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  • Foreign Intervention in Baltic Empires: Part Two – InsideGMT


    The Ottoman Empire

    The period covered by Baltic Empires saw the Ottoman Empire at the absolute height of its power. The steppes of southern Ukraine and Russia were controlled by the Tatars of the Crimean Khanate, who were vassals of the Ottoman Empire, while the southern border of the Poland-Lithuania was inhabited by semi-independent Cossacks federations. Tartar raids to capture loot and slaves were a common problem along this border. Most of the time the Tatars served as a buffer between the Ottoman Empire and Poland-Lithuania. The Ottomans generally had no direct interest in this region, as their attention was primarily focused on the Habsburg and Polish lands to the south and west of the Baltic Empires map, but Polish and Russian reactions to Tatar raids at times forced the Ottomans to come to the aid of their vassals which resulted in large scale wars between Ottoman and Russian or Polish forces in the region.

    Sultan Mehmed IV (1642-1693)

    Mehmed came to the throne of the Ottoman Empire at the age of only 6 after his father was overthrown in a coup. He would become the longest reigning sultan in Ottoman history after Suleiman the Magnificent and was known by contemporaries to be a particularly pious ruler. In a Baltic context he is mostly known for his wars against Poland and Russia in the 1670s. The greatest of these was the War of the Holy League or Great Turkish War of 1683-99, which saw the legendary siege of Vienna in 1683 and the equally legendary relief of the city by allied forces led by the Polish king Sobieski with his winged hussars. Mehmed would be overthrown in 1687 by soldiers disenchanted with the course of that war.

    Getting the Mehmed IV card into your court in Baltic Empires represent your Power securing an alliance with the Tatars and/or the Ottoman Empire. He thus represents not only himself but also the Ottoman Empire and other associated peoples more generally. By later discarding the card, you are calling on the Ottomans to intervene in the region with a major army. Placing three Independent units at once and allying with them all for one turn (as well as with any other units that might already be in the Ottoman & Tartar Lands) can be truly devastating for the unfortunate target. But once the blow has been struck the effect is over and the region might then be filled with Independent units that anyone can ally with, which can cause of lots of problems for both the Poles and the Russians. This card is obviously of major value for both the Russian and Polish players, but can be just as valuable for any power fighting against Russia and/or Poland as it allows them to devastate their enemies or at least force them to spend scarce resources to defend against Mehmed. Indeed historically the Swedes allied with the Tatars on several occasions and Charles XII even sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire after his disastrous defeat at Poltava in 1708.

    As the card is lost when used it is worth considering the timing of its play, as there can be many circumstances where the continued threat of unleashing Mehmed can be at least as useful as actually using the card.   

    The Habsburgs and the Holy Roman Empire

    Compared to the Maritime Powers and the Ottomans the interests of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg dynasty that controlled them were mostly defensive in nature when it came to Baltic matters. The religious divide across Europe in general, and Germany in particular, caused by the Reformation just prior to the start of the game was however a cause for conflict, as the Catholic Habsburgs wanted to restore the true faith throughout the Holy Roman Empire (as well as centralizing Habsburg power in the process). These religious conflicts culminated in the Thirty Years War of 1618-1648, which became intertwined with Baltic affairs as first Denmark and then Sweden saw an opportunity to expand their realms into the wealthy German lands by intervening into the war on the Protestant side. As Sweden was simultaneously fighting a war with Poland, who was allied with their fellow-Catholic Habsburgs, and Prussia-Brandenburg was being steamrolled by the armies of both sides, Northern Germany had suddenly become the focal point for most Baltic rulers.

    The period from the end of the Thirty Years War in 1648 to 1721 (the end of the period covered by Baltic Empires) saw Sweden entrenched as a major power in Europe with holdings in Germany, and with a firm alliance with France – the Habsburg’s main rivals. This situation naturally led to more Habsburg involvement in Baltic matters, such as when an Imperial contingent was sent to Denmark to fight against Sweden. In Baltic Empires the Independent provinces in Northern Germany are very attractive. They mostly start the game with their full complement of Cities and Workshops and several of them produce rare Goods or even, as is the case for Hamburg, contain one of the three super valuable Trade Centers. Compared to the similarly rich, but completely undefended, Independent provinces in the Livonian region (the modern day Baltic states) the provinces of Northern Germany are not easy pickings, however, as most of them start out with enough Fortresses and other Independent units to rival the starting strength of most of the player’s armies.  

    Emperor Leopold I (1640-1705)

    Elected in 1658, Leopold became the longest ruling Habsburg emperor, and the first to understand that the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 meant a marked decrease in importance of the role of Holy Roman Emperor. To compensate he sought to strengthen Habsburg authority within their own lands along absolutist lines. His reign saw many large wars against both France and the Ottomans, but in the Baltic context he is mainly known for the direct Imperial intervention against Sweden in the Northern War of 1655-60, which saw Imperial troops campaigning as far as Denmark as part of a Danish-Polish-Imperial coalition army. The infamous “Habsburg jaw” was most prominent in Leopold, and after his jaw was depicted unusually large on a 1670 silver coin, he was nicknamed “the Hogmouth”.

    In Baltic Empires Emperor Leopold I represents the advantages of securing a firm alliance with the Habsburgs and their network of vassals and/or rulers within the Holy Roman Empire. You get to produce Independent units in Independent Provinces  each Production Phase, an ability otherwise restricted to the Prussian player. You also get to ally with a unit in the Habsburg Lands for free during the War Phase, so by using the ability to place in the Habsburg Lands you in effect get a free unit you can throw after the other Powers each turn if they cause trouble for you. This is obviously very powerful if you are involved in securing Provinces for yourself in the area, but can also be used by Powers such as Russia, who are normally far removed from the Habsburg Lands, as constant attacks from the Habsburgs can be a great way of distracting other players who would otherwise cause trouble in your lands.

    Albrecht von Wallenstein (1583-1634)

    A Bohemian military entrepreneur, Wallenstein was Born into a poor Protestant noble family but converted to Catholicism in 1606 and married a rich widow. Wallenstein made an enormous fortune and a name for himself as a mercenary captain in the service of the emperor in the early part of the Thirty Years War, where he was awarded confiscated estates for his services. His massive armies were instrumental in first defeating the Danish, and then slowing the Swedish, during their interventions in the war. His meteoric rise to power and growing independence from the emperor would prove to be his undoing as he was assassinated in 1634 by army officials with the emperor’s approval.  

    Technically speaking Wallenstein didn’t intervene directly into Baltic affairs but only fought against Danish and Swedish intervention into German affairs. As this happened within the area covered by the map of Baltic Empires, he is however included in this article and the game.
    In the game, as in history, the coming of Wallenstein will pose great problems for whoever is trying to take control of the independent areas in Germany. The player who gets Wallenstein into their Court gets to place a total of five Independent units within the German lands (as defined by being adjacent to Hannover). As befits Wallenstein’s historical conquering army these units can be placed in any of these areas and not only in friendly or Independent-controlled areas, and can therefore really set back an opponent who has spent lots of effort and expense to carve out an empire in Germany. As in history Wallenstein only works for the Emperor (and himself) and not for the player who got him in their Court, so he won’t directly help the player gain a foothold in Germany. On the contrary, the second part of Wallenstein’s card text even specifies that no Protestant powers may ally with Independent units for the rest of the Round, as well as the next, so the arrival of Wallenstein often shuts down players’ ambitions in Germany for some time. 

    Previous Article:

    Foreign Intervention in Baltic Empires: Part One

    The Women of Baltic Empires Series:

    The Women of Baltic Empires: Part One

    The Women of Baltic Empires: Part Two

    Other Baltic Empires InsideGMT Articles



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  • Can anyone identify this Yukon solitaire variant?


    So since I was a kid my grandma has always been playing the same kind of solitaire. But no one knows the name. After some digging I found out it must be some form of Yukon.

    Deck:
    Standard 52 card deck with no jokers.

    Deal:
    7 rows, first card face up, then 6 cards face down, repeat til the base is filled face up.
    Then deal the rest of the cards on the six rows (face up) and let the first row stand alone with one card. (face up)

    Play:
    Same way as standard yukon, except you can only put the same type on each other in decending order: five of spades on six of spades etc.

    Goal:
    Build 4 foundations with ace at the foundation and building upwards from there in the same suit and type.

    I play this all the time and would love to know the name!



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  • Forget the Lucky 38, an Oblivion Remastered modder has added a swanky penthouse suite to the Imperial City’s tallest tower, delivering the best view in Cyrodiil

    Forget the Lucky 38, an Oblivion Remastered modder has added a swanky penthouse suite to the Imperial City’s tallest tower, delivering the best view in Cyrodiil


    Yep, an Oblivion Remastered modder has done the thing all of us have secretly wanted for years. They’ve stuck a penthouse at the summit of the Imperial City’s White-Gold Tower, so you can live far above the potato-faced NPC masses and take in the views like a Cyrodiilic and pre-computer version of New Vegas‘ Mr House.

    As player home mods go, it’s possibly the least subtle bit of design placement I’ve ever seen, but let’s face it, you didn’t splash out for an remaster with gorgeous UE5 visuals not to be able to take in a stunning panorama of central Cyrodiil from your character’s digs.

    The modder behind this goes by RBDinteractive, and their ‘Champion Penthouse‘ is designed to finally deliver a reward for ending the Oblivion Crisis and saving the entire world that isn’t just some admittedly cool armour you might not even end up using.

    The concept’s very similar to a classic Oblivion mod – Vince Bly’s ‘Top of the World‘. Based on the fact RBDinteractive’s credited the fix and port script for OG Oblivion mods that modder Haphestia (whom we’ve recently interviewed about Oblivion Remastered modding) has developed for the remaster, it looks like there’s even a chance one could be loosely based on the other.

    Though, there are plenty of differences, with Top of the World’s square wooden room atop the tower could seemingly only be fast-travelled to, while the Champion Penthouse is a rounded stone suite that slightly more closely matches the design of the tower itself, and can be gotten to via a ladder found to the right when you enter at ground level.

    The interior of the Champion Penthouse mod for Oblivion Remastered.
    Not a bad place to crash, eh? | Image credit: RBDinteractive/Bethesda

    The furnishings and architecture are different, but the view’s the same breathtaking one that’s prompted both modders to decide to perch a house that’s open to Cyrodiil’s wider worldspace here, so you can take in the views from any angle in all their glory.

    It’s worth noting that as for right now the Champion’s Penthouse is accessible at any time for free, since it’s free and there’s no quest attached, but RBDinteractive’s suggested that might change soon. “I’m gonna try to learn how to edit quests and [have] homes be purchased,” they wrote in the mod’s comments section, “I’ll let you know if I get it working. My idea would be to get the penthouse when you beat the main quest, because everyone refers to you as Champion.”

    So, there you go. A house ideal for those who love nice views, and the literal worst nightmare of those who’re afraid of heights. Hey, you’ve fought your way through legions of Daedra pouring out of a not-quite-hell, surely you can handle the terror of knowing you might plummet to your death if you sleepwalk ten feet.





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  • Board games and (my) mental health — The Treehouse

    Board games and (my) mental health — The Treehouse



    At the moment, pretty much everyone in the world has got more than usual to deal with when it comes to mental health. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve all had some learning to do on what it takes to keep ourselves sane when our usual routines are disrupted and many sources of enjoyment aren’t available to provide a pick-me-up, and that’s just those of us lucky enough to have avoided major trauma or bereavement.

    I suspect most regular board gamers would be willing to at least speculate that the hobby was doing their brains some good. It turns out there’s plenty of real life science to back this up, at least in certain areas (abstract strategy games and dementia, for example). I’m not qualified to say anything clever about the research, although a lot of it does ring true for me: this post is a reflection on how board gaming has helped my mental wellbeing over the past twelve months and why I think that is.

    This is a personal subject so I’ll introduce myself for a change: Hi, I’m Ruth. For the last three-and-a-bit years I’ve been running the Treehouse with my other half Andy. Unless stated otherwise it’s probably me writing the social media and blog posts and behind the camera taking the pictures. Things I’ve learned about my mental health in the last twelve months: being below a certain level of busy is bad for me; even small amounts of random chitchat with other humans is good for me; I’m still capable of experiencing boredom (genuinely a surprise); houseplants are so beneficial for my mood that it’s almost weird. Big things I miss: sitting round a table with family and friends; working with the rest of the Treehouse team. Small things I miss: the sound of the Treehouse full of people having fun; live music (this one might belong in ‘big things’ actually); PINTS.



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  • Ultimate Wagarashi Element & Skill Tree Guide [RELEASE]

    Ultimate Wagarashi Element & Skill Tree Guide [RELEASE]


    In Wagarashi, there are several Skill trees into which you can invest your hard-earned Skill points. All of them are viable, and that’s why choosing which one to focus on can be challenging. To help you make the right choice and answer all other questions related to Skill trees and Elements, we prepared the following Wagarashi Element and Skill tree guide.

    Wagarashi Skill Trees Explained

    In total, there are eight Skill trees in Wagarashi: Earth, Fire, Lightning, Water, Wind, Kenjutsu, Medical, and Tai. By investing Skill points (SP) into these trees, you can unlock special Skills (Jutsus) available through them. Also, every SP increases the effectiveness and the damage of related Skills. With every two Skill points you spend in any tree, you get to choose one new Skill to unlock. And, every five points, you get to pick a new Talent, which grants passive bonuses.

    How to Get, Spend, and Reset Skill Points

    Preview of the tutorial that teaches a player how to spend Skill Points to increase their proficiency using Elemental, and other jutsus, in Wagarashi Roblox experience.
    In the tutorial, you can learn the basics of spending Skill Points in Wagarashi.
    Preview of the menu that lets you choose which Skill to obtain when spending enough Skill Points in the Wagarashi Roblox experience.
    You can learn a new Skill with every two points spent on any of the Skill trees.

    In Wagarashi, you get one Skill point every time you rank up, which you can do by simply gaining XP. To spend your Skill points, use the inventory key and expand the menu on the right using the little arrow on it.

    There are multiple ways to reset the Skill points you spent in Wagarashi. Firstly, you can use one of the Wagarashi codes to reset your Skill Points instantly. However, doing this will clear out the items in your quickbar. So, make sure to move items and materials to your inventory before resetting your SP. Next, you can reset your Skill points in the Shop by spending $349 Robux. Lastly, you get a free Skill point reset whenever you change your Clan, either when using codes or Robux to do that.

    How to Find Out Your Elemental Affinity

    Location of the Shop NPC that sells the Chakra Paper needed to find out the Elemental affinity of a a player in the Wagarashi Roblox experience.
    You can buy the Chakra Paper at the Shop NPC in each of the villages.
    A player showing how to use the Chakra Paper in Wagarashi Roblox experience to determine their Elemental affinity.
    Hold out the Chakra Paper and use it to learn your Elemental affinity.
    Preview of the Inventory menu where one can check their primary and secondary Elemental affinity in the Wagarashi Roblox experience.
    You can see your primary and secondary Elemental affinity in the upper-right corner of the Info panel.

    Each character in Wagarashi has an affinity for two random Elements. So, when you use those Elemental Skills, they deal more damage. By using Chakra Paper, you can check your primary and secondary Elemental affinity. Chakra Paper is available at the Shop NPCs in each major Village. Now, unfortunately, the only way to change your Elemental affinity is to reroll it using Robux.

    Deciding Which Element Skill Tree to Invest Skill Points In

    When deciding which Element Skill tree to invest your Skill points in, there are two things to consider: your Elemental affinities and your Clan. In general, you should first spend your SP on leveling up the Skill tree of your primary Element. Then, invest SP into the Skill tree of your secondary Element, or any other Skill tree you like.

    A list of Elements and Clans from specific Villages related to them in the Wagarashi Roblox experience that goes as follows: Leaf (Fire), Sand (Wind), Mist (Water), Cloud (Lightning), and Stone (Earth).
    Each of the five basic Elements is associated with a specific Village, just like in the Naruto manga/anime series.

    Now, most Clan Skills in Wagarashi are also Elemental-based. So, you can invest points into the Element that matches your Clan. Alternatively, you can save up Skill points until you verify your Elemental affinity. Then, based on what it is, reroll your Clan using codes or Robux until you get a Clan that matches your primary Elemental affinity.

    However, ultimately, you will get enough SP to invest in multiple Skill trees. So, it is fine to experiment on your own. As a reference, here is a list of Elemental Skill trees in Wagarashi, their pros and cons, and the SP requirement of the last Skill in each of them.

    Because you unlock a new Jutsu only once with every two rank-ups, it will be hard to unlock all of the Skills in Elemental trees like the Earth one. So, it is a good idea to level up a tree until you can unlock the last Skill in it. Then, invest SP into another tree, and the high SP requirement Jutsus from the previous one will appear when choosing which Skill to unlock.

    Wagarashi Elemental Skill Trees

    There are five Elemental Skill trees in Wagarashi, and each of them contains a variety of Skills. You can find a list of all Elemental Skills and their Skill point requirements right below.

    Fire Element Skill Tree

    A list of Fire Element skills in the Wagarashi Roblox experience that goes as follows: Fireball, Fire Breath, Blazing Meteors, Great Fireball, Flaming Barrage, Fire Dragon Bullet, Flaming Eruption, Dragon Rush, Flaming Dragon Missile, Incinerating Breath, Flaming Dome.
    List of Fire Element Skills you can learn.
    Skill (Jutsu) Effect Skill Point
    Requirement
    Fireball You shoot a long-range fireball forward. 1
    Fire Breath You breathe fire for a few seconds and continuously damage enemies in front of you. 1
    Blazing Meteors You shoot out several smaller long-range fireballs forward. 6
    Great Fireball Improved version of the regular Fireball Skill. 8
    Flaming Barrage Improved version of the Blazing Meteors Skill. 8
    Fire Dragon Bullet Similar to the Great Fireball but with a longer cast time and higher damage. 10
    Flaming Eruption You slam your hands on the ground and produce an erupting flame that deals high damage over time. 12
    Dragon Rush You dash forward and slam into the first enemy you hit, and send them flying backwards. 14
    Flaming Dragon Missile Improved version of the Fire Dragon Bullet Skill. 14
    Incinerating Breath Improved version of the Fire Breath Skill. 15
    Flaming Dome You cover a large area around you with fire, and imprison enemies inside it. 19
    List of Fire Element Skills

    Lightning Element Skill Tree

    A list of Lightning Element skills in the Wagarashi Roblox experience that goes as follows: Lightning Strike, Lightning Trap, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Discs, Lightning Kick, Chidori, Lightning Balls, Lightning Fury, Lightning Rage, Chidori Senbon, Lightning Web, Chidori Blade.
    List of Lightning Element Skills you can learn.
    Skill (Jutsu) Effect Skill Point
    Requirement
    Lightning Strike You summon a lightning strike that hits right in front of you. 1
    Lightning Trap You place a lightning trap on the ground that deals high damage if an enemy steps into it. 1
    Lightning Bolt You shoot out a long-range lightning bolt. 1
    Lightning Discs You shoot out two small lightning discs forward. 4
    Lightning Kick A large number of lightning strikes shoot out from below you in all directions. 8
    Chidori You form a Chidori in your hand and hit a nearby enemy with it. 8
    Lightning Balls Improved version of the Lightning Discs Skill. 10
    Lightning Fury Short-range grab attack that temporarily stuns the enemy. 12
    Lightning Rage You slam the ground and deal high damage in a medium-sized area. 12
    Chidori Senbon You form a Chidori in your hand and shoot it forward. 12
    Lightning Web A large number of lightning strikes shoot out from below you in all directions. 12
    Chidori Blade You coat your weapon in Chidori, increasing the damage you deal with it. 16
    List of Lightning Element Skills

    Water Element Skill Tree

    A list of Wather Element skills in the Wagarashi Roblox experience that goes as follows: Water Dart, Water Bowl, Water Pillar, Water Shuriken, Water Darts, Water Prison, Water Surf, Hidden Mist, Flood, Water Cataclysm.
    List of Water Element Skills you can learn.
    Skill (Jutsu) Effect Skill Point
    Requirement
    Water Dart You shoot out a tiny dart made of water. 1
    Water Bowl You do a water breath attack in a cone in front of you. 1
    Water Pillar You make the water erupt from the ground, which sends enemies hit by it flying. 4
    Water Shuriken You fire a barrage of water shurikens. 6
    Water Darts Improved version of the Water Dart Skill. 8
    Water Prison You imprison an enemy in a water bubble that breaks when you hit it. 12
    Water Surf You start surfing on water at a very high speed. 16
    Hidden Mist You create a thick mist in a large area around you. 18
    Flood You make a pool of water in a large area around you. 18
    Water Cataclysm You shoot out a bubble that traps the enemy you hit, and then summon water spikes that impale them, dealing very high damage. 15
    List of Water Element Skills

    Earth Element Skill Tree

    A list of Earth Element skills in the Wagarashi Roblox experience that goes as follows: Earth Impact, Earth Spikes, Earth Pillar, Earth Rampart, Mud Wall, Fissure, Floating Rocks, Rock Gun, Rumble, Great Earth Rampart, Earth Gloves, Great Earth Seal, Earth Clap, Seismic Slam, Swamp of the Underworld.
    List of Earth Element skills you can learn.
    Skill (Jutsu) Effect Skill Point
    Requirement
    Earth Impact You create a medium-sized spike from the ground, which sends enemies flying. 1
    Earth Spikes You summon several spikes from the ground that deal low damage. 4
    Earth Pillar You summon a tiny pillar from the ground, dealing decent damage. 4
    Earth Rampart You summon a long earth pillar from the ground and elevate yourself up. 6
    Mud Wall A large number of lightning strikes shoot out from below you in all directions. 6
    Fissure You summon a huge pile of rocks that drops from the sky. 7
    Rumble You make the ground erupt in a long line in front of you. 7
    Floating Rocks You summon several levitating rocks that auto-target the enemies close by. 8
    Rock Gun You shoot out a rock. 8
    Great Earth Rampart Improved version of the Earth Rampart Skill. 9
    Earth Gloves You cover your fists with earth, increasing your melee damage. 12
    Great Earth Seal You create a very high wall in a large circular area, trapping everyone inside it. 13
    Earth Clap You summon two earth blocks on each side and then slam them together. 13
    Seismic Slam A technique that combines Earth Impact and Earth Rampart to send the enemy flying even further. 15
    Swamp of the Underworld You create a swamp that reduces mobility in a massive area around you. 18
    List of Earth Element Skills

    Wind Element Skill Tree

    A list of Wind Element skills in the Wagarashi Roblox experience that goes as follows: Wind Blast, Wind Cyclone, Great Breakthrough, Violent Whirlwind, Vacuum Sphere, Silent Slash, Violent Slam, Vacuum Bulets, Passing Typhoon, Exploding Wind, Wind Breaker.
    List of Wind Element Skills you can learn.
    Skill (Jutsu) Effect Skill Point
    Requirement
    Wind Blast You conjure wind and release it in a cone in front of you, which sends enemies flying. 1
    Wind Cyclone You create a wind around you that deals damage and pushes enemies away from you. 1
    Great Breakthrough You summon a large number of wind bullets that push enemies forward. 4
    Violent Whirlwind You conjure a large tornado and send it forward. 4
    Vacuum Sphere You throw a small sphere on the ground that sends enemies flying if they step into it. 7
    Silent Slash You make a wind slash around you, disappear, and then reappear to hit a nearby enemy. 13
    Violent Slam You slam the ground and push a nearby enemy down, briefly stunning them. 12
    Vacuum Bullets You shoot out a large number of wind bullets forward. 14
    Passing Typhoon You conjure a large wind force that deals continuous damage and pushes enemies away from you. 16
    Exploding Wind You shoot out a small wind orb that detonates and produces large wind shockwaves from it on impact. 16
    Wind Breaker You throw a nearby enemy up in the air and then slam them down. 16
    List of Wind Element Skills

    Wagarashi Hybrid Element Variations (Releases)

    A diagram of how the five basic elements make 10 different hybrid releases in Wagarashi Roblox experience.
    By leveling up specific Elements, you can unlock special Hybrid Element Jutsus.

    When you invest enough SP into specific Skill trees, you can unlock some powerful Hybrid Element Jutsus. Currently, there is only one Hybrid Element Skill in Wagarashi. However, we expect the developers to add more of them with future updates.

    Hybrid Element Skill (Jutsu) Effect Requirements
    Storm Release Stormy Weather You summon a large storm cloud that creates lightning strikes, which deal high damage on impact. Lightning: 14
    Water: 18

    Wagarashi Technique Skill Trees

    Besides the Elemental Skill trees, there are three more trees in Wagarashi through which you learn various medical, weapon, and fighting techniques. One important thing to note is that Kenjutsu and Tai Skill trees are mutually exclusive. So, if you invest SP into one of them, you won’t be able to level up the other one. Thus, think carefully before deciding which of these two to spec into. You can find a list of the technique Skill trees, the Skills available through them, and their SP requirements right below.

    Medical Skill Tree

    A list of Medical skills in the Wagarashi Roblox experience that goes as follows: Medical Ninjutsu 1, Medical Ninjutsu 2, Chakra Transfer, Self Heal 1, Medical Ninjutsu 3, Ground Shock, Self Heal 2, Healing Circle, 1st Chakra Enhanced Strength, Bone Breaker, Healing Chime, 2nd Chakra Enhanced Strength, Health Sacrifice.
    List of Medical Skills you can learn.
    Skill (Jutsu) Effect Skill Point
    Requirement
    Medical Ninjutsu 1 You heal a player close to you. 1
    Medical Ninjutsu 2 Improved version of the Medical Ninjutsu 1 Skill. 3
    Chakra Transfer You transfer some of your chakra to a nearby player. 1
    Self Heal 1 You heal yourself for a small amount of HP. 6
    Medical Ninjutsu 3 Greatly improved version of the Medical Ninjutsu 1 Skill. 6
    Ground Shock You slam the ground and send nearby enemies flying. 8
    Self Heal 2 Improved version of the Self Heal 1 Skill. 12
    Healing Circle You summon a healing circle on the ground that heals all players within it. 12
    1st Chakra Enhanced Strength You cover your fists in chakra, improving your melee damage. 13
    Bone Breaker You grab a nearby enemy and slam them into the ground. 12
    Healing Chime After a long channel, you summon a large healing orb that instantly heals everyone around you. 16
    2nd Chakra Enhanced Strength Improved version of the 1st Chakra Enhanced Strength Skill. 15
    Health Sacrifice You sacrifice some of your HP to shoot out a healing orb that heals another player. 16
    List of Medical Skills

    Tai Skill Tree

    A list of Tai skills in the Wagarashi Roblox experience that goes as follows: Leaf Whirlwind, Powerful Impact, Dynamic Entry, Ascending Leaf, Primary Lotus, Dual Kick, Dragon Fist, Vacuum Bulets, Diablo Kicks, Wolf Fang Fist, Eight Gates, Reverse Lotus.
    List of Tai Skills you can learn.
    Skill (Jutsu) Effect Skill Point
    Requirement
    Leaf Whirlwind You kick the player in front of you. 1
    Powerful Impact You slam the ground and create a small shockwave. 2
    Dynamic Entry You jump up and then do a charge-kick towards an enemy. 4
    Ascending Leaf You kick an enemy up, and then punch them a few times. 6
    Primary Lotus You kick an enemy up, and then grab them and slam them to the ground. 8
    Dual Kick You do a dual kick on a nearby enemy. 8
    Dragon Fist You do a fiery uppercut on the nearby enemy. 12
    Diablo Kicks You unleash a whirlwind of attacks around you. 14
    Wolf Fang Fist You do a barrage of punches on a nearby enemy, and kick them back at the end of the combo. 16
    Eight Gates You open one of the six chakra gates, increasing your speed and damage. Reusing the ability opens the next gate. 20
    Reverse Lotus You do a flurry of attacks on a nearby enemy, each dealing high damage. It works only while the Eight Gates Skill is active. 20
    List of Tai Skills

    Kenjutsu Skill Tree

    A list of Kenjutsu skills in the Wagarashi Roblox experience that goes as follows: Air Cutter, Flash Cut, Flashing Strikes, Thrust, Tornado Dance, Winter's Fury, Nine-Head Strike, and Soaring Dragon Flash.
    List of Kenjutsu Skills you can learn.
    Skill (Jutsu) Effect Skill Point
    Requirement
    Air Cutter You do a double slash using your weapon toward a nearby enemy. 2
    Flash Cut You dash forward and slash enemies you pass through. 2
    Flashing Strikes You do a flurry of slashes using your weapon. 6
    Thrust You thrust your weapon and trigger a flurry of slices on a nearby enemy. 5
    Tornado Dance You do a double slash in front of you that sends out a medium-sized tornado forward. 8
    Winter’s Fury You cover your weapon with snow and then do a flurry of forward slashes. 8
    Nine-Head Strike You lock onto a nearby enemy and then strike them from all directions using your weapon. 15
    Soaring Dragon Flash You pass through an enemy and then trigger a barrage of slices on them. 20
    List of Kenjutsu Skills

    That concludes our Wagarashi Element and Skill tree guide. Now, you have an idea of where to put your Skill points. If you want to check out more of our Roblox content, visit the Roblox section here on The Escapist.

    Wagarashi Element & Skill Tree Guide FAQs

    What is the Elemental affinity in Wagarashi?

    Elemental affinity increases the damage you do with the Skills of a specific Element. You can check your Elemental affinity by using the Chakra Paper available at Shop NPCs in each Village.

    How do you unlock new Skills (Jutsus) in Wagarashi?

    With every two Skill points spent in any of the Skill trees, you get to choose one Skill to unlock out of the several ones you get offered. The Skills you are offered are randomly selected from the pool of Clan, Elemental, and other Skills for which you meet the requirements.

    What are the best Elements in Wagarashi?

    Essentially, all Elements are pretty equal in Wagarashi. So, to choose the best one for you, take into consideration your Elemental affinities and the Element of the Village your Clan is associated with.

    The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy



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  • Black Ops 7 leak claims limited-time events will be paywalled

    Black Ops 7 leak claims limited-time events will be paywalled


    07/05/25 A representative working on behalf of Activision has contacted PCGamesN directly to confirm that this leak is not true.

    Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is rumored to lock limited-time events, and the associated rewards, behind a battle pass paywall. That’s according to one recent leak and fans are, unsurprisingly, not happy about the possibility of having to pay to access these game modes.

    It’s long been rumored that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is getting a sequel, one which picks up the story of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. However, one leak suggests this as-yet-unannounced FPS game’s multiplayer mode could feature an unwelcome change.

    Posting on X/Twitter, leaker The Ghost of Hope stated that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will feature more limited time events and game modes. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s events are a fun way of shaking things up, and they also offer exclusive player rewards. From Activision’s perspective, they help raise engagement with the game.

    But, according to the leaker, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s limited time events and modes won’t be free. “The only way to play the LTMs will be to have the battle pass unlike how it’s currently free for everyone.” So, most if not all of these modes will allegedly be exclusive to battle pass purchasers.

    A leak about Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

    The Ghost of Hope has been on the money before and, if true, this could lose Activision a lot of goodwill. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has mixed reviews on Steam, and fans have a lot to say about this alleged move.

    Responses to the tweet range from skepticism through to boiling rage, some drawing comparisons between this alleged move and a recent Black Mirror episode. Your average Call of Duty player might not spend a fortune on battle passes and cosmetics, but if player numbers dwindle to such a point that the big spenders move away, Activision could have a problem.

    Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has yet to be officially announced, but if you’re playing the current entry, we’ve got the best BO6 weapons and the best BO6 loadouts.

    You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.



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  • The board game from *The Book*


    In The Book, a fictional “Guide to Rebuilding Civilization”, which freely mixes factual and imaginary concepts and objects, one double page is a devoted to a board game.

    I have only access to the Italian translation; here the game is described on pages 372-3 and is called La griglia (literally, “The grid”). It is a 2-player game on a 5×8 board with ten tokens for each player, five initially on the board and five to be added in later moves. Enemy pieces are captured by creating a row of own pieces, that allows one to “shoot” at an enemy piece as far as the row is long (if I understand correctly). The goal is to be the first to take five enemy tokens.

    Does anyone know more details about this game? Is it an existing game or was it invented for the book? (Of course, it has in any case elements of many historical board games.)



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  • If board games be the food of love… — The Treehouse

    If board games be the food of love… — The Treehouse



    Connect psychically

    Maybe what you’re craving isn’t escapism at all, but a way to engage with each other on a deeper level. These (potentially dangerous!) games encourage you to get right into each other’s heads… who knows what surprises you’ll find there?

    A quick aside: both of the following games are really designed for larger groups, and I wouldn’t claim that two is the ideal player count for either. However, during lockdown we’ve all had to make our fun with what’s available, and we’ve had an enjoyable two-player time with both of these. Playing with just two makes them a lot less raucous and a little more intense, but arguably no less satisfying than the larger group version, and you’ll get to have a whole different type of fun with them once party days are here again!

    • Medium. The first game in this weird but potentially wonderful category is Medium, in which players become mind readers trying to pluck words straight out of each other’s brains (not as gross as it sounds!). Each of you begins with a hand of word cards, and you take turns starting each round by choosing one to play face-up in the middle of the table. Then, the other player follows with a card from their hand, ideally one that they think creates an obvious connection with the word already chosen. You both count down from three then say the word that you think most directly links the two cards. If you both said the same word, great! You just scored the maximum points for the round. If not, you repeat the process up to twice more using the words you just said instead of the words on the card. This super-simple game has some genuine magic to it, and never more so than when you can look each other in the eye and just KNOW that you’re thinking the same thing!

    • Wavelength. Ah, Wavelength. I’ve used a whole lot of words waxing lyrical about this phenomenal game since it became available to buy again recently, but I can always find a few more! Wavelength is remarkable in many ways: you can play it in team or cooperatively, by video link or in person, with a large group or with just two players. It’s simple to learn, has some of the coolest components around, and can get you thinking about things as strange and diverse as “who on the Treehouse team is the most Slytherin?”, “which colour does my sister think is the sexiest?” or “what is small but not tiny?”.

      The rules of Wavelength are simple: the player whose turn it is to be clue-giver draws a card which defines a scale, e.g. famous to infamous, pointy animal to round animal, or nice smell to disgusting smell, and tells the other players what it is. Then, they spin the Wavelength Wheel of Wonder* (*not its real name) and take a peak behind the snazzy turquoise screen to find out where on the scale the target has landed, without showing the other players. They then concoct their clue, which can be whatever they like as long as it’s not too complex, to help their team mates (or all other players in the cooperative version) to guess where the target is by adjusting the red needle. Once the decision is made, the screen slides back to show the answer, and points are awarded if the needle is within the target area. It might sound a little abstract without the game in front of you, but as soon as you’ve got to grips with the (literal) mechanics of the wheel, all will become clear!

      A small safety note to finish: with just two players, we’ve found that this game can go one of two ways: either you’re so wondrously in sync that you become increasingly thrilled at your collective cleverness, or… you’re so at odds that you begin to wonder how you’re even friends. In the event that you find yourself in the latter scenario, don’t panic – treat it as a conversation starter and explore how you got there, and you’re bound to find out something about each other that you didn’t know before!



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  • Shallow Regrets Preview – One Board Family

    Shallow Regrets Preview – One Board Family


    The dark and creepy fishing game Deep Regrets is one of our favorite releases this year. But sometimes, you’re looking for a shorter fishing excursion. That’s were Shallow Regrets, a new wallet game from Button Shy Games, comes in handy. This eighteen card experience was created and illustrated by designer Judson Cowan and offers a bitesize experience of its more robust sibling, Deep Regrets.

    Catch of the Day

    Shallow Regrets plays two to three players and takes only fifteen minutes to play. In this fishing filler game, players can cast into six “shoals” in the center of the table. Each shoal is a pile of three cards that contain fair or foul creatures or objects from the ocean.

    Shallow Regrets - shoal piles

    Cards have a coin value (victory points), catch difficulty, and unique ability that can be activated when you have the card in your possession. Some cards contain fish hooks on the left side below the coin value. These hook icons will give you the strength to catch larger creatures as you fish the briny deep.

    Players are given information on the size of the fish based on the size of the shadow that’s shown when it’s on the top of the shoal. There’s also a hint at the bottom of the card back that gives you the range of strength you need to reel in that catch.

    Throwing Back Your Catch

    On your turn, draw two cards from the top of the shoal(s) in the center of the table. You can catch one of the two cards you picked up and must toss the other back. The rejected card is placed back on top of a shoal or in an open space if all the cards of a shoal have been fished. Players can strategically toss back a card to cover a card that another player was potentially planning to catch.

    Shallow Regrets - player turn

    Shallow Regrets is all about gaining strength as you gradually work your way up to catching bigger and more valuable creatures. While the coin value is victory points, sometimes the special ability on the card can be extremely advantageous. You can use a cards special ability by exhausting it (turning it sideways) at the start of a turn. You’ll be able to look at more cards on your turn, swap a creature for another players, pass a card to your neighbor, or even flip over the top card of each shoal.

    These abilities are really helpful in getting just the right cards in front of you. As a seasoned fisher, you want to dabble in catching foul fish, but you definitely don’t want all the foul fish! The foul fish in the game can give you the hooks you need to reel in a big catch. But, most of these come with negative coin values that will bring down your score.

    Shallow Regrets - player tableau

    Fair fish have some of the highest coin values but may not give you any hook icons to increase your strength. The game has a nice balance and forces players to keep a variety of fair and foul creatures. The game ends when all the cards have been taken from the shoals or when players don’t have enough strength to catch the cards that are left.

    A Stench Most Foul

    The player who reeled in the most foul fish will have two points deducted from their score at the end of the game. Players count the points on their cards, even their exhausted cards, to get a final score.

    Shallow Regrets - activated card

    Shallow Regrets is a really enjoyable, ultra condensed fishing experience that we really enjoy. The player count is small, supporting only three players. This has been the game Erin and I choose to bring on date nights because it’s such a tight and casual experience. When players lean into using the card abilities, the game is a little mean and that’s a big part of why we like the Shallow Regrets so much.

    Shallow Regrets - Kraken card

    Judson Cowen did an excellent job with illustrations. The creatures feel like a more cartoony version of their Deep Regrets counterparts. As many times as we’ve played Shallow Regrets, we still get excited when one of us finds and is able to reel in the five point Kraken card. This is an easy filler card game to suggest to anyone who has fifteen minutes and a couple friends to play with.

    Shallow Regrets is on Kickstarter through May 17, 2025. Check out the campaign today!

    A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.



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  • The Geek and I — The Treehouse

    The Geek and I — The Treehouse



    For those already familiar with the above, here are a couple of smaller things you might not have stumbled across yet:

    • Right up at the top of the entry above the game’s title, you can find ‘reimplements’/ ‘reimplemented by’ links, which make it easy to find earlier versions or sequels of the game you’re looking at.

    • On the right-hand side lower down the entry, there’s a grey box headed ‘classification’. In it you can find the game’s key mechanics and theme(s) listed. Clicking on them will take you to a selection of the highest-rated games which feature that mechanic/ theme – an easy way to explore other titles that share a characteristic you enjoy.

    • If you click into the search box in the top right of the screen, before you start typing you’ll see an ‘advanced search’ option appear in the drop down. Clicking on this unlocks a seriously powerful box of tricks. For example, if you know our username (“Treehouse Sheffield”) you can use this to filter The Treehouse’s collection by play time, player count, complexity, minimum age and even specific mechanics. What you’ll get back is a neat list of all the games in our library that meet your criteria, with the most highly-rated ones at the top. Nifty, huh?

    #2: One central hub

    According to its Wikipedia entry, way back in 2010 BGG was given an award for being “a resource without peer for board and card gamers, the recognized authority of this online community”. It feels to me like this has only become more true over time, which means that if you are a board game designer or a board game-related content producer, you are pretty much guaranteed to have a presence on the site. So, if you know how to find it, the BGG entry for a particular game acts as one central point for creators to post their YouTube reviews and ‘how to play’ videos, for fans to share their photos and rules summaries, and for the designer(s) of the game to answer questions and issue rules clarifications.

    “If you know how to find it” is a pretty big “if” though where BGG is concerned – it certainly took me a while to find my way around the myriad different aspects of each listing, and I’m sure there’s plenty more I haven’t discovered. The key to finding the sort of content described above turns out to be the horizontal menu just below the top banner. Here are some highlights:

    • Under ‘forums’ you can find discussion threads about the game, which can be filtered to show just rules questions, often with answers straight from the designer.

    • Under ‘videos’ you can find video content complete with user ratings that again can be easily filtered by language and type (reviews, instructional, interviews, even ‘humour’ specifically about that game… if you dare to go there!).

    • The stuff stored under ‘files’ can be particularly useful – there’s often a .pdf copy of the rule book, plus all kinds of helpful player aids and cheat sheets created by users (the Twilight Imperium 4th Edition files section contains 25 pages of listings!). Some of it might be poor quality, but as ever on BGG, users can (and do) rate the content that’s added so it’s easy to sort the wheat from the chaff.

    #3: A generally wholesome vibe

    Given what a powerful force BoardGameGeek has become in the tabletop gaming industry, I think it has done a pretty remarkable job of staying true to its community focus and creating a wholesome atmosphere.

    Something that stood out when I was delving into BGG’s history is that it’s still run by a surprisingly small team – just half a dozen or so people, with founder Scott Alden still at the helm. In interviews Alden talks about resisting calls from games production companies to step in when ratings on the site go south, with the exception of some back-end algorithms to stop people setting up accounts specifically to trash/ hype large numbers of games. He does also mention the impossibility of imposing any meaningful moderation on the site given the resources at his disposal, but I’ve seen very little unpleasantness between users either on the site itself or on its lively and supportive Facebook group.

    One aspect that I now see in a different light after watching the interviews is the user-friendliness of BGG. Alden repeatedly mentions that the question ‘what would I want from this site?’ is never far from his mind, which I must admit surprised me slightly given that usability has never been top of my list of BGG’s best qualities. It all makes more sense now that I know that BGG has mostly been coded by Alden himself plus one other programmer: you get the impression that adding extra functionality to enable shiny new content has tended to take priority over polishing the user interface. Progress has been made recently though, with the new homepage finally making its appearance late last year as part of a significant facelift slowly making its way across the vastness of the site.

    Another area where BoardGameGeek has recently made long-overdue progress is in the area of promoting diversity and inclusivity. The uncomfortable significance of the fact that the BGG logo was a white man right up until 2019 only dawned on me recently, but at least a change has now been made, and features like the recent series celebrating Black contributors for Black History Month provide hopeful signs that the changes are more than skin-deep.



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