Cython actually does compile Python into machine code and it does support Python 3. It even has partial support for Python 3.5, including the matrix multiplication operator (@).

Anyway, why do you want to make a stand-alone executable in the first place?

Cool if Cython trule truly does so (nowhere does it say so though).

Stand-alone executable is important for portability of program. Python isn't part of Windows installation. And even if it was, it has many compatibility issues in-between versions (no backwards compatibility, ehh?...). Also stand-alone executable usually means program which was compiled into machine code (which increases its performance by a lot(. Py2exe seems just to insert interpreter in package with raw Python code.

So unless you want to make program which only you can you only on your PC, you can make it and use it from Python virtual machine. But if you want your program actually be useable anywhere else - it must not be dependent on any other software. Noone installs Unity while installing Unity-based games, noone installs Ogre while installing Ogre-based games, etc. Portability + performance (+ defense of source code).

First, my game is likely to require a module that isn't available standard on Windows. The game would be expected to work on Cygwin and MinGW (if a curses library is installed), but it's not the primary target.

Once this is established, it is reasonable to expect a Linux user to have certain dependencies installed. In fact, Python is such a common dependency that it is likely to be installed anyway. (Even distribution package managers have been known to depend on Python, and such distributions will not even let you remove Python from the system. (Gentoo doesn't, for example.))

Portability can be solved with a virtual machine image if necessary.

Performance can be handled by something like Cython, which does indeed compile to C (which in turn compiles to machine code).

What you refer to as "defense of source code" is explicitly a non-goal for me. I am of the opinion that source code should be shared, not locked up. Having the source code available also makes it much easier to modify the program, as well as allowing others to port it to platforms you haven't even heard of. (Consider, for example, the Raspberry Pi.) Plus, even if one desires to keep the source code secret, it is still possible to disassemble the executable and figure out what it's doing.

(Note that there is the option of using copyright to disallow redistibution, but making the source code available to those who have legally obtained a copy.)

If you want your game to be reachable for many, you might want to consider making Windows-based installer/package as well. Windows is quite different from Linux, so Python was never part of it, neither such dependence is ever expected.
There are ways in other programming languages to compile for other platforms. Necessity to install something else is asking too much, especially in time when malware blooms. E.g., "new" py2exe seemed to be nasty malware instead, so Windows itself kept auto-deleting it. Could it be false positive? Maybe, but why risk?

Raspberry PI. It seems to be distributed mostly with Linux OS and Python. Situation is vastly different with Windows.

You can also always provide source code as something optional if people want to look at it/compile it all by themselves. But there are also those who want just to click install once and not surf Internet in search of interpreters and compilers, especially if to consider amount of malware around. So you'd lock a very large playerbase from accessing your game.

Cleared out the guards and went through the Golden Woods. I found a Knowledge of Herbs skill book. Interestingly, Hunting triggered rather frequently as I was exploring the area. I still dislike the practice of disabling saving in specific areas; I would prefer saving only allowed in certain areas.

Second hound encounter: One Young Hound got a turn in and did 31 damage + stun to my mage. Fortunately, she actually had enough HP to survive (she has like 70HP, I believe), but on a harder difficulty this may have happened earlier. (No item this time, unlike the first time.)

Flames level 3 is quite good against the guards: On a lucky cast, the damage plus burning will kill an archer on its next turn (on the easiest difficulty). Hammer of the Destroyer might be good for later, but not yet. (Enemy HP isn't yet high enough for wounding to be a worthwhile strategy.)

Party is level 9, and I got a fair amount of XP from clearing the guards and from completing the woods.

On Olg-School Veteran normal hounds are quite harmless. I strongly recommend investing in all resistances, it will cut damage from many sources, including Eletric-based attack of cursed hounds. At level 8+ they start coming in packs of 3.

At L.v 110 I saw hound pack consisting of:
1. 5 Ancient Cursed Hounds (800 HP each, just so you know).
2. 2 Cursed Hounds (not young ones).
You are more than ready for first bosses. First one awaits you in Tower of Melancholy soon.

And I am on preparatory stage yet. I am not in a hurry though.

Just killed that boss. The boss didn't last that long. I think I was a little overleveled, plus I'm still playing the easiest difficulty.

Anyway, here are the consequences of going without thief skills so far:

Locks: So far, every lock that can't be opened with a key can be forced. This takes time and food, and will wound your party. Wounding is less of an issue if you have a Cleric with Cure Wounds (have her heal herself first), and later, having a Paladin help could also be good. Remember, it is the character with the lowest HP/PP percentage left that dictates how long you need to rest. Also, if there are multiple locks to force in a small area, it may be a good idea to break them all before you heal, as the wounds have yet to reach the point where Cure Wounds level 1 can't remove them in one casting.

Traps: The traps in this tower were doing around 30 points of damage when triggered. The way to deal with them is the Paladin's Aura of Healing, which will allow you to trigger more traps before having to rest. (The level of this skill doesn't matter unless you are speedrunning and want to save real time.) I have yet to encounter a trap that doesn't disappear when triggered.

Going without Thief (or Thief skills) is quite possible, if you have Cleric. Without Cleric, however, it will quickly turn into unbearable tedium.

Also due to the way how thief skills work (higher skills reduce RNG and twitch requirements but not eliminate it), I might skip leveling Thief skills. I wish non-combat skills were separated from combat-skills, as lack of skill-points doesn't let you raise even class-defining skills (Theif skills, bard's Songs, Paladins' Auras) comfortably.

But what concerns Paladin's Aura of Healing, it competes with Aura of Protection PP- and skill-wise. Cleric eventually gets group healing (Paladin too, but he won't be able to afford casting it on regular basis). Lv.1 Aura doesn't outheal damage even from first traps on Old-School Veteran mode.

One cast of Level 1 Aura might not outheal traps, but there is nothing stopping you from repeatedly casting the spell until you run out of PP. The thing with Aura of Healing is that, unlike other healing spells, it does not gain in efficiency when leveled up; a level 1 Aura is just as efficient as a level 30 Aura, you just have to cast it more times.

Also, remember that you can rest to regain PP before your next fight.

Aura of Protection leaves no PP for chain Aura of Healing casting on real mode (you have less PP there as well). Paladin is heavily limited to casting 2-3 spells before running out of PP (unless you severely cripple him by investing into EN and Meditation). What you offer is basically, rest after fight, trigger trap, then rest again. This will quickly lead to necessity of making food runs after each couple of fights.

However, if you have thief skills at least at lv.1, you can run in circles where trap should be, and it will eventually be discovered, it will just take more time. And you can use Reload to properly disarm traps. Reloading will save much more time than farming food.

Funny thing, just a bit ago I was reading Yendorian Tales II official walkthrough, the page which promotes save-scumming to save lockpicks :))

Personally, I don't like the term "save-scumming", as it implies that saving and reloading is somehow bad, and I don't agree with that; I consider it to be a smart strategy. (If the game encourages it, it is the game's fault, not the player's.)

Wizardry 4 expects you to do that (although there is the downside that it makes enemies respawn). Given that many spell casting items have chances to break and that some encounters can easily kill you (MAKANITO comes to mind), you are going to have to reload if you get unlucky. Also, the item that prevents MAKANITO from killing you has a 15% chance to break when invoked and needs to be invoked at every equip action if you want the benefit. It's also worth noting that the game offers 8 save slots, which was a lot for the time, and has the option to copy saves to another disk in case 8 slots aren't enough. (I find that I generally end up using around 4 for serious saves.)

By the way, Elminage Gothic has a penalty for save reloading: time passes, causing your characters to age. In the bonus dungeons (especially the final one), the penalty is rather high, making it often worthwhile to just continue and revive those who died. (Not to mention that the final bonus dungeon has encounters that can be brutal even at three digit levels.)

I don't see save-scumming as negative term and don't see it as something negative (unless it feels enforced by gameplay). There is just no better term to describe the process :))
Nay, I don't see it as big penalty. Player can always farm some more Goddess Kisses.

I threw away that save. Lv.160 save is available on this forum, so you can check.

I didn't check, because spending money on scrolls is highly unaffordable luxury. Real mode+ makes you forget that such vendor tab even exists. Don't forget that most things in real mode+ are MUCH more expensive and you get significantly LESS gold from everything, to the point that you have to farm cereals in the beginning of the game just for the blessings.

Also remember that all gold you waste on scrolls and similar things = a lot of wasted experience for nothing (because you will be able to indirectly convert gold into exp). And Golot, Learning and Mercantilism will decide rate of EXP return.

About food. Food from Fog of War (shouldn't be mistaken for Hunting skill) and food from encounters is limited. You ended up with more than what you had just because of difficulty mode. On higher difficulty modes 2 Nengorth patrols usually require you to rest, and there are around 3 of them as random encounters and around 4 stationary. Farming food often stands on the way on higher difficulty modes (and no, buying food from NPC is not sustainable at all).

Scrolls I see as something situational: If a specific fight is difficult, the right scroll might make it easier. Maybe you are in a situation where inflicting freeze/stun on the enemy is what you need to do to win the battle. (Example: Stun an enemy right before your Arcane Soldier acts, then use Freezing Slash to freeze the enemy, and maybe your mage's turn isn't at a convenient time.) Also, using Sparks V scrolls can end a battle faster.

Also, the conversion of gold into experience isn't yet available for me, so it does not help in the early game, which is widely reported to be the hardest part of the game. Given that, it makes sense to sacrifice power in the long run (when you don't really need it) to make the early part of the game easier.

Regarding food, I should point out two things:
1. None of the Nengroth patrols were still there; I already killed them all.
2. I was actually exploring the forest areas. Of note is that some of the food I found came from plants, which *do* respawn. (I only stopped because my party now qualifies for a level up.)

I suspect that on Hardcore mode, it might become necessary to make use of scrolls and potions in the early game until you can get your footing. (On Normal, I haven't needed to do so.)

Also, remember that some enemies drop potion-like items. Some you will want to sell, but it may be worth keeping a few around to use if needed. They tend to be a little heavy, however (with the noticeable exception of the fangs dropped by Cursed Hounds, which are lighter than the revive potions).