Oh hey look, don't let the fiancee thing be in the way at all. That's just RP fluff, I'm not upset in the least (like 0%). Seriously, you can't leave now - we are like three years into this sucker.
Besides, Rich is right! I am going to enjoy this thing way more that that old useless NPC guy!
Anyway, let me know what I can do to help make it more interesting for Monday? What do you want to see that would help increase interest? I'm sure Rich is willing to let us go in any direction we want to here.
Soooooooooo not to derail this conversation, but I noticed that I never updated my block in here to level four. Whoops. That's done now.
Anyway, let me know what I can do to help make it more interesting for Monday? What do you want to see that would help increase interest? I'm sure Rich is willing to let us go in any direction we want to here.
I 100% agree. This is all of your game and if there is anything I can do, I am fully ready to support it.
You absolutely haven't "messed up" anything, at least not in a way that would have negatively affected my gaming experience. Quite the opposite! I also hope that you'll think it over, and let us know if we can do anything to return your interest. Honestly, I'm not sure if this campaign can keep going without you—and I'm not saying that to guilt you into staying, or whatever. Of course, there is no sense in playing if you're not having fun. That is a fact. However, for my part, Monday and Naberius' weird relationship is probably my favourite thing about this campaign, and I know I'd be far less motivated to continue without you.
Again, please don't feel pressured into anything. That is certainly not my intention. I just really like playing with you, and I'd like to keep doing that if at all possible.
Sorry for holding things up.
Np.
Ditto.
So wait, is it a Acrobatics check or a Reflex save?
Sorry Acrobatics!
The twins are only as damaged as everyone else I guess.
DM Rich put a health list a few posts above that has the twins as the most damage.
Ah okay, I guess then.
FYI busy 2-3 days for me but will check in when I can.
Can we get a map of the room? Is there a way around the pit?
Here you go.
You are in location B12.
Sorry about the delay. I had to be out of town for the weekend, and completely forgot to inform all of you. My apologies.
As an aside, could we have gone into the other branch of the hallway before this room, or was that off-limits?
No problem.
Yes, you could have gone down the other branch, but I was under the impression that you all wanted to check out the moaning.
That's fine, I just didn't know we had a choice. :P
Hey guys I'm off to GenCon this week, GMPC me if i'm holding things up. I'll be off playing games, games and MORE GAMES! :D
Have fun!
Sorry about being so quiet over the last few weeks. I suppose it has been my turn to feel unmotivated. I'm not quite sure if it's just the dungeon, or if I'm starting to get a bit weary with the campaign in general. You all are great fun to play with, but it seems that play-by-post is really not made for adventure paths. :/
I also started GMing a game here on the forums, which has taken up most of my creative energy. Perhaps that'll even out over time.
It seems that this 'dungeon crawl' might be killing the spark. It always seemed that this group excelled more on RP'ing than as a 'find monsters, kill them, take their stuff' group. If you just want me to handwave and summarize the end of the dungeon, let me know. I would hate for part of the AP to be the cause of the group to disband.
*shrugs*
Okay, I've been thinking about this quite a lot. To answer your question: yes, I would prefer to be done with the dungeon as quickly as possible, though I'm not sure if that's the only issue. There was a definite slowdown in posting even before we got to the Asmodean Knot, when I felt I was having to post more to keep things going. That's not a slight on any of you, just an observation. We've been at this for over two years now, so these recent hiccups may well just be symptoms of overall fatigue. We could try to fast forward a bit and see if that helps, if everyone is amenable, but that might not be enough.
Not to be too pessimistic about our chances, but even if we can get back our former momentum, it's hard for me to think that we'll ever be done with the campaign. Adventure Paths are simply too long for the format, I think. Having played through a whole adventure module in play-by-post, I know that to be much more manageable. Being able to finish a story in its entirety in about a year is very satisfying.
So, I'll just throw this out there: we could switch campaigns, perhaps to something shorter, like a stand-alone adventure module. We don't have to stop playing together, even if this game has lost its steam. I really love all of our characters and their interactions, but I'm not so in infatuated with the AP itself as to cling to it past its natural lifespan. That is not to say DM RichD isn't doing a great job with what he's got available to him, but the writing in Council of Thieves isn't all that inspiring so far. At least this way, we would have a definite endpoint and a fresh start, rather than the slow fizzling out that seems to be the fate of so many games around here.
What do you all think? Sorry for being so damn verbose, but brevity isn't my strong suit...
I agree with your assessment for the most part Nabe. I think the pace is the main issue here. Yes it is a dungeon crawl which slows things down but there was a time when everyone was posting at least once a day. When it slowed down to every other day or worse then we lost all momentum. I would like to see a recommitment to daily posting to move this along. If that means advancing through this via narrative then I guess so be it.
I would love to see this through to the end of the campaign as I have heard some really good things about it. Also this is my third time in this campaign and all have ended prematurely.
An other option is to see if RichD wants to incorporate another player with fresh blood to interact with. That will give some more life hopefully.
I went through a period many months ago (don't recall when) where I was tempted to withdraw from the campaign because things had gotten so hectic I couldn't commit to posting every day. Or maybe I couldn't posted everyday because I wasn't super intrigued by what was happening every day and thus I told myself I didn't have the time.
Whichever it was, it wasn't the players (you guys are great fun). I stuck it out and things improved for me and I started getting into it again. So things do cycle but Naberius is right, things are tough in an AP in PbP format. I think most of us have gone through these tough times where we aren't motivated to post or do something and I'm not sure what the right answer is. Both of you give good suggestions.
I'll tell you one thing, we have made it pretty far though. Most of the time people don't make it past the first book of an AP and I think we're likely more than halfway through the second.
I know I didn't contribute a lot to the direction and resolution, but wanted to acknowledge that I hear and agree with you guys.
Oh and RichD - You're great and I've enjoyed the work you've put in, this is nothing against you at all.
Yeah, I like playing with you all, I'm just trying to make myself give damn about the Twins, about the Campaign.
Also this is my third time in this campaign and all have ended prematurely.
That is a shame, but also a testament to how unlikely it is that we'll be able to finish the AP in its entirety. Assuming that we are halfway through book two, it would take us half a decade to get through the whole campaign at our current pace. Even if we manage to recommit to daily posting (which seems tough when I'm already having a hard time getting myself to post once a week), it would still take multiple years.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that committing to something that seems doomed to fail sooner or later is not entirely motivating. Doubly so, knowing that we could finish an entire story in the time it took us to get through one book in an AP. I totally get where you're coming from with wanting to see the campaign reach its conclusion, but I think going for something more short-form might be more satisfying in the long run.
I know I didn't contribute a lot to the direction and resolution, but wanted to acknowledge that I hear and agree with you guys.
Thanks for chiming in! I'm glad to see that everyone is still invested in the group, at least, if not the game.
Oh and RichD - You're great and I've enjoyed the work you've put in, this is nothing against you at all.
Yes, absolutely. Whatever direction we choose to take, I'd definitely love to keep having you as the GM. I'm sure you've invested more time into this campaign than any of us, and I don't mean to slight that.
Yeah, I like playing with you all, I'm just trying to make myself give damn about the Twins, about the Campaign.
Whichever way you look at it, after multiple years, it's kind of inevitable that you get tired of playing the same character. That's kind of what I'm feeling now, as well. The things I was interested in exploring with Naberius aren't as fascinating to me as they were two years ago, and whatever goals I might have had in mind for him seem too far away to motivate play. In short, it feels like I'm ready for something new.
I suppose either of us could bring in a different character to freshen things up, but that doesn't solve the fact that the AP itself isn't being all that engaging for either of us. That, and the pre-existing connections between the characters being the primary motivation to keep playing in the first place. At that point, it seems smarter to just start fresh altogether.
It's not so much I've gotten tired of her and Tuez, it's just everything that's going on or i did has burnt me up.
i don't know if bringing in new characters would solve anything, i doubt I could come up with a motivation to make them care.
First off, thank you everyone for the kind words. I always strive to give my players a game that is enjoyable to them as well as myself.
<Bows deeply>
As for the current game, I am game (no pun intended) with whatever you all decide.
I am an AP subscriber, so I have all the AP's so if there is another one that you all want to try-I have it.
Also, just because AP's are designed to be run Book 1-6, we don't have to do that. We can use any book as its own standalone game. We can end the adventure at the end of the book or continue on. It does not even have to start with book 1, it can be any book in the series. I will give you all the background information of the AP.
I don't have any short modules, but if any of you have any you want to try, PM me and I will give you my email address for you to send my way.
You are at the end of book 2, so we can try to finish it up to reach some conclusion.
You all have said some kind words about me, now let me return the favor. Two years ago, while I had DM'd Serpent's Skull from start to finish, I had never DM'd a pbp. You all took a chance on a relatively new DM, and for that I thank you. I have enjoyed the characters you have created and you all inspired me to step up my game to keep up! You all put the 'role' in role-playing and I humbly request to continue to be a part of it.
Please let me know what you want to do with this campaign or if need be, what our next adventure will be.
I would vote to at least finish the book if w are that close. From there my personal preference would be to continue on with this campaign but understand that is it not for everyone. I do know the next book starts with more rollplaying and intrigue as I made it half way through that one.
If we are doing something else what are people thinking specifically.
Oh, stop it! You're making me tear up. :P
Well, at this point I'm pretty certain that I'm ready to move on from Council of Thieves. I'm totally fine with finishing the book to get some closure, but preferrably with some heavy handwaving when it comes to the current dungeon crawl. From there on, I'm game with anything, really, as long as it's something shorter than an entire Adventure Path.
Speaking of Serpent's Skull, I've heard that the first book is pretty good as a stand-alone adventure. That might be a good place to start, since DM RichD already has it and has run it before.
I don't know much about serpent skull myself. Never tried getting into a game but I am up for it.
As for the hand waving to get to the end, what type of closure are we looking for. Gruesome death for the majority fo people or a heroic battle where we succeed? Perhaps Nabe does during the fight but comes back as a ghost to stay with Monday :p
Well, whatever happens, happens. I'm not tied to any specific ending, though I never expected things to end well for Naberius.
So it looks like we have 2 votes for book 1 of Serpent's skull.
And two votes for finishing the book with a lot of hand-waving (Sorry Livia!)
And one vote who would like to continue on in a possible new COT campaign starting with book 3. (I wouldn't mind DMing a COT campaign starting at book 3 and DMing Book 1 of SS or whatever campaign you decide on.)
Monday and Mera-What say you?
I don't know.
Hmmmm.
First, I'd like to finish out this current book if at all possible. I'd hate to give up on CoT, but I suppose it's more important to keep the games moving than to have it dry up completely. I was enjoying playing Mera, I felt she really fit in well in this story.
RichD - Can you comment on Book 3 at all and tell us if the pace is different? Naberius seems to have an issue with a lackluster story, is that going to change at all in the next book?
I'd love to have that fresh and exciting feel to the game again that you always lose after the first few weeks, not sure how to recapture that again and again.
I've never played Serpent's Skull, so I'm fine moving to that if that's where the group wants to go.
OK, so it sounds like the consensus is to finish the book.
As for Book 3, it has been awhile since I read it, but you will delve more into the mystery of the pathfinder lodge and the exploits of missing pathfinders.
So it sounds like SS it is.
Here is the plan, if agreeable.
1. We continue on until the end of the current book.
2. Unfortunately next week, I will be heading to South Carolina for two weeks to visit family.
3. When I get back in the beginning of October, I will open up a private recruitment thread for all of you for Book 1 SS.
4. I will open up another recruitment thread for Book 3 of COT. Those of you that would like to continue will have a guaranteed spot either playing your current characters or new ones.
Thoughts?
Sounds good to me, count me in!
Excellent RichD. Thanks again for everything you are doing!
For SS how do you guys want to collaborate on what characters people are looking at so we don't all make clerics?
It's mostly Jungle and Dungeon based, right?
I'd like to go back to playing a frontliner, Monday was an oddity for me.
Probably Barbarian/Bloodrager/or Cavalier.
Granted I don't even know what all would be allowed so there's not really any point in making something right now.
For book 1 of SS you are shipwrecked on a deserted [heh heh] island. The book will take you from level 1 - 3, so you will have to map out your characters accordingly.
Here is my standard Character creation:
Character Creation Guidelines
- 20 point character buy. All scores 10 or greater after racial adjustments.
- Pathfinder Core Rule Book & Advanced Player’s Guide only.
- Two traits.*
- Maximum gold for 1st level, maximum hit points all levels.
- Alignment. LG, NG preferred. CG, LN, TN acceptable. NO CN or evil.
*I can't remember if SS has its own traits and I am at work so I don't have access to the Player's Guide, but if it does one trait must be from that.
Now having played with you all for two years, if you want to play a character outside of the above, let me know.
I have created the recruitment thread for SS here:
so you all can discuss/create your characters.
For SS how do you guys want to collaborate on what characters people are looking at so we don't all make clerics?
Who says we can't have a party of four clerics?! Sounds like a challenge to me, my friend!
For SS how do you guys want to collaborate on what characters people are looking at so we don't all make clerics?Who says we can't have a party of four clerics?! Sounds like a challenge to me, my friend!
One of each extreme alignment.
A party of all clerics would work very nicely. You can have the upfront cleric, an archer cleric, a buff-healer, and a stealthy cleric.
I once played a tabletop game where 3/5 PC's were clerics.