think I was able to focus on raising my Pokémon at a leisurely pace.
In "V&B," marriage was complicated by luck and difficult to manage, whereas the meritorious service system in this game was easier to plan and less stressful.

I didn't use the Samurai much at the beginning of the game.
However, there was a strong newcomer, so we tried training him and made him a valuable contributor, which resulted in the birth of an incredibly powerful clan, and from that point on, we changed our opinion of samurai.
I believe that no profession is hopelessly useless, and that if you have the necessary skills, all professions can be useful.
Since the enemies can be defeated using a variety of tactics, I think this is a very accommodating game that welcomes diverse play styles.

Being inducted into the Hall of Fame feels like having a dream team of the greatest players I've ever trained, and it gives me a great sense of accomplishment.
It wasn't just for my own satisfaction; there was a way to actually summon them and fight with them, so it was worth collecting them all.

I think there are many different ways to play, so if you like to delve deep into the game, why not try various challenges such as playing with a specific class or gender restriction?