Updated.
Mine is ready for review! After your review, I'll make sure it all fits onto a page.
Hmm, I have page and a half. I will shorten it and do final polishing tomorrow. I had a bit hard work week but rest of the month should be easier.
OK, I rewrote the backstory to one page, and concentrating only on the story. Please tell me if there is anything conflicting the facts of the game setting.
Of course, I can also redo it in some way that is easier for game mechanics.
I've also given mine something of an update! c: Please let me know if there's anything that requires tweaking c:
My one page is ready. I left the notes on subsequent pages for my own reference.
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Each PC will be privately assigned a mission by Martella Lotheed. The players actually get to choose, though. The campaign trait in parentheses is a suggested match, as it provides at least one of the associated skills. One character per mission, and once we get to the senate, you may choose whether to share your mission. Please post your top two choices, in order of preference.
Aide (Athletic Champion): In addition to spies, Martella legitimately needs a senatorial aide as both a cover for her other false aides and to run communications between allied politicians. This is by far the easiest job available, but also the most time-consuming, requiring the PC to run messages between various politicians.
Navigating the crowded senate floor to deliver messages quickly requires an Escape Artist or combat maneuver check.
Discovery (Taldan Patriot): Martella is confident Eutropia has gathered the votes necessary for her cause, but she hates loose ends. She tasks this agent with uncovering the true dedication of two senators: Duke Centimus and Countess Abrielle Pace. It is unknown if either supports Eutropia’s bid to end primogeniture, and while their votes will be apparent after the senate convenes, Martella wants the PC to discover their positions in advance, as well as the reasons each noble holds that position.
Divining each noble’s motivations requires a Sense Motive or Perception check after at least one member of the party has put the noble at ease with one or more successful Influence checks.
Fraud (Disgraced Noble): Martella needs to discredit a few prominent senators backing primogeniture—not necessarily to sway their votes, but to undercut their influence after the vote.
This agent must create a scandal surrounding one of the major opponents to the repeal of primogeniture. Doing so requires first identifying an opponent, either with a Sense Motive check or by coordinating with another PC (such as one taking the Discovery mission), and then by spreading rumors with a Bluff check and manufacturing or co-opting damning evidence on the fly with a Linguistics check.
Politicking (Senatorial Hopeful): The orchestrations of Eutropia, Glorianna Morilla, and Martella Lotheed have swayed a great number of reluctant senators, and Lady Lotheed requires a vast web of influence to maintain that. To that end, she would like this agent to make a strong impression on Baron Nicolaus Okerra and remind him of certain debts he owes her. While Baron Nicolaus Okerra isn’t a senator, his war record and general popularity make him an influential figure—one whose reputation helped sway a number of otherwise neutral votes.
The PC can accomplish this task by successfully influencing the baron or by succeeding at two Intimidate checks to browbeat him.
Sabotage (Young Reformer): Some senators are too powerful or stubborn for the PCs to influence their votes, but that doesn’t mean they’re beyond some petty revenge. Martella would like to exact some retribution against her more powerful half-brothers, who have contributed a large bottle of rare, 150-year-old red wine from family holdings in the Opparos province, now held in the senate’s kitchens. Martella provides a single syringe filled with a putrefying agent to render the wine embarrassingly undrinkable but warns her agent not to steal the bottle and to conceal any signs of tampering; it must be drunk at dinner and appear to be of terrible quality or—even more scandalously—a forgery.
Recognizing the correct bottle in the crowded kitchen requires an Appraise check or Knowledge (nobility) check, while injecting the putrefying agent without leaving any trace of tampering requires a Disable Device check.
Spy (Rising Star): Martella needs someone to keep tabs on political rivals and update her if they change their tactics, most notably High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus. This agent must stay close to the military commander, watching for unusual behavior or listening for snippets of conversation, and warn her if he takes any unusual actions, all while remaining unobtrusive.
Spying requires a total of three Perception or Sense Motive checks, but to approach close enough to attempt one of these checks while remaining unnoticed requires the agent to first succeed at a Disguise or Stealth check (this check is not considered part of the PC’s social action).
Theft (none): To further undermine the influence of the recently disgraced Earl Calhadion Vernisant, Martella would like to see some of the historical artifacts that the earl donated to the senate vanish from the Arcade of Triumphs before it is unveiled prior to the evening’s vote. Martella indicates that her agent is free to keep the item; she wishes only for its disappearance to further embarrass Earl Vernisant and his allies. The artifacts aren’t secured; the senate assumes anyone sophisticated enough to attended this crowded gala would never dream of stealing anything on public display.
Stealing any single curio from Martella’s list requires a Sleight of Hand skill check. Martella’s list mention five items—a buckler, a dagger, a fan, a journal, and a spyglass—but she needs only three of them to go missing to disgrace the earl.
I think Spy and Politicking for Ayalina. c:
Discovery then Fraud
Fraud, second Politicking
The sense motive part of Fraud might be difficult, but if someone succeeds in Discovery, it should be easy enough.
Sabotage or Theft
One point: I didn't list a tool for Alchemy in my gear, as the material says in Alchemist's lab description "Without this lab, a character with the Craft (alchemy) skill is assumed to have enough tools to use the skill but not enough to get the +2 bonus that the lab provides."
So, according to this, I have some vague collection of thingies to perform alchemy. It sounds weird, so I can take some kind of abstract tool item into my inventory to represent this.
Aide and then Discovery!
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Before we shut down this thread, I would like to compile any information that might need to be referenced later. There are 12 pages in the discussion and 6 of us, so each person gets two pages. Please read your pages, and post links to anything that might be needed again. In particular, all GM rulings should be noted.
Post links and info where? In the discussion thread for the new game or do we have a shared google doc place (or something)?
Pages 7 & 8 (un-formatted links)
Story feats with pre-requisites: https://paizo.com/campaigns/GMGrantasAPPlanning/discussion&page=7#312
Players are aware their characters made saves vs. disease: https://paizo.com/campaigns/GMGrantasAPPlanning/discussion&page=7#336
Loaned outfit (really a re-post of the AP instructions): https://paizo.com/campaigns/GMGrantasAPPlanning/discussion&page=7#350
Ad hoc ruling on customizing clothing/accessories to high weapons/armor (specifically a buckler): https://paizo.com/campaigns/GMGrantasAPPlanning/discussion&page=8#356
Clarification of the Prophet story feat pre-requisite: https://paizo.com/campaigns/GMGrantasAPPlanning/discussion&page=8#363
Guidance on profiles/character sheets: https://paizo.com/campaigns/GMGrantasAPPlanning/discussion&page=8#378
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Okay, let's get rolling . . .
Mr. Hebeme had an idea to start with an interest check rather than recruitment, and ask people to role-play in a tavern setting with one of their pre-existing characters.
We would winnow the field a little bit, then ask them to change characters. Once we have a pool of people that have role-played two different characters well, then we start the application process with just them. Thoughts?
As long as we are upfront with the whole process at the start, I'm ok with it!
Questions:
Will we be RPing with them?
Who will be running the tavern? Are they expected to interact with each other or the GM's posts (I suspect both, just checking)?
The application process could just be the two-tiers of RPing. Unless we have an incredible amount of great RPers, it might be an unnecessary step.
Do you care which alias I use to post in here?
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Will we be RPing with them?
My inclination is to use your own judgment. The goal is to see them post, but we may need to start or keep the ball moving.
Who will be running the tavern? Are they expected to interact with each other or the GM's posts (I suspect both, just checking)?
I'll GM the tavern, and my goal is to see them interact with each other mainly.
The application process could just be the two-tiers of RPing. Unless we have an incredible amount of great RPers, it might be an unnecessary step.
How about sprinkling in questions, tasks, etc. during the RP? I have serious concerns about finding players who will enjoy my GM style and the special requirements of this campaign. I don't want to fail twice in a row for the same reasons.
Do you care which alias I use to post in here?
Not at all.
A few questions while RPing would be good, you could even probe some of your "special requirements" with the group. Like asking them to explain a post or something and explain that this is the sort of thing you expect from your players. I feel like people eager to join an AP will say yes to most anything, but to actually follow through is a different story.
A few questions while RPing would be good, you could even probe some of your "special requirements" with the group. Like asking them to explain a post or something and explain that this is the sort of thing you expect from your players.
I think that is a very good idea.
I feel like people eager to join an AP will say yes to most anything, but to actually follow through is a different story.
I think this process will help reduce this from happening. Fingers crossed.
Let put some thought into it. I’m running out the door right now but should have time tomorrow to come up with some points.
The number 1 thing they need to do is read your profile.
Off the top of my head, attention to detail. Generally speaking, everything you include in your posts is intentional and players need to take it upon themselves to interact with your posts. You also balance a clear SOP without putting players on an automatic walkway to the next objective. You put in work, but also expect it of your players.
If I had to turn that into a list:
Here is what I came up with:
Selling points
Model great writing
Teacher
Keep things moving
Hurdles
High expectations
I’ve talked to some of the guys I play with irl. They have no desire to do pbp but I asked them what they thought the biggest hurdle would be to recruiting people and they were pretty consistent with their answer.
They all said the limited class selection would be the biggest obstacle to recruiting. This surprised me. They all had slightly different reasons for this but I thought I’d share it.
In general they felt that their would be many people who would like your rules/style but would stay away because of the limitations on classes.
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They all said the limited class selection would be the biggest obstacle to recruiting. This surprised me. They all had slightly different reasons for this but I thought I’d share it.
Interesting. That is good info to have, and relatively easy to change. I won't budge on occult or base summoner, but the rest is doable.
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Thank you for being so patient with me. For whatever reason, I just haven't been able to motivate myself to work on Pathfinder every day; I've only been turning my computer on maybe once a week. We really need to get up and running though, so . . .
Of the points you each mentioned a few posts ago, which ones does my profile profile currently address well/poorly? Please evaluate each other's points as well, so that we get multiple points of view.
Your profile focuses on formatting and procedure exclusively. Of the items Mr. Hebeme and I have listed, that tells me attention to detail and high expectations. I don't know that any of the other items are communicated in your profile.
I’ve gone through your profile again and agree with Gummy’s assessment. You could emphasize your interest in quality role playing and posts.
You pay special attention to each player's posts. Everything that they say is happening is accounted for, which I can't say all PbP GM's do. You don't baby players by assuming they do certain things, the only things that happen are what is written. Nothing more, nothing less. This also is related to not moving the group on an automatic walkway, we aren't going anywhere we don't say we are.
Clear as mud?
I think that could work.
Agreed, that's a much better way of stating my paragraph of gobbly-g+*+!
EDIT: No idea why g o o k is censored... is that actually an offensive word?
I think it is an offensive term to Asians.
Oh, duh. Thanks!
Sound good!!!!!
WOOOOOOOO! They are the best. Hope they are doing well! First time PbP for them, right? LMK if they want any pointers or help or whatever.
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@Gummy: Andy H has a little experience, but both will probably need help learning the PbP ropes.
@The Andy's: Please say hello in here, to let us know you've found the campaign. Then ninja-dot the Gameplay thread, so that will you be notified of new posts.