A Vision of Brute Squad (Inactive)

Game Master ThorGN

Animals with great will power defy me! and my sensibilities. >:/

In the other session I’m running, they had a mook with a +2 Will Save shrug off Hold Person and Glitterdust. It was pretty funny. Well, at least for me it was.

Did my Reflex save of a 13 succeed, or is Baru re-entangled?

Ah, right, Baru is re-entangled.

The centaurs will be along to claim the body, swopping for snakeskin belts and alligator purses. :)

Somehow I can really see Aesantiel and Noa rockin' the matching 'gator cowboy boots.

It's a plan. :)

@Kassandra: I believe that you still have Aesantiel's wand, as pre-arranged in Discussion and then roleplayed in Gameplay.

@Kass - what Dasiji said. You've got the CLW wand, and it's for party use.

Dasiji has one too, and Noa has a different kind. So I'd say, do what you think you need to do in-combat; but when combat is over, wait for us so that we can spread the cost around.

Dangit! Barely missed the editing cutoff...

What do you think of the formatting? In that line of stats under my name, I'm currently putting them in square brackets if they reflect a temporary condition (such as the Dex penalty from being entangled). Good/bad/indifferent? Recommendations?

I've been trying to keep a status line in combat posts reflecting current (up-to-the-action) status, and only changing the alias status line for longer-running conditions (e.g. between combats). I haven't been as successful or consistent at this as I've intended to be. I've reached this conclusion because the alias status line changes retroactively - if you keep a status line in the current action, then you can back through and track changes through the posts and get full visibility into your accounting. The alias status line doesn't hold that history...

Using brackets to denote temporary conditions I think is useful.

Thanks! My custom is to have a Current Status at the end of my posts, so I'm quite happy to be consistent with my other games (past and present). Post edited!

Also, new topic! What do you prefer for my writing style? I have a couple of different ones that I call "cinematic" and "narrative"; I enjoy flexing my narrative muscles these days, but not at the expense of others' enjoyment, so I want to make sure that it's a good fit for this game.

I started out in PbP with third-person limited, which uses the third-person voice from the character's point of view. (The style that Noa is using brilliantly.) Then I joined a game that I loved reading, and really worked on my third-person omniscient in order to fit in.

That game is currently suspended because the DM got promoted to where he doesn't have time, but now I'm using that skill in an EverQuest game. And the reason why I ask is because I used that style a little in this post.

This is all about having fun, so I want to know what people like. If the narrative style is jarring, then I'll be totally cool with practicing the cinematic style some more. If you like the variety -- or at least don't mind -- then I'll happily be self-indulgent and go all third-person omniscient on you whenever I have more time to spend (i.e. when I'm not at work). Just so you know what to expect. :)

I'm glad you like the style in which I've written. I have to warn you, I don't always stay in one style, transient influences can get me writing oddly. I've been told I can be very hard to understand, though not yet have I been told that by anyone I really thought wanted to understand. I do respect the art, and I know the writer's art is in communicating something. Information, mood, tone... incoherence.

I use the style I do because when I've got to interweave dice rolls and such, it seems to flow better than first person. When free of dice rolls, there's more stylistic freedom. I do hope we're in for a long haul, and you'll see some freer prose, too.

First person?! I was just talking about third-person limited vs. third-person omniscient. I mean, if the opportunity arises for you to make a great first-person post, then I wouldn't begrudge you it; but it runs so far past my question that when we finish by a nose, you're a lap ahead.

I write what I feel like, and don't pay much attention to the style beyond what I think sounds good.

Then again, English class was never my most-loved class.

OK, back to your question. I don't see me keeping the profile-based status line up to date. I will try to tag it onto the action declaration for each round.

Yes, as to that, I expect that you would post conditional modifiers in you posts with your stat line at the standard 'normal' for your character. The only think that would be helpful for you to update in your stat line would be your current HP. Though, I guess you could post that in the thread as well. I just like looking for it there for some reason.

Did someone actually crank up 'inspire courage'? I can't find it back in the thread. It'd be greatly appreciated if someone had.

On the particular voice in use... I've been trying to school myself specifically to present, third person, limited. I try to provide character internals through 'thought bubble' internal dialogue ('like this..') and very occasional direct internal state insight (player has a very important insight into the character's insights to share).

In another thread, we recently did a 'flashback' (there was a piece of the adventure we all decided needed to be fleshed out bit more), and I tried hard to get everyone to write in 1st person past tense, as though the characters were conveying the story in voice-over. I liked the result for my own stuff, and one or two other folks that tried for a bit. But it didn't get traction.

Yeah, Kass started singing in this post, and declared that we all had +1 to attack and damage and fear effects. I took her to mean vs. fear effects, and inferred that she was using inspire courage. And she hasn't said yet that she stopped singing.

ETA: I just realized that I'm inconsistent with my Current Status line. In my Serpent's Skull PbP, I put the number after the "hp" or "AC"; in my EverQuest PbP, I put the number first. So apparently, I don't have a preference.

ETA x2: Okay, this is getting ridiculous. I haven't rolled double digits for anything since round 2. :(

I described the croc as prone because I assumed it was a crocodile and not a bipedal standing creature. Maybe I misread something in its description. Otherwise I applied a penalty for a ranged attack on a target that is lying on the ground. That was my reasoning.

I don't this the penalty for range attacking a prone creature would apply here.

Ok, so now season 1 scenarios are on sale! Which means it would be nice for me to know if people would be excited about playing the Devil We Know series and I should buy them while on sale, or if you all would lean toward exploring something else at level 3.

I don't have many scenarios under my belt so I'm in.

I'm up for whatever. :)

"Can't we all just get along?"

Remind me also to introduce y'all to Sidhon, my kobold magus character someday :)

I'm sure we can get along. I understand what's 'wrong' with Kass and the wand, Noa is a bit less forgiving and feeling much less forgiven around that point. And I know Tiel thought Noa was debating whether the kobold was a pop-top or a screw-off. Noa was not, she was debating whether it's kinder to use magic to shape a conversation ('twist a head'), or to let the bad conversation lead to more death. But still stinging from Kass, the shoulder from Tiel seemed an echo, not a separate event.

It's all good, Noa can't stay mad more than...(consults rules) 6 rounds.

(didn't really consult rules)

:)

Really - no offense intended. But after Snapjaw getting decapitated, ransacking her place, and at least three people piling on to the 'let's just pop her and move on', well, Aesantiel's not rolling over.

Every PBP needs a good rant. All of the scenarios I have GMed to date have had one. Thanks for serving us up this session, Aesantiel. :)

always glad to be of service :)

Excuse my absence, please I tried to hit up the boards yesterday but they were down.

"No trespassing or walking on the grass. Rabid watch-kobold on duty. Danger."

Just so you know, they got the Rise of the Runelords Deluxe Collector's Edition in on Wednesday, and it should be going out on Monday (which is also the last day of the Black Friday sale). I may be insane, but I went ahead and got it, even though it took shifting some money around. It looks really unique.

Are you all still discussing things or shall I move us along?

I think we're really mostly not discussing. We've all got the meta-knowledge that we're probably fine no matter what we do, and that whether we burn her in her log, help her bake swamp-nuggets, or arm her with a brace of heavy crossbows, it's all good. Which makes all the blather just alignment and RP stake-driving. We could do that for days, but it's only interesting for those involved (which would include me).

Which is why Noa's suggested bringing her along as a guide. Involuntarily, sure, but with the intention of rapport and rehabilitation, which seems a net upside from 'Pinks come, kill croc', which is the current view of events for the kobold. We can't get her past her attack-on-sight behavior until she acknowledges she attacked on sight. And if we can't get her past that behavior, it's like we carefully reset her as a trap for the next travelers. (Although devoid of the croc. For now.)

She needs to be dead, or with us. Those are our only moral-high-ground paths. Everything else is some degree of cowardice and not-my-problem. Only one of those paths has a possible future improvement in her status.

Noa would say all that. In Gameplay, I'll have her try her languages on the kobold. Maybe if we had more than one speaker, whatever we decide will go more quickly.

yah, I'm coning round to the idea that building your house in the middle of the road probably is actually a capital offense.

Some signs, some whistles, a bit o' training of the kobold. I think we can reduce the incidence of travelers killed by kobold in the region, without having to kill the kobold in the process.

Not perfect, but it's not a perfec kobold either :)

I really hope I'm not buzzkilling anyone here. If the agreed intent is to blitz 4-hour scenarios in a videogame fashion, I'll board that train.

And building your house there isn't capital, but defending your radius with attack crocs is.

Of course, it's not likely it's in the mission brief... 'Party rehabilitates the Bogmother, become silent partners in Swamp Nuggets franchise: 500xp'. LOL

The one false assumption you’re operating on here is that her house is on a road. At this point you know the general direction you are going, but the swamp is more of a wilderness that you are navigating via rabbit trails rather than a regularly traveled path. The fact that you happened upon her home is more dumb luck than anything else.

I do find it interesting that the death penalty is considered to be the moral high ground for the crazy old Kobold.

I’m not implying that we blitz through scenarios. I just noticed the conversation seemed to have halted so I wanted to prompt people to continue with something.

Now... Let me address the moral high ground point, in light of rabbit trails.

Even if we're trespassers, we have a right of warning. Piled stones, staked skulls. If you without warning explode into lethal action when approached, you are a trap to be disarmed. She declared this war.

We're still working on a truce. If truce is never declared, we do her more honor with her death, than by overrunning and discarding her. We do the most honor, and the most good, by learning and teaching. We just killed her weapon, perhaps her defender, likely her only friend. Do we leave her crippled that way? No. We have a duty. And we have a mission. She comes with, or she dies.

We might fail first-contact protocol training at Starfleet Academy. But I think we'll complete this pathfinder mission, and do right by her, even if she reveals 'right' to be a swift death.

(I took my FCP training on Qonos)

A long day at work without Internet access, so I just caught up part of the way for now. I'll get caught up the rest of the way as soon as I can.

So, sell the mule and cart?

"Oh, don' look a' me like tha'. I almos' give you to a kobol', for a ga'or..."

:)

I would say yes, and sell the tents too. We might've been a tad over-prepared for a scenario aimed at newbies. ;)

I think that I'll actually keep my tent in my hypothetical Absalom residence; I just mean, sell them for now. Is that something we can do? I'm still trying to wrap my head around the differences between accounting for items within a scenario and between scenarios.

I too am unclear on how all that is supposed to work. I hope to understand it by 2nd level, when I can cash out and buy in again.

Maybe Noa can make up for the losses from buy/sell by dancing, since she can't otherwise actually make 'permanent' cash during the scenario.

There isn’t really any reason to sell tents at this point. Just keep them around for future use. You are supposed to record things bought/sold in session and after session on the Chronicle. Just treat them the same. Does that help?

You've probably said that before, and it's just taking some repetition to penetrate. Whether buying or selling, whether in-session or after-session, it all gets recorded on the chronicle sheet. So for us to not have to lug those extraneous tents around for the rest of the scenario... we need to rent a storage unit here. We shouldn't be gone long, so hopefully it won't cost much.

Like Noa, I'm planning on cashing out and buying in again at 2nd, since I'm still discovering things about how it all works. Just so you know, I'm also planning on carrying forward expenses that are part of the character's action history, like spent ammo and rented storage units.

And paying for passage across the ocean...

Oh, and I keep forgetting to mention: yes, I would like the Evoking Day boon very much. :)

Incase anyone wants to know, Jayne is no where in the scenario. I’m just pulling things out of my GM butt. (And having a lot of fun with it too.)

Last scenario Aesantiel got a GM cookie for making nice to one of his personal NPCs :)

What is a cookie?