DM Berwick's Serpent's Skull Adventure

Game Master Lost Gamer

I suspect that he is stewing. Probably twirling his evil mustache and stroking his VanDyke beard, mumbling "Drats! Foiled again!", or some such nonsense. We do keep doing the unanticipated adventure path. Its all fun and games until someone loses an eye from the d4.

Psst! Hey DM Berwick! Sorry to intrude, but thought you might like to know that DM Talomyr has revived his Council of Thieves PbP. We sure could use our alchemist!

Hello there,

It is with a heavy heart that I must tender my resignation from this game.

I have had a death in the family recently, and I have to take some significant time to deal with the outcome of this both emotionally, and with its impact on my life.

Thank you all for such a great game, and I wish you all a great game in the future.

Thank you once again,

DM Berwick

You have my sympathies. Keep your priorities straight, take care of yourself. The game can always be pulled out of the closet, so to speak. Thank you for this brief respite from real life, I hope you get some time to yourself.

Until the next time our AP crosses,

Yuuwa aka ReckNBall

Sad, but completely understandable.

Take care or yourself DM Berwick, and take care of those that need you.

This has been a great group. I'm sorry that I have been unable to give this the attention that these other great players deserve, and from the vision I personally had for Torden.

Good gaming, but mostly may God bless you in life.

That's disappointing, but I understand too. You have to support your family, especially during grieving. I'll try to keep you in my prayers.

We've said it before, but thanks again for running the game, DM Berwick. I know it's a lot of work, and I enjoyed playing with you (and all of you guys).

I will echo the above sentiments as well. Disappointing, seeing as I was enjoying the game, but understandable. Take care mate. I hope life treats you well.

To my fellow players: So, are we going to give finding a new GM -in case we want to continue this game, that is- a shot or are we ending it here? I know the ones in the original group did so, which resulted in DM Berwick taking over the game, so I am asking if we would be so inclined to try that again.

If not, well, disappointing but understandable. It has been fun playing with you guys. :-)

I'd like to continue if we could find a new GM.

Same here, obviously. Although I would like to make some changes to Isandril if we do get the chance, seeing as how one of his features is a 3.5 remnant from the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting. I would basically make him a single-classed ranger (seeing as basically that has been his role and tactics since the very beginning, despite not having envisioned him like that when I first made him), which, at the level we are, actually leaves him all but unaltered where both fluff and crunch are concerned.

Anyway, though! What do the rest of you guys say? Do we look for a new GM?

I would certainly continue with the game if we found a GM. Again, I realize that I myself have been posting sporadically, but I would endeavor to be more involved.

Let me tell you part of my problem. We could go days at a time with nothing and then there was a flood of activity--generally at times when I didn't have time to read/write. I then felt rushed to try and read everyone's entries and figure out what Torden would say or do, especially because I felt that with everyone posting there was momentum, and I didn't want to slow things down.

So:

If there were a regular schedule of sorts, so that I could plan the time to properly read and respond, that would help a lot.

Additionally, I think everyone needs to be on board with a single, designated leader. When an issue arises, everyone gets their input, the leader takes it all into consideration and then makes a decision, and we keep things going.

Which leads to . . . either having a sort of set initiative for even discussions, or a line at the end of the post that read something like "Jonagher?" so that the next person knows he/she is up. If there is no response within a given timeframe (24 hours?) then we move on. And each of us has to be comfortable knowing that decisions might be made or our character NPCd if we are unable to respond in a given timeframe.

And again, for me, that takes the pressure off---I just expect you to control Torden until I can respond even if I'm away from the internet (or at least this site) for an extended period of time.

My thoughts--many and wandering as they may be.

Fair enough. After all, the one-post-per-day (weekends excluded, more or less) requirement is a common one among PbPs and stated as soon as a recruitment thread is put up, as far as I can tell. Pretty much the same holds for the fact that if a player has not posted within an adequate amount of time -say, 24 to 48 hours, like you said- then the GM may DMPC him/her so as to keep the game from stalling too much.

Well, so far so good. Three down, three to go. Neil? ReckNBall? Dude?

First of all, thanks for the game and good luck with everything DM Berwick!

I am definitely in favor of continuing if we can find a new DM. A post/day seems quite reasonable and as others have suggested absentees can get their character DMPC'd so that things don't grind to a halt.

I'm available either way. Continue or not. I'm currently hard-pressed to participate at my usual levels. My activity tends to cycle according to whatever deadlines and family commitments I have going. And, I'm under deadline right now.

Once I committed to game, I tried to check at least once/day. Posting an appropriate IC response took a little longer/effort. Been busy shuttling to and fro hosp/school/home. Sadly I feel I must take advantage of this (unwanted) opportunity to bow out as well. It was a nice break from RL but it is one obligation I can easily drop. I'll look for another PBP probably in November when my Significant Other is discharged in full health.

I look foward to posting again in a not-too-distant future,

Yuuwa aka ReckNball

Understandable ReckNBall. Take care! And all the best to your better half. :-)

So... It would seem we may as well give this another try then. We need a GM, as well as a healer. Seeing as I have not done anything of the like before, any ideas how we go about getting one of each? A recruitment thread in which we look for both? Or do we first secure a GM and then look for another player?

Unless there's a new GM, there's no point in recruiting another player.

Good point that. :-)

Alright then. I guess I will be putting up a GM recruitment thread later on. Any advice before that, as well as popping in it once it is created, are, of course, welcome.

I'll second F. Castor's sentiment, ReckNBall. Maybe we'll cross paths in another PbP.

Re. Curn_Bounder's points, a post/day seems reasonable to me too, and I'm happy to have Origen DMPC'd whenever he's delaying things. Most days, I can only post in the late evening PST, so that will probably be necessary sometimes.

Re. a party leader, most times I think that we seem to reach consensus fairly quickly, but I'm fine with having someone designated to make the call if we're deadlocked (or dithering). If we go that route, I nominate F. Castor for the job.

I also agree with Neil's point about not posting for a player yet. So--who wants to post for a GM?

EDIT: Ninja'd. :-) Thanks for volunteering, F. Castor! And I think 24 hours is a good period to trigger a DMPC post.

Umm... As far as the "group leader" spot is concerned, I would prefer it if I am not the one in that role. Although I agree that we generally seem to decide on our next course of action quickly enough, for those rare occasions when a consensus is not reached, perhaps someone could take it upon himself? Jonagher or Origen?

What can I say, I generally dislike leadership roles... :-)

I know that Neil is swamped, but Jonagher seems more like leader material than Origen. He's confident-charismatic instead of Lovecraftian-emo-charismatic. ;-)

Well, recruitment thread is up. Cross your fingers mates! :-)

Some of my favourite lurkers/players are in this game and if I had the time, i'd love to pick up the DM mantle for you. Alas, i'm swamped lately :(.

Well, I will admit that such a thing would have been great. Still, the thought is appreciated. :-)

Yes, it certainly would have, but thanks for thinking of us. I know that you have a lot on your PbP plate.

The GM recruitment thread seems to have started showing some promise. Lost Gamer and Deevor have expressed interest so far. Feel free to check it out and provide any input you may have.

So, what do you guys think?

DM Deliberation:

Oh, and switching Isandril to a ranger is fine with me. He's been acting ranger-y a lot of the time anyhow.

Well, Eric...

Deevor has bowed out, and Lost Hero has confirmed his interest. It looks like we have our new GM!

Torden, if you have any more suggestions regarding style of play, now would probably be a good time to bring them up. I'm in favor of enforcing the "24-hr delay is consent for a DM post" rule. As for "initiative" in discussions, I fear that it will slow PC interactions down, but the 24-hr rule should be applied to discussions too (i.e., once the discussion starts, post something within 24 hours).

EDIT: F. Castor, would you mind posting the invite for Lost Hero? Unless someone else has an objection . . . .

Agreed.

Also, agreed. Though I would like to suggest that weekends are exempt, seeing as how most of us might be otherwise engaged during that time and not be able to post within 24 hours.

Though I would like to suggest that weekends are exempt, seeing as how most of us might be otherwise engaged during that time and not be able to post within 24 hours.

Fair enough. We could count the weekend as one 24-hour-ish period. That is, if someone post on Friday after noon, everyone has till Monday morning to respond. I'll probably put something in most of the time, as Saturday is often a good posting day for me. But that would give us all a bit of a rest when needed.

I've been following the recruitment effort. And I'll be on standby until I see our new GM ready to move the game along. As for not waiting on players to post, I think that's wise...if not necessary for PbP games in general. In some of my prior games, I often created a SUB-character profile for other players' PCs so I could post on their behalf...pretty much copying everything from their character's profile so I could reference it in battle situations. I would even adopt the same avatar for them so it would look like the same character posting. Worked out well. And we could do something similar here, even if it's just the new GM creating such alternate SUB-character profiles.

Just my two cents,
--Neil

First I would like to wish DM Berwick and his family all the best, in this hard time for them. I hope we hear from him soon that everything is getting better.

Second I would like to thank all of you for a pretty interesting read so far (I'm on page 5) and for having me (Lost Gamer) take over as your GM.

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I have a few things to speak on but wish to wait and put it into one post when I am finished (those questions might get answered in one of the other 14 pages :confused:) I am hoping to be done by Mon night, and we can get a jump start back into the game. Until then a few things I don't see yet and wish for you all to look into/think on are...

A) Would it be ok for me to set you all up a campaign page over at Obsidian Portal. For me this would be a great way to keep together a lot of the game info and new items, spells, monsters and such. All you would need do there is post up a complete character and keep it updated and also use the spot provided for notes/builds/secrets/ and such.

and

B) I haven't gone over the characters in earnest yet as I'm not sure how/when you hit level 3 and I can also check them as we play. What I see odd is equipment - Here is what I have as your finds so far...

Captain’s cabin
several keys
several sea charts and maps,
captain’s log
masterwork dagger
a suit of leather armor
two potions of cure light wounds
a holy symbol of Nethys
a spell component pouch.

Food stores
rations 24 days

Misc from the Jenivere
a block and tackle
three large canvas sheets
two fishing nets
a grappling hook
two bullseye lanterns
12 flasks of lantern oil
150 feet of hemp rope
five shovels.

Storage
a bottle of fine brandy
a darkwood model of the Jenivere in a glass bottle
a small coffer containing containing roughly 7 pounds of coin
four potions of cure light wounds
a potion of cure moderate wounds
four potions of lesser restoration
a potion of remove disease
a potion of water breathing
a potion of water walking

For me there should be a master list of this and who is carrying it (or if its at camp) and then everyone should have the item on their character sheet. Didn't see a lot of this listed on characters (might have been used - but that is also what the master list is for) and in this environment your gear is the second thing that will save your life.

If you were playing in a town where you could get a potion of cure light easily I probably won't worry to much about who is carrying one. But on the island what you have is all you have truly.

Can't wait to get started going back to do some reading and see how you survived this long on Smuggler's Shiv.

Welcome mate. :-)

For our new GM's convenience.

I believe that, with the exception of the Tattooed Lady loot, the rest of the stuff is back at the camp. I am a little hazy on what I have dubbed "Adventuring Party Expedition Supplies", which are items the original party (Origen, Torden, Jonagher, Bran (ex-PC) and Leofrik (ex-PC)) brought with them, so I will let someone else talk about those. It is a safe bet to assume, however, that the wand of cure light wounds is being carried by Torden.

As for the Tattooed Lady stuff, those are carried by Jonagher (not sure about the broken saber and broken chain shirt, though), I believe. There are also viper nettle berries carried by Torden. If I remember correctly, the berries were the last 'loot' we found, so they, along with the link I provided, should contain the entirety of our stuff.

As far as the Obsidian Portal thing is concerned, I do not mind making use of it. It would be nice though if you could make use of the spanking new campaign tool over here as well. I have found it is a very nifty little thing.

As for when us getting to level 3, that is a pretty recent development, so probably on the last few pages of the IC thread. We started the AP as level 2, due to the original group having played a sort of introductory adventure/prologue involving the Blakros Museum, as Eric pointed out in the recruitment thread.

One last thing to keep in mind: Yuuwa Majid, our resident healer (cleric of Gozreh), had to bow out as well, so I can only assume that once you are ready to resume, someone to fill that role should probably be recruited. I am guessing though that that is much easier to do than find a new GM, so I have no worries. :-)

I'm happy to try Obsidian Portal. I know nothing about it, but I'll look around the site after you set it up.

I believe that, with the exception of the Tattooed Lady loot, the rest of the stuff is back at the camp. I am a little hazy on what I have dubbed "Adventuring Party Expedition Supplies" . . . .

I think that's correct. Origen has the original list on his character sheet (separated out from his carried equipment), but he was just recording items that we bought for group use.

For the current scouting trip, we probably brought a few days' worth of wandermeal or rations (say 8 to 12, or 2-3 days carried by each person), but most of the expedition supplies are at camp with the NPCs. We may have a note about this earlier in the OOC or game list.

In some of my prior games, I often created a SUB-character profile for other players' PCs so I could post on their behalf.... Worked out well. And we could do something similar here, even if it's just the new GM creating such alternate SUB-character profiles.

Sounds fine to me. Did a specific player get designated as the usual substitute for a particular PC, or did the whole party take turns at it?

I think it should fall to the GM to DMPC or assume the role of a PC that has not posted in the designated amount of time. Frankly, although I am not really opposed to the SUB-system, I should think it is simpler to just have the GM take over the character's action or, if a SUB is to be created, it could fall under the GM's jurisdiction.

Did a specific player get designated as the usual substitute for a particular PC, or did the whole party take turns at it?

To make things easier on the GM at the time, I simply created it as another board alias...so it was always a specific player (usually a very active one--i.e., me) that posted as a SUB-PC. And I only ever created those for players who were more challenged in posting than others. I didn't do it for everyone. I agree with F.Castor that it ought to make the most sense for the GM to have such SUB-PC's under his alias as he'd be the one controlling their actions. However, since he already knows everything about the plot of the adventure, it also made sense for another player to fill in. That way, they have the SUB-PC react the same as any other PC would.

...I would like to thank all of you for a pretty interesting read so far (I'm on page 5) and for having me (Lost Gamer) take over as your GM.

Welcome aboard!

...Would it be ok for me to set you all up a campaign page over at Obsidian Portal. For me this would be a great way to keep together a lot of the game info and new items, spells, monsters and such. All you would need do there is post up a complete character and keep it updated and also use the spot provided for notes/builds/secrets/ and such.

Honestly, I'd rather not go to an outside website for anything related to the game. I'm in several PbP's here at Paizo and it's much easier (and convenient) to have everything together in one place. Plus, I do a lot of my posting from work during the day and they block a lot of outside websites. Thankfully, that doesn't include Paizo, but it would likely include the Obsidian Portal. If you still view that as a requirement for continuing the game, I'd prefer to bow out. I'm stretched pretty thin as it is these days being under deadline, but I had hoped to help continue the story with my fellow players by keeping Jonagher involved. If doing so requires even further effort than what we're doing so far, I'll have to give up the game.

...I haven't gone over the characters in earnest yet as I'm not sure how/when you hit level 3 and I can also check them as we play. What I see odd is equipment - Here is what I have as your finds so far...

I don't think tracking the equipment matters all that much. Play-by-Post games are a different animal than regular table-top games. It's the story that matters most to me. We police ourselves pretty well when it comes to who's carrying what. In the interests of keeping the game moving (and, you have to understand that we've lost our GM twice now), it's best to handwave a fair amount of normal concerns in regular games and just keep the PbP moving lest it bog down, stagnate, and die.

Just my two cents,
--Neil

One last thing to keep in mind: Yuuwa Majid, our resident healer (cleric of Gozreh), had to bow out as well, so I can only assume that once you are ready to resume, someone to fill that role should probably be recruited.

This should certainly be the game's next priority. A healer will be pretty high on the must-have list. Yuuwa was also keeping us all from succumbing to fatigue and over-exertion by casting so many endure elements spells on us while exploring the island. With her gone, we'll have to face that as an all-new challenge.

For what is worth, I would much prefer it if we did not lose Neil as well. He is a great and reliable player, his Jonagher is a delight to both play with and read and, on a more practical level, his leaving would mean we would need to go looking for one more replacement. Just my opinion, of course. :-)

Perhaps most, if not all, of what you would need Obsidian Portal for can be accomplished with the new campaign interface/tabs Paizo has introduced? And you could email webmaster@paizo.com to help you be set up as the GM for this campaign even though you did not start it, but 'inherited' it.

Did you inherit a play-by-post?

If you are the GM for a play-by-post campaign but didn't start the thread, please email webmaster@paizo.com.

We need:

-A link to your profile page (click on your name at the top where it says "Welcome, your name!"
-A link to the gameplay and discussion threads for the campaigns you have inherited.

Just copy and paste these links from the address bar in your browser, please.

Hey all (this is TORDEN for Mr. Serpent God).

I'm pleased with what I've seen.
I am fine with Obsidian Portal, which my current tabletop GM uses. However, just like Neil in that I KNOW I can't access it from work when I'm most likely to be on.

I don't think I ever updated gear, though that probably would be a good thing to do in this setting.
I would certainly defer to the GM to decide a posting schedule, as he is really the one most affected by a 24-hour post.
My only thing is to set up a realistic expectation. My worry with posting every day is that it causes GM burn out more than anything. I (as a player) can certainly commit to once-a-day, but the GM has to really be driven in order to meet that standard.

Otherwise . . . I'm ready to go.

A lot here to comment on please let me know if I missed something you wanted to know about.

-

First current group/people who have checked in.

F.Castor - Isandril Velahrn (male elf, fighter2/ranger1) - has it been decided if you are going to change to ranger3?
Curn_Bounder - Torden Ironcask (male dwarf, bard3) - bet you thought those drums wouldn't get you into so much trouble, LOL
Neil Spicer - Jonagher Witt (male half-elf rogue3) - after ten pages a very fun character so no wish to loss him or you - see below for what OP brings to the table (umm... screen)
Eric Zylstra - Origen Leanthris (male human, sorcerer3) - I don't know what DM Berwick had planned for your character but I like all the openness for character development in your background.

Possible 5th player still around...

Dimitrios Skordos - Brynmor Drakh (male human, fighter3) - Sorry but I haven't gotten to your character's part in the adventure yet.

Possible Character return...

ReckNBall - Yuuwa Majid (female human, cleric3) - Did post that a return in Nov was possible. Only 4 weeks away.

________________________________________________________________

So if I got the above right you have a good group of five and only missing the divine caster/extra healing. Which is ok as there are 3 NPC clerics right now and wands, scrolls, and potions to be used in later modules.

I don't think another player is needed (especially with all the NPCs) and I could make a filler character later. The less people playing the easier to manage.

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SUB system looks good and I'm for trying it once I get my bearings and a better feel for the PCs. My bearings are off with all the different characters (and avatars) their players (and their different avatars) - and Dimitrios didn't help when he posted in here as Jarreth :P jk

Another thing here is I saw DM Berwick say he was waiting on all of you once. He is right after reading this module, it is a highly player controlled module. A giant sandbox that they are trying to survive and all the GM need do is be there when they hit an encounter or different area. SO a lot of this will be me waiting on all of you to decide what it is you wish to do next. After said decision I will need a plotted course - more on that later.
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Posting once a day - NP. I use to GM on another site for 2 years but it has recently hit a bunch of troubles and it and my PC don't mix. There I had acquired 10,000+ post in two years. (OK I'm chatty, just say it.) And I will check in everyday here as my new pbp home. This game and my two Carrion Crowns will be my only GMing games (until I get a look at Skull & Shackles :)) to focus on them for the next year and become comfortable.

I am on EST time. And off work TUE/WED for big updates to both games and the wiki.
______________________________________________________________________

I have sent out an e-mail to inherit this game and will be using the tags as much as possible. Still new to this site.

About Obsidian Portal in next post...

Obsidian Portal...

Well it's uses are more for me than anyone. I will be using it to keep track of things that happen Nov 2011 - when I need to look them up again in Feb 2013, LOL And it will allow for me to combine whatever I wish to one wiki page as opposed to not being able to add to exiting post here at paizo (most notably Experience Tracking).

For you the players it will be used as not only a refresher or way to quickly look up an NPC, but the main way to keep track of your character.

Here's my ideal and let me know what you think.

We use OP as your main character sheet. There you would keep track of everything about your character along with notes/reminders/builds. It would track all his equipment not just what he is carrying at the moment. You may have a boat or even a horse stabled waiting for you if you need it. This would be like your main sheet if we were around a table.

And we use the character profile spot here at paizo as your "cheat sheet". This would keep track of your character in his current stats. Spells prepared for the day, all equipment on him, and any conditions or effects in play. So this spot is always changing and your OP sheet is probably only changed at level ups or breaks in the game to redo equipment and such.

Nothing about the game will ever be only posted at OP. And you truly won't have to go there (save the one time to set up a character) if you didn't wish. But it would be there for you when needed. It would be a big boon to me and I hope for everyone as well.

I have been following the recruitment thread but I did not have time to contribute much. :)

Brynmor Drakh is definitely in. Thanks for being our DM, and thanks to everyone else for keeping this alive!

I generally post in OOC and general threads as Jarreth Ivarine.

I am fine with using OP (it's not blocked were I work) but I wouldn't want it creating issues with other players (Neil and Curn Bounder). What you suggest might work though, so if they are fine with that, I am fine too.

I am on EST too, and I will probably be posting after 5pm every day. (I might be able to check the thread while at work, but it will not always be possible to devote the time needed to post).

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome.

I am going to try and get most of the reading done tonight. Again we start up in less than 24 hours - and you may not be going cannibal hunting (as soon as you think) if the map is truly up to date (sorry) will explain tomorrow night.

HolyMoly! Step away from the net for a few and look what happens. Not sure whether I should hang my head in shame for bowing out so quickly or step back in amazement. Prob both.

I'll look over Obsidian Portal if you want/take me back. I'll likely do late night(~11pm EST) postings. I hate it when RL interferes with my RPG. And if my family tries an intervention, well, they can give up MLB/NFL/NCAA.

Let me know if 6 PCs are bit too much to coordinate.

Again. Wow.

F.Castor - Isandril Velahrn (male elf, fighter2/ranger1) - has it been decided if you are going to change to ranger3?

Well, I have certainly decided to do so, but I was just waiting to see if there were any objections. Since I take it that there are not, I will be making the necessary changes when I get back home from work. :-)

As for Yuuwa returning, I most certainly do not object. In fact, I most enthusiastically say "Welcome back!".

As for the GM waiting on us, the players, to post with our point of view concerning the situation at hand before moving the plot along, that is, of course, the way to go. Still, this being a PbP, I have found in my other games that DMPCing when necessary is almost obligatory so that the game does not slow to a crawl. Thus why we talked about having a 24-hour period of time, a sort of 'deadline' if you will, for people to post and if they do not, then the GM moves the plot along with what he has from the rest of the players who have replied so far. With PbPs and the amount of time it takes them, it is a 'necessary evil', so to speak.

It'd be great if you could come back, Yuuwa, either now or after the four weeks.

As for my posting schedule, I'm on PST (San Francisco), and I usually post late on weeknights (probably 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. EST). On weekends I sometimes can post a bit more, but it depends on my family activities schedule.

Well glad to see Yuuwa will be with us. That gives the group a cleric/great character - in game - and a good player/poster to boot. Six it will be then. I am probably calling it a day and have reached page 12 - The Viper Bush/Which way do we go? page.

I am updating my own map for you (and me) as I read. I don't have the fog of war ability so will be adding something to your gear - Area Map (+1 to survival checks made to navagate wildreness -value 50gp, 2lbs.) This map will show the ridges, paths, and streams (like the original map does).

It will be used a lot for your "plotting a course" letting me know which way you go. Or feel free to copy it and add in a course and then post me a link if it's to hard to explain.

Night all and look for a post in the Game tag tonight.