Let’s see if I’ve finally pulled my thoughts together enough to say something worthwhile…
First and foremost: thank you @messana for a terrific gaming experience! I’m a total n00b to playing RPGs but I could tell early on you’d put a great deal of thought and care into the mechanisms of play, and the historical settings we visited. (Yes, I went down the history-oriented rabbit hole every round I played, so you did win. 
) And of course, thanks to all my fellow players too! You left me in awe at your creativity and set a high bar for me to reach for in my own efforts. It was a fantastic ride.
As a n00b, it’s a little hard to say what worked for me and what didn’t. I felt pretty good at plotting the character stats (STR, PER, etc.) each round, but it was harder choosing my stances when I had no idea who I was facing in battle. (I tried to number-crunch, but it didn’t help.) But it did put us n00bs and more experienced players on more even footing, so I’m okay with it.
I agree it was sad to see so many great characters and players drop away as the game went on… but that was the Game. And the Lounge was a great way to stay involved, even after Evvy’s unfortunate demise.
I didn’t know our characters would continue in each other’s souls until I got my PM, but I liked the idea. (I knew Highlander well enough to play with the influence factor a little in my narrative. After defeating Bark, Evvy wound up using a lot of… “doggone” expressions when describing her revenge against Zrínyi Bernát, but nobody noticed. 
)
I loved the storytelling the most. I loved the amazing character concepts, and I loved their interactions and the way their stories unfolded. I wish I could have participated better and contributed more… it got easier as I jumped in more and learned more improv. And I enjoyed it more than I thought I would… even when Evvy decided she wanted to do something different than I’d planned.
And speaking of discussing plot twists… I’m curious to know (if @messana’s willing to share) if there was more to YOwOL’s tale that didn’t get told? Did we not stumble over an important plot twist with him… or were we supposed to create it? (It’s okay with me if you don’t want to give away any secrets. But if you’re willing to share…)