DM's check in here.
Checking in.
.
The exact details are a bit in the air still. Hopefully within the next couple days, you guys will get an email letting you know you've had the scenario added to your account. At that point you can download and begin prepping the scenario.
The scenario will be broken up into scenes. Some of these scenes will be roleplaying interaction. Most will be combats. Each scene will start with box text that I'll provide in this gameplay thread that you can copy/paste to your own gameplay threads as an opener.
Each scene also has a time limit. They vary in length but as this was designed for live gaming, we'll have to come up with a ratio that's fair but still pressuring in PBP. It'll end up being something like 20 minutes equates to one day - so if you have a scene that needs to be finished in an hour, that'd limit us to three days.
Checking in. And that sounds good.
Alright, having looking over the scenario and considering the time frame we're looking at, I'm planning on a ratio of 15 minutes face to face time equating to 1 day PBP time. Thus the event time table will look like this.
February 7th: Act 1 - Introductions and Info Gathering
February 8th-9th: Act 2 [Phase 1]
February 10th-11th: Act 2 [Phase 2]
February 12th-13th: Act 2 [Phase 3]
February 14th-15th: Act 2 [Phase 4]
February 16th-17th: Act 2 [Phase 5]
February 18th-25th: Act 3
February 26: Reporting and Chronicle Distribution
This is roughly 3 times more aggressive than what the campaign staff had in mind but I'm confident we're 3 times as awesome.
Everyone have a chance to look over the scenario yet?
I'd like to post table assignments today.
Table assignments are up.
As soon as possible, please put up a gameplay and discussion thread so your players can start checking in.
Please use the following formatting for your gameplay thread:
Feral's PFS Special Event - Siege of the Diamond City [DM *Your Name*]
Still waiting on my scenario actually. But I put up the thread anyway.
I don't know when Joe/Mike's going to be able to get around to fixing your email address so I'll send it to you in the meantime.
As people check in, start collecting email addresses and PFS numbers. Throw them up in the DM reference sheet so that we can get this thing reported and chronicles out in a timely manner.
If people don't check in by tomorrowish, shoot them a PM poking them to check in. If they haven't checked in by the starting date, we'll want to replace them.
Also, my table was the first to get all check in. Ha!
Once your players have all checked in and gotten to know each other a bit, I suggest you have them nominate a 'leader', someone will make decisions for the party and help the DM with tactics/actions if one of his party members need to be NPCed.
Ideally, this will be someone that's available often and comfortable with game mechanics.
All my players are checked in and I asked them to nominate a leader.
Excellent.
If Netopalis doesn't make an appearance and get his thread started by the end of today, I'll just make a thread for him and ask Gary to transfer ownership to him so his folks can start checking in.
I'm sending PM's to my two who haven't checked in.
All my players have checked in.
Tektite suggested we get some pre-intros out there to give folks some context. I agree so I put this together. Feel free to steal this and modify as appropriate to fit your narrative. The actual intro will go out on Friday.
***
The missive didn't include many details except to mention that you were needed in the City of Nerosyan and that expediency was of the essence. Any thoughts of balking at the order were swiftly squashed when the sender was recognized - the Decemvirate themselves. So, from far and wide, each of you traveled across the world to Nerosyan, the capital of the crusader state of Mendev.
Located at a valuable strategic location, guarding the junction where the Egelsee River flowing from the east meets the northern-most branch of the Sellen River, it's visible at a glance that Nerosyan is designed first and foremost as a defensive fortification. The city is laid out in a diamond pattern between the two rivers, in order to maximize their defensive potential and the outer walls are topped with crenelations, and dozens of towers rise from the walls, ensuring that the defenders can pour fire into any attacking force. The top of the walls are covered in sloped roofs cut with arrow slits, designed to allow defenders to ward off the flying attacker. At the center of the city stands a massive cathedral, built to allow defenders to easily sally out to any part of the city.
Per the instructions in the missive, you make your way to a large mess hall within the Starrise Spire, one of two Pathfinder lodges in Nerosyan. A small army of Confirmed agents are already gathered here, all busily speculating the reason for the summons among themselves.
A dusky-skinned man in richly decorated armor stands atop a small stage at the head of the mess hall. He clears his throat and speaks in a loud clear voice that lowers the rest of the volume in the room.
“Fellow Pathfinders, I am Jorsal of Lauterbury, Venture Captain of Nerosyan. I welcome you to the Starrise Spire and bid you to find a seat and speak with the other guests. Once everyone is comfortably seated, I will get to the point of this great gathering.”
After he's said his piece, the Venture Captain descends from the stage. You find yourselves among peers, some of which you may recognize...
Friday marks the beginning of the event. It's then that the PCs should start interacting with the NPCs and learning about the city/region. That would be a good time to start rolling knowledge checks too but it wouldn't be unreasonable to do that now. If the PCs are on the ball and asking all the right questions, feel free to get through everything in Act I up to The Annoucement.
On Saturday I'll write up some narrative for The Annoucement (which will largely be copy/pasted from the scenario). Like the pre-intro, feel free to modify it to fit your own prose. When that happens, please link the district status map in the description of your own games. I'll be updating the map as Act II progresses.
We're still missing a few PFS numbers and email addresses in the DM reference sheet. Try to get those collected and entered by Friday.
We're coming up on Day 1. I hope everyone's excited! I noticed we're still missing some email addresses and PFS numbers. Are you guys having a hard time getting info from your players?
A few tips on expediting things:
*Roll initiative for your players and use block initiative. In short, this is the method of running initiative in which the PCs and the bad guys act in two big groups.
In this example, Eli, Ventus, and Kaplan would act (in any order). Then the bad guys. Then the entire party (in any order). Then the bad guys. Etc.
This method requires the DM to exercise a bit of restraint and judgement in order to not overwhelm the PCs in an unfair way but running initiative this way really helps move combat along by minimizing the amount of time that the PCs are waiting on each other and the DM in order to act.
*Take advantage of your team leader. Based on your own availability, don't be afraid to NPC your lagging PCs via their team leader if you know you're going to be away for a time. Find a way to establish quick communication with said leader (gmail, facebook, etc). Nothing wastes more time in a PBP than a DM and players that are out of sync (DM constantly waiting on players to post, players waiting on DM to resolve actions, etc).
*Communicate with me and the other DMs. If you know you're going to be away for the better part of a day, speak up. We'll get someone else to cover your thread. It wouldn't be fair to your players to lose a bunch of time due to a communications slip. All of you have my gmail contact info and most of you have my cell number. Text me if something comes up.
****
When it's time to start Day 1, I'll post a very short blurb in the gameplay thread along with an OOC comment declaring such. Feel free to introducing the NPCs then (or start the PCs rolling knowledge checks if you haven't done so already). If your Friday schedule is such that you won't be available until late Friday, go ahead and start things late Thursday.
The official starting post is up. If you haven't already, start introducing the NPCs.
Tektite is a hero and helped me write up the intro for Act II.
I'll post it in the gameplay thread tomorrow but it's linked here with forums formatting for easy access.
Everyone should have edit access for the Crisis Map so you can move your party's token around. Just be careful with the other layers. I don't think google draw has a lock image option. If you accidentally move something out of place you can fix it with Undo.
When your tables complete an encounter, write a couple lines about it in the gameplay thread here for narrative purposes (and to help me with tracking progress across the districts). When you do so, try to include a bit shining the spotlight on one of your PCs.
Example:
With Boris at the lead, a team of Pathfinders has uncovered a cache of honey in the Noms district! Messengers are being summoned to dispense the lunch supplies.
Don't forget the bonuses that enemies get for being in high threat districts (which they all are currently). I almost did!
At some point we're probably going to end up running duplicate encounters (ones that another table has done). When you report that in the gameplay thread, try to describe it in such a way that it sounds different for narrative purposes.
Oh, I forgot to mention, Netopalis is going to be away for the better part of the day tomorrow. Is anyone going to be keyboard-bound tomorrow and mind picking up his table until 8-9pm EST?
Oh, I forgot to mention, Netopalis is going to be away for the better part of the day tomorrow. Is anyone going to be keyboard-bound tomorrow and mind picking up his table until 8-9pm EST?
Reading through the thread now
Thanks again Tektite.
Red and Tektite brought up something I forgot to mention.
Don't forget this bit:
Note: As you move around the city, (between encounters) you can stop by Starrise and make use of Pathfinder resources: When receiving aid in Subtier 1–2, each PC may choose to receive 1d8+1 points of healing, a single nonmagical cold iron weapon, or 10 pieces of cold iron ammunition to use for the rest of the scenario. You can each do this a total of three times.
Of course edit as necessary for your level range. Alternatively, just have the aid happen as it becomes necessary. Example: A courier arrives with a cold iron weapon when the party is struggling against DR or a low level cleric appears in the crowd and administers aid.
The blurb for tomorrow morning is available here.
For those midway those tables midway through an encounter now, those successes will be counted for phase 2.
There is a strong possibility that I won't be able to post on Saturday, Febuary 15th. I am being forced to a family gathering. I'm going to need someone to cover for my group that day.
We'll get someone to take care of it. Thanks for the warning.
Isn't that two blows Talwin?
To, whoever GMs my table on Saturday:
The players are levels 3-4, and are currently doing
A13. WOUNDWARD DISTRICT—TRAITOR’S RUN
The 2 dretches are both summoning, while the traitor guards have just attacked Terrill. All PC's opponents are at full health.
As we did in the previous act, please sound off in the gameplay thread whenever your table completes a milestone.
I sent out an email. Everyone make sure to check your mailbox.
For those getting their chronicles ready now.
Event Name: Feral's Online Siege
Event Code: 38,375
We're done folks. I posted the conclusion.
It's important folks CC me on the chronicle email you send out to your table MVP. You'll see why tomorrow.