History VideoGame / BannerOfTheMaid

''Banner of the Maid'' is a StrategyRPG created by Azure Flame Studio and published by CE-Asia. The game is set in the middle of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution. The game was released for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XBoxOne, and {{UsefulNotes/Steam}}.

** The character profile viewer is available from the beginning of the game, and categorizes characters in such a way where you can tell whether they'll be recruitable or not (party members fill out the first three pages, everyone else takes up the last two). Likely in an attempt to lessen potential spoilers, certain characters don't have their profiles added until after certain plot developments involving them, though this has the ironic effect of casting even ''more'' suspicion onto them. It can also be quite handy for figuring out which characters are [[OptionalPartyMember Optional Party Members]] that can be potentially added to your ranks.

** Military Band units are [[SupportPartyMember Support Party Members]] that are incapable of attacking enemies conventionally and can instead buff their allies in a variety of ways by playing music. Like Artillery units, they are also not a part of the class square.

* SecretCharacter: While the game features several [[OptionalPartyMember Optional Party Members]], [[spoiler:Desaix]] stands out for having the most esoteric means to permanently recruit of them all, which will likely only be discovered by accident.

** Hubert Mondego and Fernand each share a name with Fernand Mondego de Morcerf, the [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder serial-betraying]] co-antagonist of ''[[Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo The Count of Monte Cristo]]''.

* TheAce: Napoleon, naturally. Every character gushes about how astounding of a general he is and he scores numerous [[OffScreenMomentOfAwesome off-screen victories]] that turn the tides of the war throughout the game. [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration This is even reflected in his unique ability]], which grants every unit within two tiles of him a whole host of useful status buffs.

* AmbiguousGender: Nivernais dresses androgynously and has a voice that could easily belong to either [[SissyVillain an effeminate man]] or [[{{Bifauxnen}} a masculine woman]]. They are alternatingly referred to as being male or female by various characters, seemingly based on each character's own assumptions, but no definitive statement is made on the matter. For what it's worth, the characters that are in most close contact with them refer to them using male pronouns. For her part, Pauline insists that they are female and is confused why anyone would think otherwise.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler: The game ends with the war between France and the Coalition still going on. Pauline and Napoleon ready for the next battle.]]

* ArcVillain: For the first couple parts of the game, the main antagonists are the Anti-France Coalition, led by the British General Anne. In Part IV the main antagonist is the [[spoiler: traitorous Hubert]]. In Part V the main antagonist is [[spoiler:Queen Marie Antoinette herself]].

* {{Bifauxnen}}: Adelaide dresses fairly androgynously as part of her job as a spy.

* ChivalrousPervert: Philipp is primarily motivated by the ladies, but shows himself to be a stand-up gentleman [[BigBrotherInstinct with a strong desire to protect his sister]] regardless.

* ColdSniper: Bridget, one of the commanders of the Anti-France Coalition, is a talented sharpshooter with ImprobableAimingSkills during clear weather. She spends most of her screentime coming across as cold and ruthlessly efficient, but is shown to possess UndyingLoyalty toward Anne.
* ConvenientReplacementCharacter: [[spoiler: After Desaix is KilledOffForReal, his older sister Antoinette will join the party a few chapters later. Not only is she of the same Heavy Cavalry class as her brother, but her stats, abilities, and growths are also identical; making her effectively a re-skin of him.]] Interestingly, [[spoiler: it is possible to use the two in the party together during NewGamePlus provided Desaix survived his PlotlineDeath, essentially giving the player access to two copies of the same unit.]]

* DuelBoss: [[spoiler: Charlotte squares off against the Marquis de Lafayette one-on-one during chapter 26. Can be potentially subverted, as the game encourages you to SheatheYourSword and turn the battle into an IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight to talk him down rather than actually try to beat him.]]
* EleventhHourRanger: [[spoiler: Napoleon permanently joins the player's party during the final chapter of the game. Thankfully, he carries over into NewGamePlus, so he has more utility than many other examples of this trope.]]
* EloquentInMyNativeTongue: The Bavarian-born Ernestine speaks in broken French and has trouble pronouncing Pauline's name, but is shown to be a surprisingly efficient commander during battle, implying that she's actually quite sharp despite the language barrier.
* FaceOfAThug: Fernand is a loyal ally to the French army but is so shifty-looking (as in, his portrait is a palette swap of a standard thief enemy) that he's regularly mistaken for an enemy by his own allies.

* FriendToAllLivingThings: Cosette is always accompanied by a skylark, and is able to communicate with it as though it were a person.

* GuideDangIt: While the game provides hints that [[spoiler: Desaix can survive his PlotlineDeath]], it is deliberately very vague about them, simply indicating that [[spoiler: there is a secret optional objective in the chapter he is killed at the end of and emphasizing the poor health he is in throughout it]]. Even with this in mind, there is ''no'' indication that [[spoiler: "Larrey's Notes" are required for him to survive outside of their descriptions indicating that they're from a medical journal]]. Without prior knowledge, it is very easy to assume that [[spoiler: Desaix's death isn't preventable]], though it is at least possible to stumble upon it by accident if you go out of your way to complete every optional mission objective.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Napoleon is off doing his thing as Pauline and her allies progress through the story. Their paths intersect several times, [[BrotherSisterTeam with one sibling lending their aid to the other whenever they can]].

** Later, [[spoiler: Louis Desaix uses his body to shield Pauline from an enemy sniper and is gravely injured. [[GuideDangIt Unless special precautions are taken by the player both before and after he is shot]], he will die from his wounds. Even if he is able to survive, he will spend several chapters incapacitated while recovering from his injuries.]]

* HotBlooded: Joachim Murat, [[HistoricalDomainCharacter as he purportedly actually was in real life]], is a BoisterousBruiser who is always ready for a chance to show off in battle.

* IWasQuiteTheLooker: While d'Eon is fairly fit and well-groomed, he is otherwise an average-looking old man. Despite this, he spent a significant portion of his youth disguised as a woman while spying for the French government and was apparently so beautiful that [[SweetOnPollyOliver he had several male admirers]]. Believe it or not, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_d%27Eon this is true to life]].

* LadyDrunk: Paulette, who is always seen with a bottle of wine in hand that she takes a swig from whenever she attacks. She actually NeverGetsDrunk [[AllThereInTheManual according to her profile]], but she otherwise has the typical party girl attitude associated with this trope.
* LargeHam: Murat deliberately wears flamboyant clothing on the battlefield to draw attention to himself and never speaks in a register lower than a shout.

* MauveShirt: Fernand, a soldier of the French Army with a FaceOfAThug, shows up a few times and receives some amount of characterization, but merely has the appearance of a slightly altered version of the generic thief enemy type and never joins the player's army in any capacity beyond as an uncontrollable GuestStarPartyMember. Despite this, [[spoiler: he is vital to ensuring that Desaix survives his PlotlineDeath, as he gives one half of the notes needed to keep him alive if the special objective is completed during his debut chapter]].

* OptionalBoss: [[spoiler: The Marquis de Lafayette does not need to be defeated to complete chapter 26, but doing so is necessary for the chapter's bonus objective. Along with being a DuelBoss that can only be fought by Charlotte, he has much higher stats than you're likely able to handle if you didn't prepare ahead of time.]]

* OutOfFocus: [[spoiler: By virtue of potentially getting KilledOffForReal, Desaix goes from one of the most prominent party members for the first two-thirds of the game to never appearing in a cutscene again after his re-recruitment.]]
* PlotlineDeath: [[spoiler: Desaix is KilledOffForReal at the end of chapter 16 after TakingTheBullet for Pauline at the start of it. This can actually prevented should the player complete the chapter without having him take any damage after acquiring the two "Larrey's Notes" items.]]

* PragmaticHero: Actually incorporated into a major gameplay element. In order to remain a player in the tumultuous world of revolutionary era French politics, Pauline has to carefully maintain good relations with each of the country's political groups, even the ones in direct opposition to each other.

* RememberTheNewGuy: Nicolette is a rather egregious case. She doesn't appear or get mentioned at any point prior to her recruitment and ''doesn't actually appear'' during her recruitment scene, only after it. Debatably justified by the nature of her recruitment not requiring her to take part in it herself (she's a promising new talent who had been working under Napoleon until he decided to send her to Pauline's unit).

* SecretCharacter: While the game features several [[OptionalPartyMember Optional Party Members]], [[spoiler: Desaix]] stands out for having the most esoteric means to permanently recruit of them all, which will likely only be discovered by accident.
* SequelHook: By the end of the game [[spoiler: the war with the Anti-France Coalition is still going on, none of the major antagonists have been decisively beaten, and Pauline and her soldiers have begun assisting Napoleon on the frontlines.]]

* SignificantWardrobeShift: Pauline gains a new outfit near the end of the game with a fancy tricolor cape. It signifies her role as the savior of France.

* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Cosette can apparently speak to all kinds of animals, though we only see her do it with her skylark companion.

** Later, [[spoiler: Louis Desaix uses his body to shield Pauline from an enemy sniper. The bullet severely wounds him and will potentially lead to his death provided the necessary measures aren't taken to ensure his survival.]]

* WouldntHitAGirl: Heinrich, a recurring boss character, has a variant of this. His unique passive ability "Gentleman" gives him a large attack boost when pitted against male opponents at the cost of giving him a severe attack penalty when up against female ones. Unfortunately for him, the player's party is predominately female.

* BonusBoss: The Leader Family (brothers Leader One and Leader Two), who must both be fought for an Achievement. In order to challenge them, [[spoiler:either all three levels of a Free Combat must be cleared, or one Free mission must be cleared three times, with One appearing for Offense and Two for Defense missions]].

** Napoleon is in love with Josephine de Beauharnais, who seems content to string him along. Considering that the historical Josephine went on to become Napoleon's wife, we can assume that, eventually, TheyDo. This is based on actual historical fact, as Napoleon is known to have sent Josephine several love letters while trying to court her.

* FakeBalance: The game's TacticalRockPaperScissors is rather unbalanced in practice. Line Infantry make up an overwhelming majority of the enemy forces while Light Cavalry are rarely ever seen. This has the effect of making the player's Heavy Cavalry units [[TierInducedScrappy much greater liabilities than they are likely intended to be]], as they are ineffective against Line Infantry and have few opportunities to make use of their advantage against Light Cavalry. Conversely, it turns Light Infantry into borderline [[GameBreaker Game-Breakers]], as they are effective against Line Infantry and weak against Light Cavalry.

* ArtifactOfDoom: During the final chapters, [[spoiler:Marie Antoinette wields a blue diamond that amplifies the power of a Maid, hoping to use it to reclaim Paris for the monarchy and control the chaos. But after being defeated by Pauline, the diamond turns out to have been draining Marie's life, and she instantly dies after relinquishing it]].

* ThoseTwoGuys: Dutheil and Lafite are introduced together, serve the same functional role in the story (as Rose's most loyal subordinates), and almost never appear apart. While they're 'technically'' not recruited at the same time, Lafite joins the party at the start of the very first chapter after Dutheil is recruited, meaning that the only way you'll ever actually get a chance to use Dutheil without the option of also using Lafite is if you go out of your way to play free maps right after you get him. This also leads to GameplayAndStoryIntegration, as Dutheil's passive abilities cause him to pair very well with Lafite, encouraging you to have them stick together during battles.

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Similar to ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' games, each character has their own short ending after the credits showing what happens to them after the events of the game.

** An odd variation with D'Eon de Beaumont. According to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_d%27Eon the article about the historical D'Eon]] on Wiki/TheOtherWiki, their actual gender identity is hard to discern; they were raised male and a surgeon that examined D'Eon's body post-mortem identified fully-formed male organs, but D'Eon claimed to have been assigned female in birth and spent the final years of their life dressing and identifying as a woman, with modern scholars interpreting D'Eon as transgender. However, the D'Eon in ''Banner of the Maid'' is unquestionably male-presenting in old age, and the only reference to him wearing women's attire is while acting as a spy when he was younger.

** Napoleon is renowned as one of the finest military minds in the entire world and is ''very'' well aware of it. Pauline immediately knows that Desaix is an excellent general because, in her words, he's one of the only people she's ever heard her brother complement the talents of besides himself.

* HistoricalGenderFlip: An odd variation with D'Eon de Beaumont. According to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_d%27Eon the article about the historical D'Eon]] on Wiki/TheOtherWiki, their actual gender identity is hard to discern; they were raised male and a surgeon that examined D'Eon's body post-mortem identified fully-formed male organs, but D'Eon claimed to have been assigned female in birth and spent the final years of their life dressing and identifying as a woman, with modern scholars interpreting D'Eon as transgender. However, the D'Eon in ''Banner of the Maid'' is unquestionably male-presenting in old age, and the only reference to him wearing women's attire is while acting as a spy when he was younger.

** [[spoiler: While computer-controlled ally units appear throughout the game, it's rather telling that the eventual traitor Hubert is the only one of the GuestStarPartyMember trio of himself, Napoleon, and Rose that can't be controlled during the second chapter.]]

* IWasQuiteTheLooker: While d'Eon is fairly fit and well-groomed, he is otherwise an average-looking old man. Despite this, he spent a significant portion of his youth disguised as a woman while spying for the French government and was apparently so beautiful that [[SweetOnPollyOliver he had several male admirers]]. Believe it or not, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_d%27%C3%89on this is true to life]].

* ImpliedLoveInterest: Desaix is Pauline's most vocal supporter among the party and the two share a rather unambiguously romantic scene together while floating in a hot air balloon above Paris. They also each have a voice clip the features them [[SayMyName saying the other's name]]. Despite this, the romantic aspect of their relationship never moves beyond being subtext and [[spoiler: Desaix is potentially killed off two-thirds of the way through the game.]]