Hm. The bow would be handy, but I think Balter would get more mileage out of the amulet of natural armor. He's one of the group's front-liners, but he only has an AC of 17. It's a miracle that he hasn't been KO'd yet. :P
And giving it more thought, I don't exactly want to eat the up the party's wealth, so honestly I would be happy with just that.
Definitely take the amulet. The bow is yours if you want it too, but I understand the thought process, thus the selling of the scorpion whip.
Alright then! I'll go ahead and put the +1 longsword back, so if someone else wants it, or if we want to go ahead and sell it, go ahead.
Balter will trade in his current composite longbow, which should be worth 300 gp if we sell it, IIRC.
Why would you put the magic longsword back?
I mean, if no one has any problems with Balter taking the amulet, bow, and sword, then he totally will. But that's almost 7,000 gp worth of stuff right there. :P
Take the stuff that will make you better! It is a better value.
Think of it this way. If we aren't making magic items, and you can get value out of a +1 sword, that's 2,000 gp worth of gear - if you sell it you only get 1,000 gp worth of gear. You will want a magic sword later anyway, so you are losing money on that.
Take the extra stuff now, we'll get what we can later. Having you perform better helps the entire party to survive.
Exactly.
In my home games, we never really worry about who's got the most stuff at any given time. If we've found stuff that is useful to a party member it stays regardless of individual wealth.
Typically it all works out in the end.
Same in my home games... the only time current individual wealth is considered is if an item would be equally useful to more than one character.
@DM BG - Can I get a sale value for the 4 crates of alcohol and the 2 cases of Grundy's Finest? Otherwise we should be good with what is being sold and is being kept.
Looks like we have lost Hrafen... no response from PM.
If you have a player in mind who might fit the group's playstyle, have them post here(?) I'd like to avoid open recruitment if possible.
What is our playstyle?
I know what mine is which I do regardless of anyone else. One of the reasons I was so disappointed with the previous Kingmaker iteration from which many of us migrated.
I could easily recommend some people, but...I don't know how many Kingmakers people want to be in. After all, I think everyone here is already in two at least. I personally GM a rather irregular Kingmaker, and I would recommend 90% of those players without question.
But the playstyle question is interesting. I find myself curious since I often feel the best gaming I've done in this Kingmaker has been via Marisol, whether because she initiated it in game like the everyone revealing their deepest secrets RP we did in the barn, or in the various PM sequences that have occurred.
Since Marisol is the only one who ever seems interested in that "playstyle" so-to-speak, I'm curious what everyone else thinks.
What is our playstyle according to each of you?
Well, style-wise, we are strongly character-driven. Our characters have goals and agendas that relate to their personalities as well as their game mechanics. Our quests are not just "I need a +1 weapon and mithral armor so we're going to go fight monsters and get treasure until I get it." Instead, we actually talk to people, we have foibles and preferences, and while we do engage the game systems, we also make decisions based on our character agendas. This means that min-maxers and people who want to justify terrible behavior because "I'm Chaotic Neutral so I can do what I want" or "Hey this gives me a better attack roll which means you should shut up and let me do it so I can carry the party in combat" are not going to be good fits.
Schedule-wise, we are a casual game. Updates are semi-frequent. People who want posting every day will probably find this game too slow.
I really enjoy the RP with Durielle (one of the reasons I was a little distressed about the possibility of her going out of the game) and miss her when she's not posting. :P
I'm absolutely not surprised you were the first to respond, Marisol. :P
And so quick, too.
But on a serious note, sometimes I don't feel everyone appreciates the complexities I introduce since I don't like unflawed heroes. So I'm not entirely sure everyone agrees with what you just posted.
Also, I'm kind of a momentum poster. If I find myself in a "posting" attitude, the more people respond with affecting and deeper posts, the more into it I become and the more likely I am to see stay on track. I'm certainly not saying it's anyone else's responsibility to keep my focus up, that's just a truth of me and my ability to stay on task. Lol.
I can't help but like these characters. It's the one reason I never quit. Regardless of how people may have lagged in posting (myself possibly chief among us), I see a lot of depth possible.
I encourage everyone not to shy away from that.
I have no issues with RP heavy sequences as long as it serves a purpose, even if that purpose is only character development. If an effort is made and the interest there, we can be a fairly chatty group as exhibited by the 18 posts in the last 20-24 hours. That being said, overall we are a casual/slow paced game. (I personally wouldn't mind if the pace picked up bit, but that is as much in our hands as DM BG's).
What I would like to see in a new player, who ever that is, is someone who doesn't go completely MIA once we a not in a combat situation.
Of the characters we have left, I don't see anyone who would be classified as a power-gamer. Yes, we like to be useful, but I do not see any uber-optimized builds...I'd like that to continue for whoever we bring on board.
EDIT: Sounds like Marisol and I are of similar mind...
To further clarify, Durielle has disagreed often despite the suggested actions being easier or simpler (Topper is probably my best example since so many people loved Durielle's response post).
Sometimes I feel that attitude is actually disliked or frustrates the rest of you. If so, I'm sorry. That is a "flaw" of my writer mind. I can't do cliche hero unless I'm choosing as an homage or irony. Durielle was never intended to be either.
I'm absolutely not surprised you were the first to respond, Marisol. :P
And so quick, too.
But on a serious note, sometimes I don't feel everyone appreciates the complexities I introduce since I don't like unflawed heroes. So I'm not entirely sure everyone agrees with what you just posted.
Also, I'm kind of a momentum poster. If I find myself in a "posting" attitude, the more people respond with affecting and deeper posts, the more into it I become and the more likely I am to see stay on track. I'm certainly not saying it's anyone else's responsibility to keep my focus up, that's just a truth of me and my ability to stay on task. Lol.
I can't help but like these characters. It's the one reason I never quit. Regardless of how people may have lagged in posting (myself possibly chief among us), I see a lot of depth possible.
I encourage everyone not to shy away from that.
I like strong character scenes with emotional resonance and reveals and relationship-building (whether friendly or antagonistic), but eventually those scenes wrap up because our characters have to move on to the next day. So sometimes I feel like I'm hanging because either I've said/done everything I feel like I can squeeze in for the day and I have to wait for the next day, or in the opposite case the next day comes and I have to hurry and wrap up what I was talking about.
For instance when Marisol went to bed to wash her feet, I was pretty much out of stuff to do/talk about (barring someone else wanting to engage something), so I just wrapped up for the night and waited for the next morning.
I apologize if Marisol has come off as too pushy; she's a vain woman with certain insecurities and of course the whole "curse of the vam-piiiire!!!" angle, which means she tends to be assertive, flirty, and a strong face over a hidden vulnerable center.
Sometimes I feel that attitude is actually disliked or frustrates the rest of you. If so, I'm sorry. That is a "flaw" of my writer mind. I can't do cliche hero unless I'm choosing as an homage or irony. Durielle was never intended to be either.
Character reactions do not necessarily represent player reactions :)
Personally I think the differences in philosophy make for more well rounded, living, breathing characters...which is a good thing.
I definitely have to agree that this game is very character-driven. I've heard that said of Kingmaker games in general, honestly. If you're not approaching the adventure from a purely gamist perspective, then the characters have to mesh well together and form their own in-character motivations. And for the most part, that's how it's been for this game.
I still feel like I haven't really picked up the slack in that regard, though. Balter is easily the least nuanced character here - awkward as it may sound, sometimes I feel like I could have wringed more nuance out of Clousuk. I've tried to inject some depth into him without fundamentally changing the character he started out as (his formulated yet unwritten backstory is surprisingly still consistent), but at this point all I can really do is play out the character that he will grow into. Only took me like, two years. I just don't want it to feel like it's too little, too late. :P
That said, asides from someone that can post semi-frequently and that appreciates some good RP, I think we could use another foil to rile things up a bit... if that makes any sense.
I will be frank and say that my question about how everyone views our playstyle is largely driven by some of the irritation/frustration I've sensed when Durielle has pushed back on suggestions plus the largely strange tolerance for what Vladimir mentioned as "someone who [goes] completely MIA once we [are] not in a combat situation."
While the player alluded to has certainly shown propensity for some great RP moments, those were never very frequent. I personally assumed that was because of the way the game was prior to our revival(?) into this new iteration. So I was never certain the playstyle Marisol described was indeed the truth of us.
Character reactions do not necessarily represent player reactions :)
Personally I think the differences in philosophy make for more well rounded, living, breathing characters...which is a good thing.
I agree, but you have to admit Durielle has often stood alone in her views. Yes, others have sometimes given way, and other times not...but I find myself wondering if I am the sole reason we don't always take the "quick and easy path" as Yoda said.
There's also a radical alignment difference at work. Durielle is Chaotic Good. Marisol and Vlad are Lawful Neutral (though Marisol has Good leanings). This means that there will inevitably be some clashes. Also, Durielle's perspective is different, since she literally sees possible futures. Thus things that Marisol, Vlad, or Balter might consider unimportant might be important to her.
Don't hesitate, also, to throw a flag down in Discussion and say "Hey, guys & gals, this thing is important to me." While I tend to take Marisol's decisions in directions that I think she would go on the basis of her history and personality, I am more than happy to work on developing motivations that will create a better play experience if someone says "I have a Thing here that is Important To Me."
Absolutely. I second the rather eloquent stance that Marisol has stated
I will say that since we are not face-to-face, it's difficult to determine if the character or the player is the one being frustrated with Durielle.
Well, aside from I'm pretty certain Marisol has been "frustrated" by Durielle during certain PM sequences. Which leads me to say, I'm sorry I didn't do more about Marisol washing her feet. I do feel Durielle had more, but I've been in a bit of a posting rut in general these last couple of weeks.
Life sometimes gets in the way of gaming...*shakes fist*
I'm not frustrated with Durielle at all - or, rather, mostly I'm frustrated with myself for not figuring out when things are important for Durielle and thus leaving you feeling like you weren't listened to. That's part of the reason that Marisol made sure to catch up with Durielle after the discussion about naming the fort - I wanted to follow up since it was clearly important, and make sure that Durielle was heard.
Regardless, I'm happy with getting some momentum in the last day or so. Getting some light planning and flirting and breakfast makes for a fine, fun scene, and we can always do more heavy RP with our characters' sob stories and hidden secrets later! Or sooner! Whichever!
Speaking of which, if Durielle doesn't join us for breakfast, Marisol's going to have to bring her something to eat and check up to make sure she's not sick or avoiding everyone. :D
Lol, oh I wouldn't say that Marisol isn't frustrated. Didn't you just make comments about teasing? :P
Do you guys think Lawdrak's player would be interested? I don't know if the players I could recommend would want to play in another KM game.
Lol, oh I wouldn't say that Marisol isn't frustrated. Didn't you just make comments about teasing? :P
Different kind of frustration, you naughty, naughty elf. But yes, Marisol craves intimacy partly because of psychology (she spent a century of her life as sort of an outcast, and her relationship with her husband was Not Great), and partly because of biology (vampiric predatory urge sublimated into sex drive).
Lawdraw's player would be a decent choice, he seems pretty committed in our other game.
I'd be alright with Lawdrak's player. I can PM him if you like and see if he would be interested (assuming everyone is alright with that).
Balter, DM BG? Thoughts?
Naughty?! :O
Durielle has been, quite literally, the picture of innocence.
Naughty?! :O
Durielle has been, quite literally, the picture of innocence.
...says the woman who went on about frustration and teasing and whips. Fine! See if you get any breakfast! ;D
Speaking of which, check gameplay - your door is being knocked upon (unless Durielle is up and out before Marisol gets there).
Lawdrak would certainly be a fine choice, if he's interested.
That'd be fine with me Vlad.
And yes, I was referring to the non-power gamer, character driven RP playstyle.
Durielle - Your character's opinions/decisions should carry more weight once you've taken on a leadership role... there will be areas where it will be your role's domain. Considering that, perhaps you would be best served taking on the duties of a Councilor - advisor speaking on behalf of the people. You could still be named High Oracle, and perhaps have a slight variance in the game terms of role benefits.
It could be pretty interesting to have a Councilor (Grand Oracle) who speaks for the people but not from among them; who is a hermit or outsider, but sees the crises that will affect the kingdom and comes to the rulers with warnings without ever having to be told by one of the peasants.
I actually like the High Oracle/Grand Oracle (Councilor) idea a lot. Slight variation, but tailored nicely to Durielle.
In other news, I've sent a PM to Lawdrak's player to see if he's interested.
Got a reply from Lawdrak's player, unfortunately he is GMing Kingmaker for his home group right now (just starting book 6), and is not a big fan of running and playing something at the same time.
Anyone have any other suggestions? The only other players I have are already playing a Kingmaker game.
Ah, that's understandable. No dice on my end, I'm afraid. As it so happens, all of the good roleplayers I know are very busy people. *pokes pinvendor*
If worse comes to worst, we could always power on for a while longer with just the four of us.
I have a couple other possibilities that may be long shots:
Lady Ladile: A solid player, but she's in a KM game that I run, so I dunno if she wants to double-dip.
John Mechalas: Plays in one game that I run. Pretty responsive, pays attention to the game, does some RP. But I only know him from the one game and it looks like he only plays in a couple, so I don't know if he wants to expand his plate.
Mark Thomas 66: A reliable, regular player who does some decent RP/character development. In several games - he plays in a Wrath of the Righteous game and in a Jade Regent that I run.
Looks like Lady Ladile would actually be triple dipping into KM if we went that route. Unfortunately looks like she's playing an Arcanist in your game too, so it would likely be a redundant extra dip into KM.
John Mechalas is in the fewest amount of games, maybe he'd like one more?
Mark Thomas 66 is in an absolute ton of games, but from the best I can tell none of those games are KM.
The only other one I can think of is in my Kingmaker game and as an added twist was one of the original players in this game, Faelar Braegen
That being said, I trust Marisol's/Jesse's judgement on the three brought forward.
At this juncture I'd try John Mechalas first, I think.
Like Vlad, I'm willing to cede to your judgment.
What's the worst that can happen? ;)
@Marisol - Any word from John Mechalas?
Oh! I hadn't messaged him - I was waiting to see if our DM had an opinion.
Sorry yeah.. Go right ahead.
John says he's interested, but it will take him a couple days to flesh out an arcane caster for us. (He tends to do a lot of backstory, which will fit nicely with this group.) I told him that we are mostly looking for an arcane/psychic full caster, but there's a lot of room in that to do a blaster, debuffer, controller, etc. I also mentioned that we are currently kinda weak on ranged attacks, and explained our group's alignment dynamic.
Awesome. Thank you.
You bet. He'd like you to drop him a line so that you can fill him in with any concerns/questions/suggestions before he jumps in. He says he's thinking of making an evoker, as that will give him both blasting and control powers.
Cool.
John, if you are watching this thread already, welcome to the game!
Hello, everyone! This is John Mechalas. I want to thank you all for inviting me to play, and Marisol especially for recommending me. I am looking forward to joining the game!
It'll take me a couple of days to spin up here, but I have finished the most important part of character creation: choosing an avatar image. Oh, and a name, too.
As Marisol has relayed to you, Nico will be an Evoker. I'll read through the game posts to help me get a feel for your play styles, and use that to help write up the rest of the character.
Thank you, again!
Hello, Nico-John!
In case your interested in totality, Durielle and Vladimir both played in this kingmaker before some disatisfaction migrated us to this one. There's a lot of how Durielle's personality evolved in her posts over there, but it can easily be skipped if you're just skimming.
Welcome to the show! :D
Hello, Nico-John!
In case your interested in totality, Durielle and Vladimir both played in this kingmaker before some disatisfaction migrated us to this one. There's a lot of how Durielle's personality evolved in her posts over there, but it can easily be skipped if you're just skimming.
And in Vlad's case this is his second go around in this game - I begged Bloodgargler to restart it after our dissatisfaction with the game Durielle linked to. Fortunately for us, Bloodgargler was kind enough to take us in.