Clois

So, what, they're gone now? Out of the picture? That's horrible!

I like it already. Makes it more satisfying to rise through the ranks. But if you're that lowly, are you even a Shaper? Or is this going to be some sort of lowly-servant-who-finds-canister situation? As to who survived...I'm almost positive Alwan has to die, which means Greta probably lives, and if she is she'll be a major leader. It seems to make sense for Miranda to be dead, but you're right, she's just too good a character for that. I think Blaze will die between GF4 and 5, after one of his precious Unbound get the best of him. He'd make a good martyr figure anyway, fallen champion of the cause and all that. Karikiss could go either way, too close to call.

But didn't she say that she only supported the Unbound because it was absolutely necessary for the Rebellion's survival, and that they would deal with moral issues within the rebellion (drakons etc) once they were less desperate?

Responding to as many things as I can in the 6minutes before the daily show: I think the player should be the major winner, since this is the last one, but it should still be based on the factions. Like as a rebel you could use the geneforge (the good kind, not the weak ones from 4)to become godly powerful, overthrow shapers and be leader of the New World Order. Or on the other side (and my personal favorite), the innefficient Shaper Council is abolished and you the player are made the first Shaper Emperor (fun!). This probably wouldnt work for trakovites though, or at least I can't concieve of how. The best a trakovite can really hope for is martyrdom. To the issue of drayks: they are creations, not people, and so it cannot be a genocide, any more than the over-hunting of blue-footed boobies was a genocide. They can always just shape more, anyhow. And Brock? It's Hennet. I'd recognize him anywhere.

If I might put in 2 cents... Firstly, remember he only says there's five winnable sects. There could be all of these in there somewhere, just most of them lose. All of them seem at least plausible. One that I think could show up that hasn't come up is an all-human, anti-creation sect. It seems the natural reaction to the human-creation quarrels of the rebelion, and also works as an offshoot of Trakovites: all shaping and all shaped are outside the natural order and lead to destruction. Think about it: serviles left alone turn to mad cults, drayks beget drakons beget Unbound, creations invariably go violently rouge, and shaping, whether Shaper-permitted or through the Geneforge, is the culprit. Or, it could be humans who still want the free power of shaping for all, but still think that creations should be ted. Everyone here seems to think the Shapers will split entirely, into radicals and moderates or whichever. I don't think so. If there are splits, it will be on the rebels side, just because they have more diversity. However, I think there could still be some minor internal conflicts, on the same level as those among rebels in geneforge 4, just not to the point of jeopardizing their unity. I say this because I can see the awesomeness of this already: Imagine a scenario like the negotiations in Quessa-Uss, only this time with the Shaper Council and with much higher stakes. I cant say what the sides would be or what decisions you'd be making, just that it will happen and it will be awesome. I also don't think it seems to work for the Sholai to be their own sect. I'd be very surprised if they didn't show up somewhere, seeing as its a good roundabout way to end off the series. It's just that all the sects so far are based on philosophies and beliefs, not nationality. It's much more likely that the Sholai will ally with another sect, or better still, that you will have to convince this army of foreigners to fight on the side of your choice. Last, though it's a stretch, the games are the Geneforge games, and I think maybe there could be a full sect strictly revolving around the Geneforge. Maybe some consider its effects to be a physical and mental perfection similar to divine ascension, creating a sort of 'cult of the geneforge' around the self-realized 'gods'. As another thought, being a Shaping artifact, it must have at least some biological aspects; what if the Geneforge developed sentience as a living being? Obviously these aren't that plausible, but either way I think the Geneforge will play a much bigger role in this last game.