SFGiants09

Originally Posted By: Untamed Banana Slug If I lived in the Geneforge universe, I'd definitely throw my lot in with the Rebels. Why? 1. The Shapers are far too autocratic for my tastes. For goodness sakes, you can't even harbour certain opinions without being targeted for death. 2. The Shapers can't govern effectively. This is demonstrated by their inability to meet a threat to their Empire. Some people have pointed out 'But they are under a lot of pressure." Well yeah, that's one of the means by which you judge the value of a government, by observing how well it responds to internal and external threats. 3. Many classes of independent creations are strong and intelligent enough to fight for their freedom, so hey, let them. These sapient beings are made to be slaves and then targeted for extermination when they refuse to allow their will to be crushed. Is it any surprise that they fight back? While I understand your objection to Shaper rule, particularly the totalitarian aspects of it, ultimately this becomes an argument of the lesser of two evils. I'll be the first to admit the Shapers have their faults; they're profoundly arrogant, self-serving, power-hungry, and they lack even the simplest compassion for the life they create. But the world they live in is simply not an environment in which anything but absolute totalitarianism is advisable, or even possible. Can you honestly say that a harsh dictatorship under ghaldring would be an improvement over the peaceful, cultured world the Shapers have created? The shapers are no saints, but the drakons are far worse. They are insane, cruel monstrosities, incapable of rational thought. They are hell-bent on destoying the world as it is known. The shapers are arrogant? The drakons are more-so. The shapers are greedy and power-hungry? The drakons are more-so. The Shapers are cruel, heartless, and unfeeling? The drakons are once again, even more-so. Despite what they claim their righteous intentions are, they dont intend to improve the world, free the creations, or allow the masses to shape. They plan to greedily take the power the shapers once had, and hoard it, like the shapers before them. Hell, they would probably even consider destoying humanity, and replacing it with a drakon-race...they seem to be intensely biggoted as well. If the drakons were to usurp the Shaper authority, they would replace it with a government equally stifling, or perhaps something far worse. So while the supposed rebel "cause" is just, their ulterior motives are not. I'll take the imperfect shaper rule over armageddon any day.

I'm playing as an Agent, so inexpensive magic training is my priority. I just arrived in Mera, so I havent progressed particularly far. From a powergaming perspective, which sect do I ally myself with to reap the greatest rewards, or should I remain unalligned until I absolutely have to join a side?

Hey guys, I'm new to the boards. Quick question: In geneforge 4, a slightly pro-shaper playing style maximized the rewards and training available from each sect. Is this the case in Geneforge 5? If not, how would you recommend I play in order to maximize potential benefits from each sect?