The Headmaster

Master School Discipline and Quests in This Immersive VN

Ever stepped into the shoes of a strict headmaster turning a chaotic school around through hands-on discipline? That’s the thrill of The Headmaster, the gripping visual novel where you manage students, staff, and sneaky quests. I remember my first playthrough—racing to boost grades while unlocking steamy scenes left me hooked for hours. This guide dives deep into core mechanics, quests, and strategies to help you dominate the game. Whether you’re new or replaying for different paths, discover how to raise discipline, influence teachers like Miss Potts, and avoid bad endings. Let’s reform that school your way!

How to Master Core Mechanics in The Headmaster

My first run of The Headmaster ended in disaster. 😫 I was so focused on the… ahem… interpersonal aspects of running the school that I completely neglected the academic side. Ruth’s exam arrived, the girls’ grades were a mess, and I was unceremoniously sacked by the Board of Governors. Game over. It was a brutal lesson: in this world, you can’t just be the disciplinarian; you have to be the educator, too.

That failure taught me everything. To succeed and truly unlock the story, you must become a master of two interconnected pillars: The Headmaster discipline system and academic performance. This chapter is your crash course. We’ll break down how these systems work, how to manipulate them early, and how to balance the delicate scales of control to avoid a bad ending in The Headmaster.

What Is the Discipline and Grades System?

Think of Discipline and Grades as the two primary stats for your entire school. They’re on a scale from 0 to 100, and they directly influence everything from daily rewards to story progression.

Discipline is the backbone of your authority. It represents the school’s overall respect for the rules and, by extension, for you. A higher The Headmaster discipline system score means students are more compliant, but it also has a fantastic practical benefit: it generates Free Periods for you daily. This is your primary resource for taking actions.

• At Discipline 60+: You earn 1 Free Period per day. 🕐
• At Discipline 80+: You earn 2 Free Periods per day. 🕐🕐

This is why learning how to raise discipline in The Headmaster is your first priority. More Free Periods mean more time to train staff, punish students, and explore—which in turn raises discipline even further. It’s a virtuous cycle.

Grades are straightforward: they are the academic average of your six students. Your main goal is to get this to 100 before Ruth’s exam. Sounds simple, right? Here’s the catch: each girl has her own intelligence stat. Neglecting lessons for the weaker students will drag your average down, no matter how smart your star pupil is.

The magic happens where these two systems meet. A higher Discipline score passively boosts the effectiveness of your lessons, making it easier to raise those grades. It’s the game telling you that a well-ordered school is a school that learns better.

To visualize the key thresholds, here’s a breakdown:

So, your Headmaster game grades guide strategy is dual-pronged: aggressively raise discipline to 80 for the resource boost, then use those extra resources to tutor your struggling students. Remember my first bad ending? I ignored grades. Don’t be me.

Unlocking Punishments and Rules Early On?

You can’t raise discipline by just giving detentions. You need tools, and that means unlocking The Headmaster punishment mechanics and new school rules. This is where Headmaster game rules unlock strategy becomes critical. Your power is gated behind Staff Training and School Meetings.

The early game sequence is all about momentum. Here’s a proven step-by-step list to build your authority fast:

1. Focus on Miss Potts First: She’s your gateway. Use your initial Free Periods to visit her classroom, then her apartment in the evening. Progress through her training scenes. This unlocks basic punishment options.
2. Pass Your First Rule: Once you have some punishments, call a School Meeting. Your first goal should be passing the “Skirts must be worn at knee-length” rule. This gives you a reason to punish girls for uniform violations, creating daily opportunities.
3. Punish Relentlessly (But Smartly): Every morning, do a uniform inspection. Find a violator, and use a basic punishment. Consistency is key—it trains the students to expect consequences.
4. Reinvest Free Periods: As your discipline climbs and you get 1, then 2 Free Periods a day, immediately reinvest them into more Staff Training. Unlocking more staff members gives you access to harsher, more effective punishments.
5. Expand the Rulebook: With more punishment types unlocked, propose new rules at meetings, like “No underwear on school grounds.” Each new rule creates new violation categories, fueling your discipline engine.

This loop—Train, Rule, Punish, Repeat—is how you take a struggling school to a perfectly disciplined one. It’s also where the game’s morality kicks in. The Headmaster genuinely believes his strict methods are for the girls’ own good, pushing them to excellence. Whether you agree with him is part of the narrative journey.

Balancing Popularity, Fear, and Submission?

This is the advanced class. Each student has three hidden meters: Popularity, Fear, and Submission. Mastering fear vs submission in The Headmaster is the difference between a broken girl and a perfected one, and is essential to steer their personal stories.

• Fear is a short-term tool. It’s raised by harsh, humiliating, or sudden actions during a punishment—a sharp insult, a slap, tearing clothes. High Fear makes them immediately compliant but can lead to negative events (like Priti crying, which can cause a -10 drop to ALL your stats if you’re not careful!).
• Submission is the long-term goal. It’s raised by consistent, controlled, and “procedure-focused” punishment. Inspecting the uniform methodically, citing the specific rule broken, and applying a measured consequence. High Submission reflects acceptance of your authority and their place.

Let’s use Claire’s early scene as a case study. If you immediately insult her, slap her, and roughly tear her clothes, you’ll max out her Fear quickly. She’ll do what you say, but she’s broken by terror. If, instead, you remain coldly administrative—pointing out the uniform violation, making her remove items herself, and applying a spanking for the infraction—you cultivate Submission. You’re building a habit, not just a trauma.

Pro Tip: To avoid a bad ending in The Headmaster related to character arcs, you generally want high Submission, not max Fear. I learned this the hard way. In one playthrough, I used Fear exclusively. The school’s discipline was high, but the girls’ personal quests stalled or veered into negative paths. Next time, I stuck to my guns with a calm, procedural approach and watched their Submission skyrocket alongside their personal story progress. It was a night-and-day difference.

Your relationship with staff also feeds into this balance. Training Miss Potts, for example, isn’t just about unlocking mechanics; it’s about bringing a key ally to your way of thinking, which stabilizes the school environment.

So, remember: Punish for the infraction, not for the anger. Be the calm, unwavering force of order. Use Fear sparingly to correct defiance, but build Submission daily through consistent rules. Keep a close eye on event outcomes (save before uncertain ones!), and always tutor your weakest student. Follow this Headmaster game grades guide philosophy, and you’ll not only survive Ruth’s exam—you’ll have a school running so perfectly, you’ll have plenty of time to explore everything else this deep, immersive world has to offer. 😎

There you have it—your roadmap to conquering The Headmaster with smart discipline plays, quest mastery, and those pivotal choices that shape your story. From my endless replays, sticking to conviction while pushing boundaries delivers the most satisfying runs. Now grab the latest version, fire it up, and transform that school. Share your wildest endings or toughest quests in the comments—what’s your go-to strategy for Ruth’s exam? Dive in and play!