WTF Kooluk?

Ask questions about the events that take place during the Suikoden games themselves.
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wataru14
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WTF Kooluk?

Post by wataru14 »

I've been playing Suikoden Tactics again and I just finished the Merseto battle with the Merchant. Something really is making me scratch my head with this. This Merchant just murdered a child in the middle of the street in full view of dozens of people. The Merchant seems unconcerned with his deed (which does make sense in a "bourgeois detached from reality" kinda way) but then is genuinely shocked when the people around him get upset. He seems truly puzzled that people are not OK with the fact that he just slashed a child to death with a sword. He may not care that he did it, but he shouldn't be puzzled that other common people would take exception with this. After the battle is done, there are no constables to arrest the murderer, no angry mob, nothing. Kyril and company don't even try to stop him. He just gets all indignant at the surviving kid and then strolls off. WTF? Then everyone else just seems vaguely sad that Ralph died in a detached sort of way and then moves on with the conversation. I know if I saw a child murdered in front of me I would be a little more than slightly despondent.

Is this the sort of thing that goes on normally in Kooluk? I know people will say "street children are less than nothing and he is wealthy" and all that, but that doesn't cut it. If Bill Gates knifed a homeless kid in Times Square with multiple witnesses the police would be there in seconds. The Merchant should habve been killed himself during the battle or he should have done a hasty escape, not a nonchalant strut out of the port with no one interrupting him. Hell, Kyril should have skewered him through the belly when he was yelling at Nohl after the battle was over.
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BrucePrintscreen
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Re: WTF Kooluk?

Post by BrucePrintscreen »

You just discovered what civilisation did for us!
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sticky-runes
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Re: WTF Kooluk?

Post by sticky-runes »

I thought Corselia told us to "make him pay" for what he did?
Wolkendrache
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Re: WTF Kooluk?

Post by Wolkendrache »

Ah, the "zionist merchant vs palestinian kids" chapter. Welcome to Israel!

Seriously, there seems to be no police at the port:
- kids are getting killed in public
- foreign merchants are getting robbed in public
- eat-and-run bandits usually escape there
"Within the four seas, all men are brothers" Shuihu Zhuan
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sticky-runes
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Re: WTF Kooluk?

Post by sticky-runes »

That's probably why they ask Lelacle to send them a nightwatchman.
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wataru14
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Re: WTF Kooluk?

Post by wataru14 »

And the people viewing this just sit there in silence. I mean, Gary has his usual evil sneer, but no one else reacts. No screams, no shouts of "You monster!" Nobody (not even your party members) attempting to restrain or finish off the murderer. Nope, he just scoffs at Nohl and saunters off unimpeded. Nice job, heroes.
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Re: WTF Kooluk?

Post by Wolkendrache »

If you love blood vengeance, just read the novel. These characters would have sliced this guy to minced meat (literally!).

Genso Suikoden characters usually try to find the most humanistic solution, like the modern depictions of Robin Hood. As for the audience, I think that's a very realistic presentation. If you witness the Camorra killing a person at the port of Napoli, you'll keep silent unless you wanna die next. As for police, I guess most Kooluk forces are concentrated in the troubled north and around Graska. Kooluk is in trouble, they're not strong enough to control every corner of their realm. Or perhaps there's someone like Commander Kraze governing Merseto?

A lot of scenes/plotparts are not very elaborated imo, if you're more into storytelling than gameplay, then you'll probably never fall in love with Tactics.
"Within the four seas, all men are brothers" Shuihu Zhuan
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wataru14
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Re: WTF Kooluk?

Post by wataru14 »

That's just the thing, I do love Tactics. And I can understand why the random people don't rush the Merchant, but there is no reason Kyril and company should have let him go. They just beat him down, so why then are they just standing there letting him further intimidate a traumatized child? At least show Kyril and Andarc holding him and then him escaping or something. Not just the bunch of heroes that beat him up just standing there with their thumbs in their asses. They don't even say anything to him.

And Busk governs Merseto. He says so in a later cutscene. He does say he's stretched thin watching both Merseto and El-Eal, so that explains the lack of city guards, but not Kyril and company letting him further escalate things and then strut off. He doesn't even run for crying out loud!
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Re: WTF Kooluk?

Post by Wolkendrache »

I think it's a matter of interpretation. Mine is: you didn't kill these guys leaving only the merchant, you just gave them a beating, afterwards each party gathers on opposite sides, the merchant gives a last rant, then leaves. Don't forget that they are still 15 people, you are only 6+Corselia.
The thing is, you are on some kind of secret mission in enemy territory, enemy because you're allied with the Island Nations. So what would you do in this situation:
1. show these Kooluk people how they should deal with it and behead these criminals in public
2. stall the criminals and wait for the very same commander you've just beaten up in El-Eal to hand them over and getting arrested yourself
3. let them go for now and hope you'll meet them again outside of town, in a place without audience
I think letting them go for now wasn't too bad a decision.
"Within the four seas, all men are brothers" Shuihu Zhuan
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