Inspired by
Critch, I picked up Principia: Master of Science. I'm not a science guy at all (total lit nerd here, obvs), but a text-sim/RPG? Yes, please!
Important Note: To change the game's language to English, click the 4th button on the title screen, and then click Language button. Select English, and you'll know what the game says
Now, I could go for wunderkinds Isaac Newton or Gottfried Liebniz, but what's the fun in that? Liebniz is the youngest scientist available at age 21, and there's a couple of old dudes, like in their 50s and 60s, but since the game ends when you die, that would make for a very short dynasty, I imagine.
So instead, I'll go with 32 year old
Johann Becher - an obscure physician to royalty (At 90 Fame, only the much younger Newton and Liebniz are lower), who is pretty darn smart at Thermodynamics and Biology (B rated in both), but isn't a rock star at anything, and sucks in most areas of science. Specialist is specialist. I wonder if there's a way to increase your aptitude rating. Oh, and he's B and B in Drawing and Engineering, so a well-rounded skillset, though he has no drawing knowledge to speak of.
We start off in Berlin. Neat. It's a city I've been to in real life, and my ancestors are German, so that's pretty sweet. He has also 0* because stars are increments of 100 Fame, I believe.
Incidentally, the most famous *and* richest scientist is
Robert Boyle, 40 years old and based in London. 752 fame and 1545 florins, or whatever we're calling money in this time period. Rock Star Robert, indeed.
It's possible to move in this game, and
Robert Boyle moves from London to Magdeburg. Why, I have no idea. It's a backwater city with no academy, no universities, and no observatories. Maybe he wants to hang out with
Otto Von Guericke, who's already there?
BTW, I recommend going into Options after Game Start and changing AI turns from Showing All to Text Only. Less spoilers that way.
At game start there's five universities: Cambridge, Paris, Leipzig, Leiden, and Bologna, the latter probably built by the de Semurs.
As you might expect, Cambridge has the highest academic rating at 50, Paris is second at 40, and everyone else is 30. The academic quality affects scientist's increase in knowledge.
So it finally gets around to my turn. Some scientists have been conducting experiments or writing shitty papers (one with a 20% completion rate that's bound to get rejected, I'd think), and one dude kissed ass by sending
Critch's rival,
Robert Hooke, 100 florins. Hooke graciously accepted, but if a scientist hates you, he may tell you to fuck off with your money offer.
There's also two academies that accept papers: The Royal Society of London (80 Authority) and the French Academy of the Sciences (70 Authority). Publishing papers increases an academy's authority, and so does adding more scientists. The more authoritative the academy, the bigger the fame boost when you get published. Kind of like literary magazines that way.
Okay, first turn is now up. Now to decide what to do.