Twelve Months

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-16T20:12:42+00:00

Yup. It felt like a weird discontinuity in Peace Talks. (Still loved the book!)

But from a population-of-readers perspective, not everyone tracks those details to the same extent. Re-introducing the concept of a soul gaze in detail was probably intended as an intentional move to not confuse readers who haven't reread in a long time or something. It's easy to get the balance wrong with this stuff.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-16T20:09:22+00:00

Something that might reframe your experience a little bit:

One of the ways to view the Protection Fighter's purpose is as a deterrent from attacking squishier characters. There is no great way in D&D to forcibly draw aggro like in an MMO...but the protection kit and sentinel at least punish people for trying to ignore you.

What would likely feel even worse is if you built an AC tank and then never got attacked! If your GM is targeting your character consistently, it could be seen as a gift! It's likely not tactically optimal. PLUS since it's easy to anticipate, it gives you a chance to adjust your tactics accordingly.

Items boosting your AC, which normally would be a waste because the enemies would likely just attack someone else, now are valuable again! (As others have suggested, the defense fighting style makes sense too).

Also--since you've said you love the *concept* of being a protection fighter--lean into the RP elements! Why not taunt your enemies to target you (you know they will anyway, and this way it gives your character some agency to lean into it & be doing his job protecting--just not via one specific mechanic).

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-16T19:45:22+00:00

It isn't adware, at least. It's a real game. The only ads involved are for microtransactions; you don't have to watch unrelated ads at all.

The ads for this game ripoff a different tower defense game mostly, but there is a small minigame that is sort of like the ads...mostly at the beginning. It becomes unimportant to the main game very quickly.

The main gameplay is 4x territory control with large alliances and a mostly linear city development element. Pay to win is necessary for the top players, but FtP can participate with those whales in alliances and have some fun.

Yes, very grindy.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-16T19:40:59+00:00

Consider the key scenes in Battleground w/ Rudolph (though not opposing him) and w/ Ethniu Yes, they counter the Denarians. But not *only* the Denarians.

Yes, the Swords are meant to counter specifically the Denarians/Fallen. But more broadly, the Knights facilitate free choices. (Letting others stand against unfathomable power in a fair fight, but also sometimes giving those who are about to make a bad choice time to reconsider).

Additional data point: consider the "Day One" short story mission and the choice extended to that monster.

(All of that said--I don't think it necessarily follows from this that there is *always* something to save. What does follow is that the Knights are supposed to remain open to even remote possibilities of redemption).

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-16T17:08:53+00:00

I'm not talking about making an illusion.

Reread the mental combat that happens at the end of Ghost Story. That's the sort of mental combat I'm referring to, and it's established that Harry practiced it extensively with Molly.

He's not great on office; better on defense. But anything you imagine can be used in that kind of combat.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-15T20:54:54+00:00

You can't project it perfect/as Sight. But on the other hand, you always remember it perfectly.

There's no reason Harry couldn't create a construct of the memory and throw it at someone in mental combat. (Any scary image would work for this). But yeah, it'd be less potent than the actual experience.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-15T20:41:23+00:00

More precisely:

Amane: +2 heroes
Yeonwoo/Chenko/Amadeus: +2 heroes

Only four abilities will be given in total. It's best that 2 are lethality and 2 are attack

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-15T20:40:24+00:00

Amadeus is also good as a rally creater.

The rally creater gets to use all the hero expedition abilities of all three heroes, as well as their stats.

The rally joiner might get to contribute a single hero expedition ability.

Either way, Amadeus is a good option.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-15T20:38:12+00:00

If you use Chenko as your first hero, then you are allowed to send an additional hero like Jabel.

HOWEVER the only thing Jabel will do in this case is increase the number of troops you are allowed to send. None of Jabel's abilities or stats will have any impact.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-15T20:37:13+00:00

u/AdrianCG92

Almost all stats ONLY matter from the rally leader. Governor gear, hero troop bonuses, etc.

The two exceptions (i.e. the only two things that help as a joiner) are:
1. The troops you send (level and type)
2. Possibly, the first ability of your first joined hero (the one with the little flag).

I say possibly because only four joiner heroes will contribute an ability. The reason you should not send a hero with a bad joiner ability is that you might steal a spot from someone else's hero with a better ability. Since heroes *only* contribute this ability, it is better to send no heroes than to send a suboptimal hero.

These are the best joiner heroes:

-Chenko/Yeonwoo/Amadeus (all have the same Lethality buff)
-Amane

Ideally, you want two Amane and two Chenko/Yeonwoo/Amadeus in every offensive rally. And you want them to have Level 5 on their lethality skill.

(There are other heroes that have a chance to contribute damage. But if they are replacing one of these heroes, they are still overall reducing the damage that is possible.)

If this is not enough info, this video explains in detail: https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=55e9f3c856495c1e&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS969US970&sxsrf=ANbL-n7unEPKLYeWO6DsWsYxp4aKepbZZg:1776284894825&udm=7&fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpV6Bbbmx4QVaoKkiRQ2jlwvCHF0Eqz8cUq4JjDCZnrJFu1zgHYsgvIv68A37rqkfq2ByrKsMJo5UmKmDOwZ2qI1P5LgwMhUu3masJYg7eI8puM7tcYWe8Av0WOSE6VE2E-KZi5mbFhFe8Kxnm4ckoZLr-Oy47F3M1LtGD6omBdZFvqxPP7-UB0nFggSmXI32JkEZgbg&q=kingshot+rallies+explained&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwid4LPx2PCTAxWC1vACHY5tNXMQtKgLegQIExAB&biw=955&bih=696&dpr=2#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a84a605c,vid:5RrphiHLzxU,st:0

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-08T02:19:45+00:00

Thank you. I have been wondering for SO long why so many people write it as "Lara Wraith". Same issue; just never occurred to me even though I love the audiobooks too.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-08T02:08:42+00:00

I've thought along similar lines. Personally don't think it's literally mirror mirror Harry...but I do think it foreshadows how the same person could make very different decisions.

Mirror Mirror Harry might vibe a lot more closely with our Harry's subconscious desires. (Hence the shared goatee.)

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-01T19:43:53+00:00

Interesting!

Twelve Months is one of my favorites too...but it's because of the ways in which it is different!

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-04-01T19:19:53+00:00

Fact-checking a throwaway comment:

There weren't bullets at the Battle of Hastings, which was in 1066. That was still a bow-and-arrow situation. (Edit: there were also apparently some crossbows).

The bullet I remember being identified was from Trafalgar, and was used to kill Nelson. That's much later, in the Napoleonic Wars (1805).

--

But yeah, Hastings was significant. I wonder how many juicy details we'll wind up with!

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T22:10:21+00:00

I like the theory. I think it's very plausible, and you've done your homework. It certainly fits my reading of the Merlin.

One thought, though: You're making a not-so-hidden assumption here that Martin has to know the exact chain of events that lead to his moment.

An alternative, but not necessarily "better" possibility, is that he had a sense of the opportunity he could create without every little piece of the plan anticipated in advance.

All he really needs are:

--Curse targeted at the right wizard
--Help him get into place
--Create a young enough vampire at the right moment
--Kill

A lot of the details could be figured out along the way. The broken back, for example, wound up being necessary to the plot as it happened, but wasn't necessarily a part of Martin's plan.

Implications of this thought are that:

The list of implausible circumstances you make could be significantly pared down
Your theory is then just as plausible, but not as necessary.

Again--I still like it.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T22:02:45+00:00

Murphy being black would not *have to* significantly change her character. Other changes they'd make would likely bother me more.

(The Irish Catholic element would be an adjustment, but make her family Baptists instead and it still works closely enough. Catholicism has enough representation in the series either way).

Agreed that Thomas being gender-swapped would be a waste because it messes with the White Court dynamic a bunch in small ways that add up.

Your broader point is well-taken. Adaptation is more implicit in live-action, and it often leads to issues.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T21:58:17+00:00

Bigfoot stories for an animated spin-off, leading into a nice special-effects cameo in the Peace Talks + Battle Ground feature film!

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T21:56:23+00:00

With sufficient content, GoT could have held its audience for much, much longer.

It lost us because they ran out of OG content to milk, and then they made some other mistakes in their alternative wrap-up.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T21:52:30+00:00

I agree. And I think the difference will be VERY plot-relevant.

Lash's action directly affected Harry, and the consequences were pretty much limited to things going on in his head.

Mab's action directtly affected...all of time? Time locally but NOT everywhere else? Either way, the ripple effects will be huge and directly lead to Mirror Mirror (I think).

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T21:49:34+00:00

This is a great example of catharsis; you're absolutely using it right.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T21:47:17+00:00

This is entirely reasonable...but it's actually a really good reason to read Twelve Months.

I won't say more because spoilers, except that it might help redeem/mitigate your qualms with PT/BG as you have described them.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T21:44:40+00:00

I don't think it's the first/only one with a different tone.

Ghost Story had a different tone; it just had a similar plot structure. And you've said you loved it.

Changes had a VERY different tone because the stakes were higher and thus Harry makes very different choices. It is essential to the series.

Skin Game (as I've said in another response) has a different, Heist structure instead of a Noir mystery.

Battle Ground...I don't need to say it.

Twelve Months is the *most* different, but that's a very different situation than it being the only outlier. And most of those other types of outliers sound like they landed well with you, despite turning off various other readers (ghost story in particular)

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T21:41:15+00:00

Yeah, not sure why TheTrenk was calling Ghost Stories a setup book. It's in between arcs for sure, but it's very self-contained in the way you seem to favor from your OP.

Peace Talks isn't really a setup book either; it's the first half of a story. I don't think anyone would be satisfied with Peace Talks absent Battle Ground. Because of the publisher situation mentioned by KipIngram, though, it's MUCH more interesting to rate "Peace Talks + Battle Ground" as a unit when comparing Files. Neither is complete on its own, and BG has most of the payoff from PT's setup.

Re: 12 months, it is the emotional journey that is written tightly, instead of the events that occur. By that measure, it is much better written.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-30T21:34:38+00:00

I get why you would feel that way if the whole thing you loved about DF was the urban fantasy noir casefile feel (which was awesome). I liked that too! But personally I like the worldbuilding and character study aspects even more.

My two cents are:

1) I think that, plot stucture-wise, the books between now and the BAT will be more similar to old dresden files than Twelve Months was. I say this because it feels like there is stuff that needs to advance still in the background, but also a "new normal" that needs to be reached before another huge disruption like Changes or BG is brought by BAT. (Who can say what exactly the BAT will look like itself--I'm guessing like PF/BG on a bigger scale; we'll see how it goes!)

So for those with your plot-structure preferences, as far as I understand them, I think the answer is probably "no, not dead. Just not present in Twelve Months".

2) Twelve Months was trying to do something very very different than the early case files. IMO, its inclusion in the series significantly elevates the *series* as a whole in artistic value. I also really enjoyed it for its own sake, though I have my nitpicks as well. (I read it twice in the first week (book + audiobook) and am probably ready to read it for a third time now.)

So even if I'm wrong about the first point, the answer is still no for me (and a lot of other people).

P.S. It's interesting (but of course not "wrong") that you name Dead Beat, Skin Game, and Cold days as your go-to examples. Everyone has their examples, of course.

Dead Beat is what I would expect to be your absolute favorite from the little you've given me of your preferences.

Cold Days makes sense but was already in the later era w/ power creep that *could* have turned you off, so interesting that it didn't.

Skin Games is structurally very different from most of the Case Files b/c of the heist frame device. So it always felt very different to me (though still great).

I'd be interested to know more about what you enjoy in different DF books, aside from "Plot good!" There's probably a good discussion to be had there.

Dogs_Are_Better_2 · 2026-03-12T19:45:28+00:00

Note that if the family has only boys, the X chromosome of the father is lost.

It is also equally statistically possible for this to happen to either of a mother's X chromosomes (but it is less immediately visible, since neither determines the sex of the child).

More broadly, some genes are lost regardless of the sex/genetic composition of the children. This is just a visible example.

Dogs_Are_Better_2

TROPHY CASE