NoRandomBattleChallenge

As the name implies, this involves playing through FinalFantasyTactics without fighting any random battles (generally by using the game's software reset whenever one is encountered). This eliminates most of the opportunities for cheesy party build-up to occur. Some random thoughts (secondary comments by EvilSouthie, who is currently running through this challenge):

• When played to the letter, this challenge still allows things like cornering the last enemy in a fight and then employing the (un)usual strategy of having your party throw rocks at each other for JP. For the full impact, this should be avoided as well.

• Money is a *much* more severe constraint than in a normal game. Hiring new characters is almost financial suicide at the start of the game, and though it seems like you've got plenty of cash through chapter three and the early part of chapter four, you should avoid spending it on unnecessary random stuff.

• The game is surprisingly easy through chapter one and the first half of chapter two. Keep on the offensive, but don't overextend yourself. If all else fails, stand next to Algus a lot and maybe his lovely female assistants will kill him...
  • Entertainingly, if Delita's an archer at this point, he'll hang back to snipe (Delita's AI in this battle consists of "Charge Algus"), which means that Algus will be drawn out to meet him. If you hang back a few rounds and just keep Delita alive, Algus will separate himself nicely from his troops. I had to give up on the idea of wiping out the rest of the troops, though.

• The battle at Zirekile Falls isn't won while Gafgarion's still around; he's the undisputed comeback king. For the wuss, turn him into a Time Mage and strip off all of his stuff before the battle.
  • Odd, I didn't have any trouble with this fight at all. Admittedly Agrias got a very nice Split Punch off, which meant that my first ranged attack sent Gafgarion into critical damage and he retreated.

• I've never managed to find a satisfactory solution to the problems posed by the battle at Golgorand Execution Site; my usual strategy is to hope to get lucky with mediator rolls. Removing Gafgarion from the battle at earliest convenience is a must, but often costly.

• Compared to Golgorand, chapter three provides a much-needed breather, until the Orbonne Monestary/Riovanes? Castle sequence. Izlude is a pain in the neck (usually quite literally), and the roof fight with Sephi... uh, Elmdor is its usual nasty self. I have not managed to win the fight against Velius without turning Ramza into a ninja and yelling a lot.

• Chapter four is one long pain, punctuated by short spurts of ease. For added suck, go get Cloud, too. Probably the worst fight (and, IMHO, the worst in the game, since there's no obvious wuss-out strategy) is the one inside Limberry Castle, with Elmdor, Celia, and Lede. I have had this fight go oh-so-smoothly... once. (I managed to win with flair *and* pick up Ultima).

• The fight in Bervenia Free City requires disposing of Meliadoul quickly, before she wrecks too much of your armor, since you're not going to be able to buy a whole lot of it back.

• Orlandu doesn't seem so broken, somehow. I have not completed this challenge without at least stripping plot characters for equipment (Orlandu is powerful, yes, but so is Ramza dual-wielding Excalibur and a Save the Queen).

• After Limberry, the game is smooth sailing until the endgame.

• The endgame only has one battle that causes major grief: Lost Sacred Precincts. The combination of Balk and his pets is really over the top. If you're using plot characters, get Orlandu and Meliadoul to remove the elemental guns from the fight quickly. If not, hang on; it's going to be a bumpy ride.

---

AndrewSchoonmaker notes that his standard strategy for the game has been to make Ramza a fighter of sorts (just so he can turn into a Ninja for the Velius fight), have one Priest->Mediator->Chemist character for healing and mediation (with an elemental gun, she's usually a force to be reckoned with), and two Thief->Lancer characters (one of each gender), since Steal Heart is *entirely* too useful (DYN: Celia and Lede can be Charmed during the fight inside Limberry Castle). For a fifth character... well, it's been too long since he tried this with a five-character party. Putting in a plot character sounds like a reasonable choice.

---

There are other good challenge schemas for FFT, as well; they may as well be housed here until they are more fleshed-out.

One of these sets of challenges involves mandated character classes for some or all of the characters which must be used in the party. As a first approximation, allowing free rein on character class in Chapter 1, then changing prior to the first battle in chapter 2 would seem to be a reasonable restriction (combined with a note that characters must be no higher than Lv.10 by the beginning of Ch.2, so as not to allow *too many* out-of-job abilities). Disallowing all out-of-class abilities would seem to be out of the spirit of the game (especially as new ones can be learned later, via crystals)... Thoughts? (from those who have a reasonable feel for the game?)

---

GameChallenge