More specifically, we were talking about what the characters will want when they are free from Plugg. John hopes to become a privateer and raid Chelaxian holdings; Thorn wants vengeance and to do battle. It's a sandbox, so we can do anything. However, you have begun to stumble upon a much larger story with the inctilus/vudu. Maybe that can convince you to stay. If Wyn wants to, she can be dropped off when they get their freedom. However, I picked all the characters for a reason, and it would be a shame to lose anyone.
A couple of things right off the bat:
I'd rather not have Wyn die or otherwise leave the game.
I also really enjoyed Ollivor's post about making our ship a democracy, and thus a different kind of pirate ship than we've seen so far.
On the meatier matter: I think it's possible to take the "I'm just playing my character" stance too far, especially if it affects other players' enjoyment of the game. I think that the way John plays the mechanics of Freebooter's Bane, for example, makes sense and adds color, and actually adds to others' enjoyment in doing so. But deciding if another player needs healing doesn't add to that player's enjoyment. I've had characters who decided to tough it out, go without healing, because it is in their nature or part of their beliefs - and doing so didn't really endanger other characters, or diminish other players' enjoyment. I recognize there's a strategic element to the decision that affects the odds of the party's survival, but we're a pack of adventurers, and we make decisions all the time that affect those odds, and sometimes we make perfectly sound ones, and sometimes we make ones that are a bit nutty, or might not pay off, because it's a fantasy game and we're playing for fun.
As I write this, I guess what it comes down to is we should not be making decisions for each other - and I don't mean to point at you, John, and I'm sorry to use Wyn's decision to go without healing as my example here, but it's the best, freshest example out there right now. But I want to make my own character decisions - and I'm happy to do so with input and strategy and crazy-ass notions from my fellow PCs - but I want to decide if I'm going to play it safe or do something noble and daring or steal the treasure and run for it (don't worry, I'm not that kind of rogue).
I think the question of long-term vision of the characters is a good one. I haven't put a lot of thought into Doran's ultimate goals, because he's been a slave all his life and is essentially one now, and his focus has been on survival and hope for escape. But I think some discussion of long-term goals - with all of us being open to the direction others want to go - as we proceed through this part of the adventure could be fruitful. I imagine us hiking up to the stockade, and someone throwing out the question of what life will be like after we get out from under Plugg, and maybe some discussion of how we could achieve that.
And while I'm ruminating, I'll say again - let's throw in that dash of Firefly irreverence, humor and derring-do when we can! I was trying to do a bit of that with Doran stepping in the bucket during the storm, to lighten things up, and really enjoyed how several of you played off that. It was totally unexpected and fun.
Ahhh Wyn, don’t go. I say that in the spirit that I think you contribute well to the group (in character and out) and are an excellent writer.
Motivations for characters are important, they need to be strong enough to propel the adventure, but not too limiting. I had a character in another game that was a young noble and so dedicated to overthrowing the evil king and rebuilding his nation, that once the king was deposed, my PC didn’t want to go off with the rest of the party on grand adventures. Too much work needed to be done at home after six or seven years at war. With the GM’s permission I retired that character and made a new one. My point is that if you’re tired of playing Wyn, perhaps a new character would help. I hope you can find an aspect of Wyn that brings you cheer. When it comes to Vrunyar, typing “Ha!” really does lift my spirits. I find it charming that there’s a red-haired (well bald now) dwarf that punctuates his speech like that.
I also am not sure my playstyle really suits the rest of the party's.
Do you mean you like less internal monologues? Shorter, more frequent posts? I want to do my part to assure that everyone has fun. What playstyle would entice you to stay? :)
Doran, I second your call for that dash of Firefly irreverence, humor, and derring-do.
I’ll post in the gameplay thread sometime this evening.
Ahhh Wyn, don’t go. I say that in the spirit that I think you contribute well to the group (in character and out) and are an excellent writer.
Thank you (and thanks to all of you for your comments).
Motivations for characters are important, they need to be strong enough to propel the adventure, but not too limiting. I had a character in another game that was a young noble and so dedicated to overthrowing the evil king and rebuilding his nation, that once the king was deposed, my PC didn’t want to go off with the rest of the party on grand adventures. Too much work needed to be done at home after six or seven years at war. With the GM’s permission I retired that character and made a new one. My point is that if you’re tired of playing Wyn, perhaps a new character would help. I hope you can find an aspect of Wyn that brings you cheer.
She is one of my simpler characters... she's a girl who on a shallower level she enjoys brawling and drinking (I really should have had her pick a few fistfights on the other ship and I regret not having the guts to do it) and on a deeper level is looking for people to belong to, and overcoming her fear of losing people to do that. I think the hard part for that is her coming in late made it harder for her to feel like she really knows everyone (and I didn't grab onto some roleplay opportunities when I should have). She has common goals with everyone so she's all out on helping everybody out, but she's only just really starting to get a feel for everybody on a more personal level.
I know we're approaching a climax, and I think it is worth playing through to see what happens--she may well find that niche to grab onto she needs as more things unfold.
If not, bringing in a different character is another option--although if I struggled with getting Wyn to get to know everyone, bringing in someone new this late would be a challenge, even if Barcas would allow it. (OTOH, the party certainly could use a healer, for one.)
When it comes to Vrunyar, typing “Ha!” really does lift my spirits. I find it charming that there’s a red-haired (well bald now) dwarf that punctuates his speech like that.
I like the speech mannerisms you and the others do for your characters, it helps paint a great picture.
I also am not sure my playstyle really suits the rest of the party's.Do you mean you like less internal monologues? Shorter, more frequent posts? I want to do my part to assure that everyone has fun. What playstyle would entice you to stay? :)
Wow, well. It's hard to put into words, just a sense of chemistry or lack thereof. I do think sometimes this feels more story-oriented... than roleplay oriented, and I'd rather the latter. I don't know if that makes any sense, like I said it's hard for me to describe. As you've mentioned it, I do feel like the internal monologues can get distracting... they're interesting and I don't think people should avoid introspection entirely, but posts that are solely introspection don't give other people anything to react to, and to me in an RP you want to focus on what other people can play off of.
Doran, I second your call for that dash of Firefly irreverence, humor, and derring-do.
I certainly agree, and I think as I noted I should have been playing up Wyn's brawler attitude on an irreverent level more. I'd certainly be down with finding ways to lighten up the tone in places--the heavy stuff will come along, but part of what makes stories like Firefly work is the irreverence balanced with the serious business.
How often do you want to check for traps? Once per square shouldn't slow you down, but being safer and checking more per square will slow you down.
Wyn, a few more thoughts. Another thing to consider is that there are ample opportunities to have a flashback scene if DM Barcas allows it. Perhaps you did get into a fight during some night duty and Beshra healed you. Or Vrunyar did and you asked him to keep it secret. I definitely could see the night of the Man’s Promise capture having a few “untold tales” due to the drinking involved. Conversely you can portray the regret about not fighting, the feelings of cowardice(?) and maybe now you’re aching for the release of a good brawl.
On the trap checking - how about I check twice each square, taking 10 on one of the checks? That way I'll get a 20 guaranteed each round, and have a chance of something higher if needed.
How many squares are we talking about? If it's a really big number, I'll probably just take 10 all the way.
Wyn, a few more thoughts. Another thing to consider is that there are ample opportunities to have a flashback scene if DM Barcas allows it. Perhaps you did get into a fight during some night duty and Beshra healed you. Or Vrunyar did and you asked him to keep it secret. I definitely could see the night of the Man’s Promise capture having a few “untold tales” due to the drinking involved. Conversely you can portray the regret about not fighting, the feelings of cowardice(?) and maybe now you’re aching for the release of a good brawl.
The last idea is easy to do, and even plays into Wyn's mood right now.
For the former, I like in theory the idea of backtagging or working with any of number of you to play through a past scene--maybe in a separate thread so as not to confuse the action--although I'll be honest, I'm not sure how much time I've got to put into that properly at the moment. Definitely worth considering, however. Thanks very much for the thoughts.
Just put it in spoilers if it involves interactions, or throw an "earlier" tag on if it is just a flashback.
Wyn, one more scenario for a flashback I’ll suggest is having Wyn punch something in frustration and need to get healed. It could a door, a beam, or that “cursed” bucket. It’d be one believable way to vent. Hopefully in time she’ll realize sometimes not causing trouble isn’t cowardice but prudence. We all saw Captain Barnabas Harrigan. Vrunyar was terrified of him.
Sorry for the delay. I've been working on a work-related project and dealing with a two year old who no longer likes to nap. (Thorn will tell you that I've been strict on deadlines, so I expect the same of myself.)
Um, what just happened? Who did I say hello to over there in the gameplay thread? NPC played by a guest star? New player on board? A clever set of aliases ginned up by Barcas to keep us guessing?
So, some backstory.
In the story as written in the book, the Chelaxian ship was carrying ghouls and crashed on board. I wanted to mold it to the story I wanted to tell with the brain-puppeteering cephalopods, so I excised the ghoul story and the grindylows that are supposed to kidnap the crew members. (The ghouls infected the mosquito swarms, so they're even more dangerous in the book as written.) In the book, Aaron Ivey was the last survivor - and he hanged himself in the stockade. The PCs are supposed to fight his ghoul corpse and find his journal. When I was hashing out the story, I settled that I wanted to keep Ivey alive. As I worked on his backstory, I thought he would be an excellent addition the crew as a Chelaxian, who could really provide some excellent tension and a very different point of view. Eventually, I decided that it would better serve the story to make him a PC rather than an NPC - so I asked F. Castor, with whom I have played a few games, if he wanted the spot. He agreed and created the character from my framework.
His backstory is really quite interesting. I imagine he might be pretty happy to share it with you, seeing as he's likely a little bit unstable from being trapped alone with brain-eating creatures on a deserted island for three years.
Okay, this is all very helpful, because Doran is going to both fear and hate him, since he's Chelaxian, and I want to know how far to take that. A wee bit more info would be good - if he's joining the campaign as a long-term PC, I'll be kinder and gentler than if he's a short-term NPC.
And whichever way it plays out - welcome, F. Castor! Nice to get a surprise appearance in a PbP. Whatever I might say in-game, don't take it personally, eh? If you read Doran's background, you'll get an idea why he feels as he does about the Chells.
He is, in fact, quite Chelaxian. It would be immediately apparent. (His total backstory consists of a lot more.)
And the distrust that almost every member of the party feels for Chelaxians is one of the reasons I wanted a Chelaxian in the mix.
Yeah, it makes sense that most of us have a thing against Chelaxians - I was just focused on how Doran would interact with him, and didn't want to be too much of a jerk if he's a new player joining the game.
Hello everybody, be ye an old acquaintance or a new one. Glad to be here. :-)
Well, if you want drama, I'm here to deliver. ;)
Welcome, Castor. Please be assured Wyn's ire does not match my own.
I do hope our little crew doesn't get too crowded with all these melee types, though. :)
No worries to either you or Doran. I do not take IC interactions personally, especially since I am a little familiar with your characters' backgrounds.
I should perhaps point out that Aaron is... err... just a tad unhinged, owing to his isolation and having brain-eating alien-looking mostrosities as neighbors. He will get better. Eventually. Probably. ;-)
Welcome aboard (Hey, one of the few APs where that term is entirely appropriate ;))
Are we ready to move towards the cove?
I'm ready when everyone else is. Was just waiting for a more direct answer about whether anything Wyn saw of note (but I am presuming no, given all you gave was just a more detailed description of what they've already seen).
Precisely.
Ready!
Sure thing
A little late, yet nonetheless, a warm welcome to Aaron Ivey. I look forward to the roleplaying you bring to the “table.”
Oh yes...ready.
Thank you.
You know, it kinda makes me wonder... If the gentlemen and lady feel the way they do about Aaron now due to his Chelaxian heritage, how will they feel when they learn of the other partof that heritage? You know, the slightly vampiric-ish part... Heh...
Vampires never did me no harm, but the Chells? That's another matter.
Largely what Doran said. And/or that she would consider the vampiricness is merely a symptom of the greater evil of being Cheliaxian--for Wyn, particularly, being a Chelish sailor.
It's a bit of a disconnect for her. She's encountered the Chelish in her travels in her youth as well as in the tavern and not thought much of it. It's about what she's been through on the Chelish ship that's got her hackles up, and it's her first opportunity to lash out at someone about it.
But for her, she's not going to be shocked that he is a "monster"... as she already considers him one--and is well aware from the natives on the Hellsmouth that some of the Chelish having unusual breeding habits.
Just a reminder: please include a header on combat posts that has current (as of the end of the post) AC, hit points, saves, and your action(s) for the round. I need this information to accurately assess hits and saves.
Wyn's going to be left with a really cool scar, like Prince Zuko.
Oh sure, with the slit throat look I had the coolest scar, now EVERYONE gets in on the act
I'm going to be out of town from Friday to Sunday, so I will be posting on my phone. If we can finish this combat by tomorrow (which is definitely within the realm of possibility), we can go easy over the weekend and get to where we need to go.
Since I noticed that the game appears to be using Hero Points, may I ask how many -if any- Aaron starts with?
I wouldn't mind being taken up to half or so.
Currently at the hospital. Will be posting tomorrow.
Hope all is okay, Castor. Need the wand of CLW? Or maybe you work at the hospital?
Oh, I am fine. I am just in the final year of training as a general practitioner (not really sure if it is called an internship or a residency in the US...).
Sounds okay to me, though now that I look at the map again, Wyn has a point - if the mermen came from the left, we might want to go right, if our goal is to find our crewmates abducted by the shell-heads.
My druthers would still be to go to the right, and we're only a few feet into the left passage.
Whichever way y'all choose, though, I'll follow.
I will get a new post up tomorrow. My schedule is strange right now. I am far more open to post during working hours than non-working hours because of some unusual demands of the job.