| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I also really don't see the point of bickering and fighting. Let's just play some games and have fun, ok? :)
Oh, I'm still here. I've been eating popcorn watching everyone bicker and fight. I'm perfectly happy with how things are going aside from that, so I have nothing to contribute to the arguments. Once the story gets moving back in the gameplay thread, I'll be there posting as normal. P.S - Happy Anniversary!
SKYRIM co-op would be so amazing and fun. It would be a lot like diablo, where you team up with friends and sack dungeons and kill monsters. You can then translate any loot you get to your single player experience. I'd love to see something like that happen in the future. World of Warcraft and standard MMO's are just too time consuming, but with Skyrim, I'm able to play when I want and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything or neglecting the game or life by playing/not playing. I'm playing a Dark Elf Archery assassin with conjuring. She uses the summoned bow and kicks the crap outta people. Plus, I'm really good with the bow. I've pulled off some stunning shots I have to say! She just signed on with the Dark Brotherhood, who I plan to take all their missions and quests, and then (as is fitting the theme of an assasin), I'll execute each of them when they no longer server my purposes ;) Re: Game I like the idea of us being able to assign RC points to your characters. Good thinking.
I'm fine with whatever. Just adding my 2 cents. I'll play in whatever way we ultimately desire. And I'll agree with ODV. Just rewind things a bit, add the cover to the difficulty modifier and do a re-roll for fairness. In honesty I don't think the topic of trees needed to take up this much of our time. It could have gone like this: Pinvendor: And you're shot! It hurts. He nails you in the treeline. Stavo: Quick question. I'd think I'd be harder to hit because of the cover of the trees themselves. Can we add that to his difficulty to hit me? And if so, is the result the same. Pinvendor: Ok, good point. Let me consider that. GM makes his ruling, players accept, on we go. No reason to get all emotional :) Game on!
1 RC to the Gamemaster for the awesome work on the top down maps!
Corinne stands idly against a wall as she watches the little orphan girl Arielle play. Slowly she turns her eyes towards the Dungeon Master, blinks, and then averts her gaze back to the young child...
/rubs hands together :D
I really like our core group of players here. Things kind of spun out of control in our Warhammer game. I think between the four of us we'll be able to come up with something really evolved and fun. I also like the fact that this adventure is a giant sand box as Pinvendor mentioned. There are so many different ways this can go! And being it isn't set in the Warhammer universe, we can actually win! Go figure, haha. Take that and choke on it, Chaos Gods! :)
Ironically, it was that very thing that Dagon would accuse me of in our play by post. He said nothing I created in terms of encounters made any sense. From the Cave Troll, to the Undead outside the passage, to the Bog Octopus or the Slaneesh Kurgan, it was all ridiculous and stupid in his opinion. I try very hard to make sure everything makes sense and has a proper back story, so I took a lot of offense to that. Anyhow, my point is I know you'll take the somewhat silly mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons and ground them a bit in Warhammer sensibilities. Looking forward to it!
The way I'm seeing this world in my mind is like I'd view an MMO. High magic, lots of things that really don't always make sense because, well, it's an alternate world. That being said, you can still use common sense, especially when it comes to the use of monsters and challenges. That's the dominion of the Game Master. We're not your average players. Most Dungeons and Dragons gamers are building characters like they would in an MMO, simply trying to min/max their stats and equipment in the hopes to become THE MOST POWER CHARACTER EVEEEEEEEEER! We're not like that. So I'd suggest you make adjustments to the encounters as needed, and write in reasons why monsters/encounters would be in the places they are in the first place. For instance, the Steel Elemental in the jungle that ODV mentioned. It wouldn't take much creative work to describe why it's there in the first place, some cool kind of backstory. As far as gold goes, I suppose we could just leave things the same and ignore the foolishness of carrying 10,000 gold around. Or perhaps there is some kind of intricate banking system like in Harry Potter? Not sure :) And regarding Corinne, I currently have her at the age of 16. I think it's funny that Ragnar's mighty band of heroes has him babysitting two young orphans, haha! Oh the jokes in Valhalla for that one!
Ok, I'll look into having those parts of the book printed out for easy reference. Considering Cody's barbaric nature, I think I'll go with a classic Conan feel and play his trusty rogue sidekick. I'll have to read up more on rogues and their variations before I give more details. But I'm leaning that direction.
Awesome, I am now the proud owner of the Pathfinder PDF. I'll be reading it over in my free time. Looking over the classes now, I'm thinking that Paladin jumps out at me. I played a Paladin extensively in World of Warcraft and enjoyed it. A female Paladin would be a lot of fun. I like playing female characters, but it's tough to do in a live action setting since I have such a deep voice and masculine nature, haha! I have to say, though, I'm pretty excited to try something new after all this time. It sounds refreshing! Also, Pinvendor, check your Paizo inbox!
Bog! Slaanesh!! Artillery!!! Daemons!!!! Fumble! = Black Pigeon apparently LOL, so it would seem. Big babies! ;)
Speaking of players, been talking with Stavo a bit here and there. He plans to rejoin the game with a new character soon. Should be fun to have his voice back in the game :)
"FIRE FOR EFFECT!" From where you find yourselves, both in the tunnel and hidden outside in the ruined buildings of Wolfenburg, the initial sound of the cannonade firing is a distant thunderous blast: BOOM, BOOOOM, BOOOOOM! And then, after long worry filled moments, the dreaded whistle of incoming artillery fire reaches your ears! A shrill shriek fills the air like the howling of a hundred banshees, the huge explosive shells tear through the night, a threat of impending doom!
Imperial Cannon Revenge: vs 45: FUMBLE! Imperial Cannon Doomhammer: vs 45: EPIC FUMBLE! Imperial Cannon Foecrusher: vs 45: EPIC SUPERNATURAL SUCCESS!
Elsewhere, back to the estate of the Lady Gravin... Brother Pieter Shultz was an unremarkable man by all accounts. He was middle aged, overweight and balding, with only a moderate intelligence and no resounding courage to speak of. The one thing he did have in spades, however, was the desire to survive. In the quiet solitude of his chambers, Brother Pieter kneels in prayer before the alter of Sigmar he had erected here, his white and gold habits strained to popping under his considerable weight. In truth, it had been some time since Sigmar had answered any of his prayers. It was as if the God of the Empire had turned a blind ear to the priest. "Oh, Holy Sigmar, bless me with your strength and resolve. Show me the way to smite my enemies and--" Try as he like, the words were hollow and flat. They had no weight, no substance. It was of no use, at least not in this place. Brother Pieter no longer held any illusions about the true nature of the Gravin or her purpose, and because he had refused to act, refused to intervene, he also was damned, just like her. A number of things had gone strangely wrong lately, Brother Pieter realized, and it had all started with his association with the Gravin. She had pulled him in, like a spider to a fly, luring him with sweet promises of wealth and power and other...pleasures. But the rewards had soon turned to blackmail, and it was far too late to turn back. If Brother Pieter wanted to survive (as he most certainly did), he would have to play his part. He had been weak, he understood that now, and the price for that mistake would be costly. "Sigmar protect me..." Brother Pieter said grimly, straining to stand under his own weight. Like before, the words held no weight whatsoever.
AND YET AGAIN, ELSEWHERE, TO THE ESTATE OF THE LADY GRAVIN. THE EYE OF THE RAVEN IS BUSY... In times of war, it was always difficult to find good servants and worthy entertainment. Here, on the ass end of the frontier, The Lady Gravin Maria-Ulrike von Liebewitz of Ambosstein had to make due with what she had. Gathered with the rest of her meager host of lords and ladies, squires and sycophants, the Gravin sat on a raised dais to watch the evenings entertainment; she nearly choked on the word. The capering jester her Master of Entertainment had hired from the city streets tumbled into the room foolishly. He was nothing more than a half leprous painted drunk. The Gravin was nearly of the mind to hang the man on the spot. That would certainly liven things up. "And now, for your pleasure Lords and Ladies..." the jester began. "This is not for their pleasure, it is for mine!" The Gravin responded coldly, "Idiot..." It pleased her to torment this man. Yes, this would make due for the moment. "Uh, of course m'lady Gravin," the jester replied, bowing low. He nearly fell over. A great laugh ripped through the room. The man looked ashamed. "Ahem--And now, for your pleasure Gravin I--" "You will use my full and proper title," the Gravin responded, raising an arched eyebrow. It was her tell. She was about to do something unpleasant. "Uhhh, oh, yes..." the fool stammered. "The, uh, Lady Emanuelle Ulrike--" "THAT IS NOT ME! THAT IS MY DEAR AUNT!" the Mistress of Ambosstein howled in mock rage. She was enjoying herself now. The room was deadly quiet now. The Gravin continued, "Master-at-Arms?" "Yes, m'lady?" the Master-at-Arms replied, stepping forward with a curt salute, a long halberd held high bore the banner of the Gravin's proud house. "This...man disrespects me. He will either address me by my proper title or you will kill him where he stands. Do you understand?" "Yes, m'lady!" the soldier replied quickly. He was far too used to this kind of order to even consider disobeying. "And now," the Gravin purred, leveling her gaze upon the sweating jester in the center of the room. "Carry on! Start from the beginning." Needless to say, the poor man did not make it past the first lengthy title. He was dead before he hit the floor. Men and women loudly applauded as a pool of blood spread like a red mirror on the marble flagstones. A pair of guards appeared from nowhere and swept the body away down through the servants quarters. "Ahhhh, well! Some excitement at last?" the Gravin said magnanimously. This tickled the fancy of the crowd who began to laugh. "What's to be next? Ah, send in the minstrel!" The next man to appear was thin and fail, nothing more than a ghost. His lank red hair hung like wet razor lines down an otherwise handsome face. "M'lady Gravin Maria-Ulrike von Liebewitz of Ambosstein," the Master of Entertainment said with a smile and a bow. The man knew his mistresses title well and was wise enough to wield it properly. "May I present to you Caspar the Red, Bard of the Balustrade, Warrior of Wolfenburg and lover of the unloved!" A general gasp of interest filled the room. Caspar did not so much as stir, his face a mask devoid of emotion or insight. In his hands he carried a freshly painted lute, one that Gretta herself had found in the ruins of an abandoned inn. It had been in bad shape, but a little red paint and some tender attention had done wonders. Caspar clutched the thing like his life depended on it. "Where did you find this man?" the Gravin asked, sizing up Caspar as a panther ponders it's pray. "He is not much to look upon, yet somehow I find his features...interesting." "Ah, he is a veteran of some many battles we think, Gravin. He was found at the Hospice of Shallyah under the care of a young initiate. And indeed, he is not much to look upon. But when he sings and plays--It is a thing to behold!" "Well then," the Gravin smiled. "Let us hear a song then. Proceed..." Caspar's slender fingers began to work over the frets of the lute then, moving slowly at first, carefully, as if he were caressing the face of some long forgotten lover. It was a somber song, an odd counterpoint that seemed strangely fitting to near manic (and deadly) joviality of the court. The Lady Gravin and her servants sat attentively, listening, watching, taking in the entire scene with peaked interest. To Caspar, who was in truth only half aware, they seemed like a flock of vultures dressed in the fine robes of lords and ladies. For some time the song played on like this, riding the hills of its somber tempo up and down, until at last the song was nearly at an end. Tears began to fill the eyes of those who listened and watched. It was only then that Caspar began to sing, a strange stanza of lyrics that had been repeating in his head over and over and over-- "Soft comes the wizard, burning from orange to blue
The song ended. Silence. The Lady Gravin Maria-Ulrike von Liebewitz of Ambosstein stood from her seat then, her long form fitting robes flowing behind her. She began to clap, slowly at first, the others in the room soon began to follow suit. "Caspar the Red is it?" the Gravin said at last, her face filled with awe and wonder. "Well played, sir. Well played! Master-at-Arms?" "M'lady?!" the soldier snapped to attention yet again. "I think I'll keep this one. Make sure all his needs are met. I want him fed, bathed and dressed, in my livery mind you, awaiting me in my chambers as soon as you are done." "Yes, m'lady!" For the first time in a long while, Caspar blinks...
ALBRECHT: INTO THE PAAAAAAAAST! You did not trust the Farseer, but he himself was far too trusting. To leave you alone in his tower, not even to suspect you and your own intelligence. Certainly, that would be his undoing. You had nearly completed the ritual as ordered, along with your own special touches to ensure that any dark magic would trigger a fitting surprise, when you had felt the book. here i lay. discover me. look upon me. be enlightened. You found the tome in a hidden recess behind an old wooden shelf. Thinking back, you're certain the Stone had lead you to it. Wrapped in black Nipponese cloth, the cumbersome tome was a massive affair, yet somehow it seemed as light as brittle bone and as cool to the touch as a midnight soaked blade. behold my secrets. Pulling back the silk veil, you had been struck by the sheer beauty of the thing. What a work of art! The cover, front and back, was the shell of a long dead sand scarab, it's interlocking jaws wrapped around the outer folds of the book, acting as a clasp to keep the mysterious grimoire closed. i am as water to the thirst of a dying man. drink of me. CLACK! the great jaws of the tome snapped open without a single command, the chittering mandibles of the long dead scarab wriggled and writhed, nipping at the pages as you flipped the cover back, revealing... i am the beginning and the end. know my mysteries. You had felt a thousand things at once. This relic, this tome, was incredibly old. You could smell a thousand years of incense waft up to your nose, you could feel the grit of Arabian sand upon each page. i am as eyes to the blind. look upon me. The knowledge! The power! The sheer depth of history and glory! You realized in one sweeping moment that this was in fact one of the great texts of himself! open your mind to me and toget-- YOU SLAM THE BOOK SHUT! Your eyes had grown wide with dread and horror and lust. How long had you stood there reading from the pages? It had felt as if days had passed, and yet it had still been dark outside. Perhaps just a moment then? Tucking the ancient relic back into the folds of its silk covering, you had quickly hurried from the tower that night, your new found possession lovingly cradled in your arms. and so it begins.
FOR CASPAR, A FAREWELL: One by one you make your way to the old Wolfenburg orphanage, a sad building now turned over to the last remaining Sisters of Shallyah as a hospice for the care of the wounded and dying. It is to this grim place that you've come to pay what may be your final respects to one of your own. You walk in silence down the somber narrow hallways, moving like ghosts past rooms filled with those who's days are numbered. White sheets wither and dance on an unseen wind as you pass. Soon you arrive at a large room filled with cots and makeshift straw beds. At the far side of this room is a figure, curled and slumped, his back to each of you as he stares unblinking at a nearby wall. Next to him sits a woman dressed in the cool white habits of an initiate of Shallyah. "Thank you all for coming," she says, a familiar smile appearing beneath the white cowl. "I know it's what he would have wanted. I'm not sure he's really with us anymore, but the least we can do is try." The woman pulls back her cowl and you see Gretta in the initiate before you! "Yes, I thought it best. I have...troubles. And I think there might be no better way to help myself than by trying to help others. I thought I'd start with him." You see Gretta rest her hand across the shoulder of Caspar, gently stroking his cheek. The young bard is frozen, his eyes fixed, starting...straring...staring, never speaking. Not anymore. Upon seeing your shocked looks by her sudden reversal of career, Gretta laughs. "Oh, you remember Lieutenant Biedelmann?" she asks. "I really must give him credit. I was lost. This was his idea. Now I'm found. In the arms of Shallyah I think I might find at least some peace." Until Wolfenburg is totally overrun and you're raped and murdered. Or worse! you think. You shake your head to be free of such grim thoughts. "Anyhow, I really think it's best we let him rest. All this excitement has been too much for him today. Say goodbye, Caspar." In silence Caspar ignores Gretta's comments, his eyes fixed on a loosely hung portrait on the wall nearby. On it is painted a man dressed in gray and white. Behind him the sun is shining and the sky is clear. In his hands he holds a red lute and he's playing! The music must be beautiful. Women are dancing and children are laughing! An invisible tear runs down Caspar's cheek as the Eye of the Raven averts its gaze and the scene goes dark...
As far as the game goes I've been really happy with the quality/frequency of updates. I'll be posting some updates/backstory about Wolfenburg and possibly Caspar's exit story. I may likely telescope us ahead past the tunnel encounter and onwards to the city proper well I'll set up the 2nd act. Anyhow, I know it's the weekend so things will slow down, so have a good one guys and don't party too hard :) For me, it's off to the den of Slanneesh!
Only 200 more XP until next Career! and his inevitable madness! ;)
ALBRECHT: Your witch-sight flares up as the world melts away into incandescent shadow. The screams and shouts of battle fade into a disorted nebula of echoes and howls, as the figures around you shift and dance. Descriptive Challenge (Albrecht): Bring to life how the battlefield, the undead and your allies appear different as you survey the scene with your witch-sight. This challenge is worth +20xp. A figure begins to take shape (that only Albrecht can see), her pale form translucent and dancing on an unseen wind. In his pocket, the green chaos stone begins to glow brightly. "Alll-breeeeecht....remember the sssstooone. It issss your desssstiny...."
It would be cool, though I think he rolled everything random and Albrecht ended up being a Bright Wizard. Fate it seems.
Oh, Albrecht will find a way. The man has a knack for 'causing chaos', hah!
Njord clearly understands the soft spoken command of his new Captain and Daemon Master, Albrecht. The savage Norseman strikes almost immediately! The first blow is a downwards cut that quickly (and neatly) severs the head of the Kurgan prisoner. Blood SPRAYS into the snow like an opened ale cask...
And poor Largyn, he never sees it coming. Njord's final slash is a downward cut that sinks with a horrible crunch into the top of Largyn's skull. Teeth fly everywhere! As his body hits the snow, the blade slides lose of Njord's grasp, a grim testament to the power of the Norseman.
As combat unfolds I think the best analogy to use is that we've changed combat from Real Time to Turn Based. Once you act/resolve your fight, you're frozen while others catch up to the story. I think this will work out well as we learn the system better. Hope you guys will enjoy it. I'm having a lot of fun :)
And as far as the speed of combat goes in the new system I was illustrating, I noticed a lot of And the combat was over before I could even act! comments, keep in mind that I was just trying to showcase a different way to do things. In the future, if adopted, the GM would likely give a warning scenario and establish the situation, with everyone preparing for combat and taking on their respective threats. I just didn't want to waste time and just ran with the ball for sake of example :)
Really? I disagree on a number of levels. Let me explain: Survivability is actually really low. At the end of the fight if you or your opponent doesn't pass the saving throw, it's game over. If they do, they are out of the fight in some way but manage to live. And yes it is one roll, but it falls back on imagination. That's what PBP is about I think. You just kind of invent how things go instead of needing huge manuals to guide you. As far as time resolution, how does it not take care of it? It handles things really fast. Dagon: A group of bandits attack. Each of you are facing a single bandit with 4 attack and 4 defense dice. Everyone, resolve your fights and we'll go from there! After everyone posts up how things went, you can respond. Much less work for you. Just my thoughts. The old way is fine with me too, but it'll take a week to resolve a single battle. I've made my case. Your call :)
We can make the rules for killing blows a little less extreme as well. I haven't come up with a better idea yet, but as it currently stands I see people dropping dead right and left. Still, I think the general idea of turning over the info on the enemy and letting us resolve our combats totally in one single sweeping post could be pretty epic. It would save a lot of time for everyone involved, and I think it's safe to say we can trust our players not to power game.
Time seems to slow as the first Kurgan splits in half, his torso hangs in the air spraying blood and viscera everywhere! Mutated organs pump and scream (!) as Njord's red steel blade severs vital bone and tissue! The garroting cut is so fierce, Njord spins completely around (narrowly avoiding a wicked slash), and buries the blade into the head of the flying torso on his second bloody rotation. Blade, body and flesh slam into the snow, a volcano of human debris!
Albrecht stumbles forward and... ...the Gods await what happens next.
1d100 ⇒ 100 : AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This may not kill you...
Minus the pigeon of course :)
And yes, I'm man enough to admit that you were right, Pinvendor. An offtopic thread like this was VERY needed. I bow to your wisdom sir!
I'll let the gentleness slide this time Drachenfels...but next time, don't disappoint me!! I'm just luring you in with a false sense of security...
(Going Out of Character for the duration of this post) Hey guys, Gabriel here (GM Drachenfels). So as promised I'm in the process of starting a play by post Warhammer game. In this way I hope we can bring our Brotherhood back together once again. In order for this to happen you'll need to get familiar with this website and how to use it. Some of you are veterans of the system, while others are seeing this for the first time. In truth I'm somewhat of a novice here, but it seems easy enough to wield. That being said, here are a few things to note: 1) Create an account and your main user name. From there you can pick an Avatar (image) and then create additional aliases (and avatars) which represent the current character you plan to roleplay. 2) This will be a 2nd Edition Warhammer game. You'll be responsible for maintaining your own character sheets and assigning the XP you earn in a proper way. We all know the rules, but I'm always available to answer any questions. Also keep in mind that this will essentially be "Warhammer LITE". Rules will be fast and furious (and will probably develop as we go). 3) The main focus here is on story. Let's avoid Power Gaming. What's the bother? We have nothing to prove. Let's combine our creative minds and create some dark and impressive tales of the Old World! 4) The tools on this forum are very easy to use. You should see an area below that says "How to format your text". It uses standard HTML commands. You'll be able to use quote, bold, italic and roll dice. A bit on this: BOLD: Bold will be used for character speech. An example of this, "Ahhh, the darkness rises once again in the old forest. I wouldn't suggest ye enter...dark things lurk within." ITALICS: Italics will be used to describe movement/action. Drachenfels lifts his gloved hands and with a horrific incantation unleashes a wave of demonic energy! OOC: The Out of Character tags will frame your speech so you can ask questions or discuss the game in way your character would not. DICE ROLLS: As any good Warhammer game, you'll be called upon to offer up dice rolls. You can also volunteer them yourself for situations that seem fitting and I'll respond in kind. I'm working on simplifying Warhammer combat a bit so that we don't get bogged down in a 5 day combat to resolve a few swings. More on that soon. But here's how it would work: The Chaos Warlord raises the mighty blood runed axe of Khorne above his head, striking with a fury unseen! So that's it for now. I'm going to begin framing a story and putting together players. I'll probably do a little play testing with Cody to get some bugs worked out. Learn these forums, sign up and get ready for some grim adventure! Don't think too hard about your characters yet. I may go with pre-assigned characters and have you bring them to life. I may not. We'll see. I know we're all very busy so all I ask is that we try to update at least once per day. I think we can all manage that :) |