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I figured I would just pick an option and go with it. Let me know if you think it's a bad idea, though.Honestly, go ahead. Sometimes, we need a bit of a railroady nudge to cause us to react. I'd be more than appreciative. =)Ok, so should I fast forward a little bit?This kind of reminds me...
** spoiler omitted **
I'll roll with it.
Even if it was suggested by a halfling. I consider Lanwin the most competent of the trio, but that's not offering much. :P
Ok, so I moved you all ahead a little bit. There's a lot of information there. Read it carefully. If you wish to back-track a little bit, that's fine too.
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I thought the effect only worked on L-N-C axis. Whatevs. Just keep going.Huh? Vortic takes the penalty too? He's LG.Yeah, but he's still good.
It's technically how many steps away from your plane of alignment you are. There are some things I'm going to keep as is. (like some of how magic is affected on each plane), there are some things I'm going to modify (like the alignment effects of individuals) and there are some things I'm going to ditch (the penalty of magic items and weapons made on the prime material plane).
I want some noticable effects but not so much it's debilitating.
I thought the effect only worked on L-N-C axis. Whatevs. Just keep going.Huh? Vortic takes the penalty too? He's LG.Yeah, but he's still good.It's technically how many steps away from your plane of alignment you are. There are some things I'm going to keep as is. (like some of how magic is affected on each plane), there are some things I'm going to modify (like the alignment effects of individuals) and there are some things I'm going to ditch (the penalty of magic items and weapons made on the prime material plane).
I want some noticable effects but not so much it's debilitating.
Makes sense, given I'm True Neutral. Explains why Vortic and Vassago suffered the same mechanics, but different reasons. We're one step away. I updated my current status accordingly.
I thought it was funny, too. :)
No naughty librarian jokes yet? What's up with that?
I need to figure out what to ask but am on the way out the door right now.
No naughty librarian jokes yet? What's up with that?
I need to figure out what to ask but am on the way out the door right now.
I'm actually waiting to see what you or CH run with ...
I'm still trying to get what we're doing straight in my head.I'm actually waiting to see what you or CH run with ...No naughty librarian jokes yet? What's up with that?
I need to figure out what to ask but am on the way out the door right now.
me too.
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I'm actually waiting to see what you or CH run with ...No naughty librarian jokes yet? What's up with that?
I need to figure out what to ask but am on the way out the door right now.
I didn't want to go much further taking control and so on, so I'm also largely waiting for Pinna as well.
I'm also interested in E.'s and Elysia's responses. As regimented as this place is, they would easily get lost here. I kind of see Lanwin trying to keep tabs on them almost how I look to others with my kids at the grocery store.
There are a couple more things to show/demonstrate/explain and then ... all will be made clear ... kind of. ;-)
Moff:
Forgot that was under a "Pinna" spoiler.
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Moff: When you say 'your room,' do you mean we each perceive it as if we were in our own individual bedrooms and looking out of them?
It's a little hard to explain -- the more you look at it, the more you realize that it's the beginning of a path. It's said that anything that a person can think of can be found on Mechanus and that there is a path to it if a mind is disciplined enough to find it.
This is kind of like a portal but it's still different. There's nothing magical about the doorway -- there's something magical about Mechanus.
When you approach the door, you will understand that all you have to do is go to the garden -- or at least take the same steps you would to get to the garden back home. You open the door here -- the same way you would back home (jiggle the handle just right, open the door exactly 3 feet 4 inches, or something like that), and suddenly you find yourself on the street. You would then walk down what would be your hallway and turn right -- and find yourself someplace else. There can be something like saying a quick and simple prayer before entering a certain place will get you to the next part of the path. The point here is that you did this pretty much every day for the past few years so much so that you know this path like the back of your hand. And in some ways, you can see the path.
The path will stay open for only a few seconds after you start down it.
Does that make sense? Would you like to describe this in character?
** spoiler omitted **
I'd like to do it in character, but the first person I'd say anything to is E., and Taig's been AWOL for a bit with his move. :(
I'd like to do it in character,I thought you might.
...but the first person I'd say anything to is E., and Taig's been AWOL for a bit with his move. :(We need to send up the 'Badger Beacon'.
Done and done!
Wow, speak of the devil. Facebook gets results, I tellsya.
Gregg, you got more to ask Blue Corner? If not, I'll proceed in the library.
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Gregg, you got more to ask Blue Corner? If not, I'll proceed in the library.
I was just about to comment on that. I went ahead a little quickly to help get things going. I'm open to backtracking a bit to help people get caught up and answer any questions. (I kind of wish I could reorganize the posts though so they at least looked like they were happening in sequence.)
Gregg, you got more to ask Blue Corner? If not, I'll proceed in the library.I was just about to comment on that. I went ahead a little quickly to help get things going. I'm open to backtracking a bit to help people get caught up and answer any questions. (I kind of wish I could reorganize the posts though so they at least looked like they were happening in sequence.)
I understand the re-organization portion, but I'm only thinking to ask questions that may help the rest of us and not dwell too much time. I felt some of the answers the rogue modron provided seems to useful to us (such as the number of yellow-skinned folks following us...).
Agreed, it was a good idea to question the thing!
Moff:
Reorg would be a good feature. Right now, a map of our thread would resemble a Feynman diagram. We should petition the pmg!
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Moff: ** spoiler omitted **
If you focus and concentrate (ie. sufficient Wisdom checks) you can find paths to just about any place you can think of. However, the paths are fixed. You're not creating the paths -- you are in essence finding them. But there are a number of paths that overlap, intersect, and so on.
Does that help?
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Moff: ** spoiler omitted **** spoiler omitted **
And...
Another way to think of it -- it's almost like a labyrinth of the mind. Finding the pathways is much more a mental exercise than a true Perception check.
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I just had to comment on this...
You doddering old fool. Malek, could you come up with something more creative? Forcefyre? I know you're adept with those fireballs and you have a forcible personality, but you're not trying hard enough.
After I wrote that, I felt like I was naming characters on Rob Liefeld's X-Force. ;-)
I think I'll have you name my next ... character...
A lich named Skeletor?
I lied about Monday. :)
I'm imagining Forcefyre to have a lot of pouches, tiny feet, big guns, and a perpetual grimace. (This was before I read your comment Moff)
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<--------------- still really lost.
I'm hating that things are happening so fast we can't go back. :(
Feel free to "go back". I know that it can kind of make things confusing but if you wanted to do something, and we skipped over, let me know.
It looks like -- at this moment -- everyone is in the library, Pinna and E. are about to go through a doorway and are expecting everyone else to follow.
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What is going on? I'm really, REALLY lost.
Sorry. Apparently I went to fast fast forward.
Let's see. You made it to Mechanus. You went to the library there only to be turned away because you didn't have the right form. A rogue modron let you know some fine print in the laws that allowed you to gain access to the library without the forms. You also found out a few other minor things from him (it?). You went into the library and found the material referencing what you are looking for, but it didn't really give you the information you needed. Then Pinna was looking at a doorway oddly.
And here we are.
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<--------------- still really lost.
I'm hating that things are happening so fast we can't go back. :(
Feel free to "go back". I know that it can kind of make things confusing but if you wanted to do something, and we skipped over, let me know.
It looks like -- at this moment -- everyone is in the library, Pinna and E. are about to go through a doorway and are expecting everyone else to follow.
I'm really confused still. I've gone back over this a few times, refraining from reading spoilers and such. I think I might have to withdraw, because I haven't been able to follow what's been going on since before we left for Mechanus. Stuff is getting blown through so quickly, and I don't want to go back 24 hours to rehash something everyone else has passed. :(
I'll give it another read through. :(
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What is going on? I'm really, REALLY lost.Sorry. Apparently I went to fast fast forward.
Let's see. You made it to Mechanus. You went to the library there only to be turned away because you didn't have the right form. A rogue modron let you know some fine print in the laws that allowed you to gain access to the library without the forms. You also found out a few other minor things from him (it?). You went into the library and found the material referencing what you are looking for, but it didn't really give you the information you needed. Then Pinna was looking at a doorway oddly.
And here we are.
How did we get to Mechanus? I'm still not clear on what was going on with the shop, and I saw something about a pyramid key... next thing I know we're on Mechanus and Vassago is still talking with a Modron that I thought we left behind.
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Don't leave. I'll try and leave more time to allow people to role-play a little more. It seemed like people were getting frustrated so I kind of pushed things. (A little too much?)
How did we get to Mechanus? I'm still not clear on what was going on with the shop, and I saw something about a pyramid key... next thing I know we're on Mechanus and Vassago is still talking with a Modron that I thought we left behind.What is going on? I'm really, REALLY lost.Sorry. Apparently I went to fast fast forward.
Let's see. You made it to Mechanus. You went to the library there only to be turned away because you didn't have the right form. A rogue modron let you know some fine print in the laws that allowed you to gain access to the library without the forms. You also found out a few other minor things from him (it?). You went into the library and found the material referencing what you are looking for, but it didn't really give you the information you needed. Then Pinna was looking at a doorway oddly.
And here we are.
Everyone seemed to miss that the angel told the group the best way to get to Mechanus and gave them the key which was a small metal pyramid. So I kind of pushed people through that portal.
Urizen wasn't done with the modron when I kind of moved on so I allowed him to ask questions he would have asked.
I'll try to slow down a bit now. Again, sorry.
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Don't leave. I'll try and leave more time to allow people to role-play a little more. It seemed like people were getting frustrated so I kind of pushed things. (A little too much?)
How did we get to Mechanus? I'm still not clear on what was going on with the shop, and I saw something about a pyramid key... next thing I know we're on Mechanus and Vassago is still talking with a Modron that I thought we left behind.What is going on? I'm really, REALLY lost.Sorry. Apparently I went to fast fast forward.
Let's see. You made it to Mechanus. You went to the library there only to be turned away because you didn't have the right form. A rogue modron let you know some fine print in the laws that allowed you to gain access to the library without the forms. You also found out a few other minor things from him (it?). You went into the library and found the material referencing what you are looking for, but it didn't really give you the information you needed. Then Pinna was looking at a doorway oddly.
And here we are.
Everyone seemed to miss that the angel told the group the best way to get to Mechanus and gave them the key which was a small metal pyramid. So I kind of pushed people through that portal.
Urizen wasn't done with the modron when I kind of moved on so I allowed him to ask questions he would have asked.
I'll try to slow down a bit now. Again, sorry.
Angel? At the temple? You blew past the temple before I knew what was going on.
I think I have to withdraw. I can't follow at all. So, I'm withdrawing. I'm sorry. :(
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I think I have to withdraw. I can't follow at all. So, I'm withdrawing. I'm sorry. :(
Sad Moff is sad.
Here was the beginning of the temple posts. (Which also seemed to be the point where RL seemed to be getting in the way and people were missing things.)
What can I do to help with things?
Angel? At the temple? You blew past the temple before I knew what was going on.
I think I have to withdraw. I can't follow at all. So, I'm withdrawing. I'm sorry. :(
Ahhhh damnit. Grrrrr....
I had a moment where I felt I had to withdraw because I felt lost with school engaging me and that's a whole new experience with me after being twenty years out of it ... and being without all my necessary meds that I had to suspend to focus when my insurance was dropped, it has been a bit of a trial and tribulation.
I'd like for you to seriously reconsider. What we need to do is to use this thread to talk it out in a metagame fashion so that loose ends are tied. Or if all else fails, at least play the dumb, but dashing fighter who's good at swinging a stick when the combat calls for it.
Truthfully, without Vortic, I seriously question our survivability.
From one ADD'ed INTP to another.
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The reorganizing posts and such got me thinking. I'm going to try (over the weekend) to copy/paste and consolidate things as they happen (and get the story caught up to date) into a Word doc or a pdf to help us all out in figuring out what happens when. When I'm done with it, I'll post the link here.
I blame myself for the confusion. In an effort to keep things moving, I was taking things too far by myself. I will limit posting to once per day to keep even with everyone else's ability to post.
Yeah, I got lost at the temple too. We went from the bookshop (whose proprietor apparently doesn't mind having his merchandise reorganized) and next thing I knew we were at the temple (?) and I somehow managed to not get in trouble for potentially damaging church property (??!) and then we were in the marketplace and I was apparently interacting with an enemy (?) outright asking him if he was friendly or not, and then we were on Mechanus (huh? wait...why did we need to go to mechanus??? to find out about the device...but didn't we already find out about the device...confused lynora is confused) and then there was a modron and Pinna started acting odd about a door....
And that's the story so far from the point of view of a hyperactive halfling....
The reorganizing posts and such got me thinking. I'm going to try (over the weekend) to copy/paste and consolidate things as they happen (and get the story caught up to date) into a Word doc or a pdf to help us all out in figuring out what happens when. When I'm done with it, I'll post the link here.
Good idea. Here's a thought - do this to google docs like you do the visual combat template and that can be referred to during the course of the thread if an order-of-actions taken in the story timeline becomes confusing by providing an embedded link.
I sincerely appreciate your attempts to help facilitate in making it easier.
I blame myself for the confusion. In an effort to keep things moving, I was taking things too far by myself. I will limit posting to once per day to keep even with everyone else's ability to post.
It was bound to happen. I was doing similar with combat rounds by attempting to anticipate my next action by posting ahead of time (but spoilering it) in case things were flowing along and I didn't think I was going to be available and I didn't want to cause anything to stall.
In your situation, I admit I was waiting to see what you were going to do and just ad-lib and bounce off of it to get the story line moving.
Yeah, I got lost at the temple too. We went from the bookshop (whose proprietor apparently doesn't mind having his merchandise reorganized) and next thing I knew we were at the temple (?) and I somehow managed to not get in trouble for potentially damaging church property (??!) and then we were in the marketplace and I was apparently interacting with an enemy (?) outright asking him if he was friendly or not, and then we were on Mechanus (huh? wait...why did we need to go to mechanus??? to find out about the device...but didn't we already find out about the device...confused lynora is confused) and then there was a modron and Pinna started acting odd about a door....
And that's the story so far from the point of view of a hyperactive halfling....
I got lost in several places too. I felt stalled because there were so many options. Heck, remember when I made the mistake of having us teleport out of a potential bad situation only to discover as I read further that everyone else went through the door? Oops!
With regard to Mechanus, I believe that was done because we were stalled and Moff didn't want us to linger on for too much longer and did a mini-railroad to move us onto the next step. Otherwise, who knows how long we would have been stuck in Sigil and get way off track.
Ultimately, it's all about having fun and preserving the story line. If the GM needs to throw us a bennie to move us to the next scene and we're nowhere near trying to guess what needs to be done properly to get there, he can create the scenario based on our actions to make it seem as we did something right and then resume onwards.
I think of it in a scenario where you're trying to solve something and you go one direction where you're supposed to go somewhere. Instead of taking a hard black-&-white stance, if it is imperative that the scene must happen at a fixed place, it's up to the GM to bring in an NPC to nudge the PCs in the right direction or simply uproot the next location to where the PCs went and fudge accordingly to make it seem they got it right and then continue. There's nothing I get annoyed with more than a GM unwilling to improvise and keep everything static only to let the PCs linger and essentially get frustrated and thus bring the session to a screeching halt. Sometimes, we're not going to be able to solve that clever cryptogram even if it's RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF US. :P
Hope this makes sense to anyone. I'm rambling....
But this does pose a problem ... given Vortic had the sword...
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But this does pose a problem ... given Vortic had the sword...
I'm still reading here! *shakes fist* :P
Pinna is perfectly capable of wielding the sword if need be, considering she is a tengu and has proficiency with all swords.
I presented Moff with another potential solution last night of someone else running the character. That'd be fine with me.
But this does pose a problem ... given Vortic had the sword...I'm still reading here! *shakes fist* :P
Pinna is perfectly capable of wielding the sword if need be, considering she is a tengu and has proficiency with all swords.
I presented Moff with another potential solution last night of someone else running the character. That'd be fine with me.
True, but I don't think it's in Pinna's nature to make use of the sword when we're in combat.
If I were the GM and you're still bowing out, I'd do a cut-away scene where you got "mad" and looked through the doorway and saw someplace you wanted to go to, so you dropped the sword and booked it. When we try to go after you, we just go into the next room. You were the only one that wished it hard enough to succeed.
Given where we're at now, Moff can easily drop in other PCs to pop up as they could have been a different party with a similar agenda who went through their own portal -- and it is of the hope that one of them did stat up a comparable fighter that can kick serious ass like Vortic did and make use of the sword. It was purposely intended for your PC to have the sword at an advantage and a plot device.
Personally, I'd like to see if you would reconsider after seeing how Moff reorganizes the timeline in chronological order to a document. But I'm essentially conceding to the fact you're going to be steadfast in your resolution to withdraw regardless of further accommodations.
One more thing ... and please don't take offense, but it's been lingering in my head and I'd prefer to anticipate it: is Janet still going to play along? In situation like these, it's common for those who are in relationships that if one person drops out of participating in something (whatever that is, I'm generalizing), the other partner follows suit because they'd rather do something mutually or nothing at all as they're opposed to one continuing to participate exclusively without the other.
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If I were the GM and you're still bowing out, I'd do a cut-away scene where you got "mad" and looked through the doorway and saw someplace you wanted to go to, so you dropped the sword and booked it. When we try to go after you, we just go into the next room. You were the only one that wished it hard enough to succeed.
I have an idea about this and how to proceed. In some ways, I simply see Vortic feeling that his path runs differently than the rest of the group but understands that Alaric needs to stay on the quest. Helm has his home here as well and Vortic may look to try and find him.
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I blame myself for the confusion.
We're all too nice. We all want to blame ourselves...
;-)
In an effort to keep things moving, I was taking things too far by myself. I will limit posting to once per day to keep even with everyone else's ability to post.
In Mechanus, you are queen. Well, not really, but in many ways you are the natural leader here to get the group to where they need to be. I think that the group feels/realizes that you know or sense something that the others don't yet. And are looking to you to see what you do next.
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I'm sad to see anybody go. It has been confusing, I agree, but I am sensing the kind of campaign where, once you sort out your objective, it becomes more straightforward.
Investigating can be tough in a PbP. I personally might have had the first guy who brought us together give a little more information - he clearly knows what is going on and what we need to do. But however we get it sorted out, I think once we know what we're after, things will smooth out.
Also, I am in agreement with giving a little more time between posts and locations to make sure everyone has had a chance to ask questions and investigate. No one wants a pbp to drag, but it's good to sort out what everyone wants to do.
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With regard to Mechanus, I believe that was done because we were stalled and Moff didn't want us to linger on for too much longer and did a mini-railroad to move us onto the next step. Otherwise, who knows how long we would have been stuck in Sigil and get way off track.
Ultimately, it's all about having fun and preserving the story line. If the GM needs to throw us a bennie to move us to the next scene and we're nowhere near trying to guess what needs to be done properly to get there, he can create the scenario based on our actions to make it seem as we did something right and then resume onwards.
I think of it in a scenario where you're trying to solve something and you go one direction where you're supposed to go somewhere. Instead of taking a hard black-&-white stance, if it is imperative that the scene must happen at a fixed place, it's up to the GM to bring in an NPC to nudge the PCs in the right direction or simply uproot the next location to where the PCs went and fudge accordingly to make it seem they got it right and then continue. There's nothing I get annoyed with more than a GM unwilling to improvise and keep everything static only to let the PCs linger and essentially get frustrated and thus bring the session to a screeching halt. Sometimes, we're not going to be able to solve that clever cryptogram even if it's RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF US. :P
I don't know, Uri. It scares me that you are in my head right now.
I hate railroading people. I really, really do. So I try to have a fairly flexible game and try and give people a fair number of options. For example, every one of the options you had in Sigil had different information, but they all could have easily led you to the same point. Depending on who you asked first, what questions you asked, and so on. Maybe I didn't think things through to its end at the beginning, but there is a reason you were called for this, there is a goal in mind, there is a focus, and there will be things that will help to guide you. I just want it to be plausible and not forced. (While keeping in mind that you were just in an impossible city.) I guess that I could have had the big magical being appear to you and tell you what is going on, but I just don't like to run things that way. I'll see if I can give more clues and fewer options in the future.
One thing I would like to say, though -- this is your game as well. Ask questions. If you see something or think that some other direction might be fun, bring it up. I can make just about anything work. I really don't want this to be railroady. I have lots of my own ideas, but that doesn't mean that you can't have your creative juices flowing too.