Any opinions in regards to Akhom's situation?
I defer to you DM, it's your game. I must say though that the rhythm has turned quite slow, which, in my view, leads to more slowness. I find it's like a spiral.
Agreed. So let's do what we can to pick up the pace.
I think you should set a rule for some kind of pace that you yourself can maintain, and then boot players who aren't keeping it. Say 1 post per 48 or 72 hours. If the party shrinks significantly then recruit replacements. Otherwise things will continue on at the pace they've been going.
No offense slow posting players. Your guy's posts are great when they're there and I enjoy playing with you, but a game's got to move.
Just to keep you in the loop, I've had a death in the family, and I need to travel for the memorial. I don't know what internet will be like there as it's a small town way out in the desert. I should be back by mid-week next week. I am hoping to get an update completed before I go.
Sorry for your loss :(
Sorry DM. My condolences. Hope it goes ok.
Thank you. It was my wife's grandmother, who had been suffering from Alzheimer's for a while, so it was not unexpected. My wife was not close to her, but we want to be able to go to support the family that were.
Sorry for your loss. I lost my grandfather a few years ago, so I know what it's like.
Heads up: I'm on vacation from Feb. 5 to Feb. 18, and will most likely be unable to post at all. Please DMPC me as needed.
I've invited Akholm to join back in. He'll have his own story to tell as to where he was...
Since it came up earlier...
I have trawled back through the thread, and updated the loot page (still available on Seif's page as a link, but replicated here for your convenience).
Basically, Akhom would *definitely* have been able to afford the 250gp for a camel ;-)
There is also a Brooch of Shielding, and a Ring of Feather Fall which should both be claimed by someone...
I also have a question for the GM:
The magical armor retrieved from the boss pugwampi, what is it actually?
You initially referred to it as a +1 breastplate, but then referred to it as a suit of +1 half-plate later on... Personally, I would prefer the breastplate, but I thought that I should check ;-)
We should also have a look at that book Muqaq pocketed - 'Courts of Stone and Flame'; the only book, strangely untouched, to survive the monastery's fall...
...obviously not when we are in combat, of course ;-)
Sorry, the armour was definitely meant to be +1 Breastplate (Medium armour) and not Half-Plate (Heavy Armour).
My 4 year old son saw me updating some posts on the weekend, and asked me what I was doing. I explained it to him, and he started getting really excited, especially about the maps. For the rest of the weekend he kept asking me if he could look at the map again, zoom in on the last gnoll, or if it was time to update the story yet. He thought N'Dateh was a very special warrior. He kept asking, "Has N'Dateh defeated the last gnoll yet?"
Thought you guys would like to know you have a fan, and that he is rooting for you.
Nice!
I can sign him an autograph ;-P
Whenever my kindergarteners at school see me checking posts on my phone during breaks they always ask me about it too. The kids love the message board avatars.
Tell him Muqaq (mu-kack) says hello in a funny voice.
I'm away for the weekend and will most likely be unable to post.
Really heavy workload right now. Will update as soon as I get the chance.
I'm going to be moving this weekend, so I may be incommunicado for a few days. I'll touch base as soon as I can.
How'd the move go boss?
Move itself went ok. I'm back at work today, but I still don't have internet set up at home yet. The place is pretty chaotic. I had to take some time off to get the move done as well, so now I'm playing catch up as well. Please hang in there a little longer, and I'll get this party moving again asap.
No worries. Thanks for the heads up!
No worries DM.
So, sorry for the unexplained absence. I've been going full throttle at work and at home in order to get ready for a trip. I'm sure some of you can relate; I work in the sort of place where I have no coverage for my job, so I have to do as much work in advance as I can to get ready for my absence (and then probably do twice as much in order to catch up after I get back, as well). My apologies for the lack of movement, I really thought it had just been a couple of days or so, I was really surprised to see it had been a week.
I am leaving for Iceland today, and then on to Denmark later in the week. I have wifi everywhere I am going, but I have no idea what the reception will like, or how much time I will have. I will try to move things as much as I can, whenever I get the chance. I'll have the PDF of the modules along with me, so as long as I have time, I should be able to post. I'm back in Canada (home) on May 30th, and back to work June 2nd, but of course I'm not sure how busy I'll be then either. Things may go slowly for the next few weeks, but rest assured, they will proceed.
Thanks for your patience, and as always, all the fun in gaming.
DM Stormwind
Enjoy Iceland! (and Denmark!)
We can't really have a harpy and her elemental? lover running around in Kelmarane any more than we can have a tribe of gnolls. So, what are we going to tell her?
Gruthic is willing to relocate anyone who is a barrier to peaceful reclamation of Kelmarane. He's also willing to slay any that attack him for such an attempt. However, he is holding his tongue and deferring to Muqaq as the leader of the expedition on how to handle this woman.
Well, as a player I'd favour a takedown, as quickly and quietly as possible. We're going to have to take her at some point, as she's not just going to let us wreck the good thing she's got going here. Taking it to her right now, when there's a(n admittedly slim) chance of some of us getting a surprise round on her, may well be the safest and most efficient option.
Akhom probably feels differently, but once battle is joined he's committed. He certainly won't be initiating any surprise attacks.
You can probably convey a lot by non-verbal communication when doing some group planning, but keep in mind that she is watching you all very carefully. And you are not telepathic...
Boo! Table talk is a time honored RPG tradition. But if you want to play it like that, then we'll handle it IC.
I'm going to be quite busy these days and might have a hard time posting. Please DMPC me as needed.
So, where am I? Mostly justly feeling depressed, overworked, and a bit burnt out. Every time I turn my attention to the game, I just feel too tapped out to do any work on it. It is tough, because it is something I usually really enjoy, but at some point it has entered into a phase of feeling like work. I don't think it will last forever, but I don't know when I will be back to fighting form. I'm not the quitting type, so let me know if you are interested in continuing on at a slow pace, for the time being, with the hope that things will pick up in a bit once a few current stresses in my life ease up. Thoughts?
When I feel this way about my games, I either slow down, give myself a fixed amount of time off and letting players know, or I cut to the chase of the AP.
It gets very tedious to run every encounter, especially since a lot are not really a challenge. I narrate those sometimes, or just skip them (like: You've explored the south-east corner. You've met with some resistance from X and Y, but manage to fend them off.)
I'm around, if you wish to keep going.
I understand the feeling. I'm not going anywhere, so take your time - I'm happy to continue slowly, or take a break until you feel re-energised. Whatever gives us the best chance of not quitting for good :)
Honestly when DMing a PBP starts to feel like work for me, I usually end up cancelling the game. It depends, sometimes it's just because I'm having a busy time IRL, then it gets better later. But if you're not having fun, then you shouldn't force yourself to play?
Yeah, I can sympathise when a game starts being more work than fun. Burn out affects even the best GMs, and everyone here understands how that goes. Please focus on what's important: dealing with the real stresses in your life. This game is just a game, and real life takes priority. You've got a group of supportive, understanding players here, and we're willing to give you the time you need.
In less than 24 hours I'll be heading out for three weeks of international travel. There will be times when I'll be able to post, but other times I may not be able to. Please bear with me, and/or bot me as necessary.
Thanks for the head's up.
I'll be away next week, only posting from my phone. Feel free to bot me as needed.
Thanks for letting me know. Gruthic, are you there, or are you waiting for more information on how your eyes are doing?
To be honest, I'm not sure how the eyes should work out... The creature description just says blinded when hit by the venom, but there is no mention of duration. The only comparison I can think of is the Blindness/Deafness spell, which is of course permanent. Blindness must be counteracted by a Remove Blindness spell. Unless there is anything else to go by, that may have to be the assumption.
Sorry, didn't realize I was holding up the game. Gruthic is effectively neutralized by the blindness, so the party will have to come up with another avenue of attack.
Guys, I'm going to withdraw from this game. I've got too much going on to stay invested in something running so slowly. Sorry to pull out, but thanks for the long run DM Stormwind (and others). Hopefully I'll see you guys around the boards in the future.
I think I'm ready to get this game going again, but obviously it becomes important to gauge the interest of the players involved. Honestly, Muqaq stepping out is quite a blow, as he was Almah's chosen representative, and has been the team's leader since almost the beginning. It is entirely understandable that he chose to do so, but it sucks nonetheless.
I have enjoyed this game a great deal, but I also have mixed feelings about it as well, as it has dragged on for some time, and has had more than its share of slow spots. I would almost consider taking a fresh start on things to be a viable alternative; new game, new characters, with all of the present players having a guaranteed spot, of course.
I am not dead set on any particular path, and thought I would check in with you and find out your feelings.
I'm good either way; DM's momentum comes first.
Anyone else?
Anyone else from the game out there? It has been a while, but if no one chimes in, then it also sends us a pretty clear signal.
I'm still here, and would be interested in starting a new game. I think it might be a bit harder to revitalize the current one.
I'm still around, but I agree the momentum seems to have died on this one. I apologize for my delayed posting, I've been working on getting a new job these last few months and now I'm in training for it this week.
Well, it appears no one else is going to chime in. Hmm. I am wondering what I should do, start something new with those here, recruit a few extra, or perhaps just take a bit of time off from the boards in general. Thoughts?
Tough choices...
If you feel you need time off, it might be good to listen to that voice inside, if only for a few weeks to see how things go.
I'm here and around if you wish to start something.