GM Koan's L5R Game (Inactive)

Game Master Olmek

Hello all! We need to come with reasons for everyone to be at Winter Court in Kyuden Hida.

Konbanwa mina-san.

Takaji's reason right now for being in Kyuden Hida was a minor yojimbo obligation to Matsu Kenichi. I'm fine with changing my reason/obligation though.

I also had 2 XP left over that is currently going towards some random skills, but I'd be fine with switching those to kharmic tie as Shinjo Nagasawa mentioned for an idea.

Manipulation's Ayumi's game, but a specific target is something she'd probably need, besides her usual conversational capabilities.

We only coming up for reasons to be there, or also coming up for reasons to justify why we know/like each other sufficiently to be a "party"?

Shinjo Nagasawa's reason for being at Winter Court: He is under the command of Shinjo O-Shimo, and he goes where she goes. Now that he's impressed her sufficiently to be trusted to begin training some Crab Bushi in Horsemanship and Archery, she's brought him along to represent the Clan at court. He may not be refined, but the Crab aren't impressed by finery.

A few spitballs on how Nagasawa may have become tied to the rest of the PCs:

Akodo TakajiGoing by your background, both of our bushi appear to be gloryhounds. Perhaps when we first met we played a game of "My grandfather could have beaten your grandfather" and managed to come out of it as pals rather than sworn enemies. I could see a recurring roleplaying schtick were we good-naturedly keep one upping each other with tales about how one of our ancestors could resolve a current challenge we face together.

Kuni DaigoPerhaps Nagasawa and Takaji had heard of Daigo's "epic battle" against the undead and pressed him for the glorious details.. whereupon Daigo pressed upon us for the first time that the reality of tales about the Shadowlands taint have no true victories nor glorious endings.

Shosuro Ayumi I could see Nagasawa seeking Ayumi out to help draft love letters ostensibly for his fiancee but in reality intended for his True Love. "You're an articulate samurai-ko, you know what women like, you've got to help me..."

Isawa Katsuko This is a pair that seems hard to match. Right off the top of my head I don't see a natural gelling aspect to our backgrounds, but maybe we can be samurai who don't so much know each other as know the same people (the other PCs). Well, there's also the option of deciding to be Nagasawa's Bitter Betrothed or True Love, heh. But in seriousness, I don't see neat fits between our backgrounds. Maybe I'll think of something overnight.

Hida Yuo Possibly one or both of us trained the other in the ways of our Clans' warfare at the Hiruma Dojo? Even if not, a large retinue of another Clan's bushi in your Clan's capitol surely necessitates some familiarization between the ranks. Maybe we just hit it off and became chums over some alcohol at one of these "socials". Another (or perhaps additional) idea is Nagasawa just keeps trying to "get to know" Yuo's ways and training... because knowing how to combat Heavy Infantry is knowing how to deal with a Light Cavalier's worst nightmare!

BTW I too am willing to trade out my Wealth Advantage for a Kharmic Tie if it makes the group dynamics work. I don't want to put words in other players' mouths but I'll suggest Takaji having a Kharmic link with Katsuko and being named her yojimbo for the season because of it might be a neat idea!

First off, hi all, happy to be here.

As for reasons, is there a particular reason that this Winter Court is special? If not I'm definitely content to say that Daigo is in the area visiting family and just happens to be close enough to get assigned (or feel obligated) to witch-hunter duty. As noted, this many outsiders is a big deal and one can only assume that there would be some witch-hunters keeping an eye on things.

As for stories, I think Kuni Daigo would be the wrong guy :P He'd tersely inform anyone asking about the Shadowlands that the Crab bushi serving on the wall are the true experts. He is a little bit antisocial after all. And tries to be modest.

I was thinking that perhaps you all served under the same magistrate in your youth.

Although, I suppose we don't really need a contrived reason for everyone to know one another. Personal relationships can be developed through the course of play. It depends on what you guys want to do.

It depends on what you guys want to do.

I'm a firm believer in starting somewhere beyond the "you all meet each other for the first time in a tavern..." stage to the beginning of a campaign. We have to contrive ways to latch on to each other because the alternative is frankly wandering out of campaign. And people who are (or are playing) quiet types end up being marginalized for being quiet.

So if we do end up going through hoops to figure out why we work/adventure together, I'd prefer to do it out of character so we're free to discard ideas that don't work without worrying about in-play consequences.

OTOH, my opinion is only one of seven so I'm not digging my heels in on that. If we want to roleplay our getting to know one anothers, here's another suggestion for an idea about what links us together ICly in the first place:

Maybe as samurai are being recognized to Court our geneologies reveal a recent (perhaps within as few as two or three generations!) ancestor we all have blood ties to.

I'm pretty flexible regarding ties. My character, by nature of his profession, has traveled most of his adult life so if people want to have met during travels, that's fine with me. I know Kuni Daigo is also one of only two actual Crabs, so perhaps the Crabs we have were assigned to either escort or "check" the guests to the Winter Court. Heck, could even just be knowing the same NPC that is at the Winter Court that introduces us all.

We have to contrive ways to latch on to each other because the alternative is frankly wandering out of campaign. And people who are (or are playing) quiet types end up being marginalized for being quiet.

This is why all my attempts at LARPing have failed miserably. :/

I think it'd be cool to tie Takaji to a couple of people, whether it's as friends or as their yojimbo. So I'm open to both the "if my grandfather were here, he'd have them so confused they'd be retreating while thinking they were charging" suggestion with Nagasawa and being Katsuko's yojimbo.

The all being related seems like it might be a bit hard to pull off though; we not only have several clans represented here, but also no one even seems to be from the same family as anybody else. And things get even trickier if you want to take into account things like common views one clan has for another.

I also think it's not necessary for everyone to know everybody else; as Daigo points out, some characters could have reasons to interact with other characters without already knowing them. Plus one thing about everybody being samurai is that getting us to work together could be as simple as having our lords command it of us ("Something happened and as a show of good faith you're all going to work together" or something).

Hello everyone, checking in and looking forward to playing with you all!

I'm not opposed to some previous connections to characters. I expect that Kuni Daigo was present during the Battle of Twilight's Honor? In which case, Yuo and Daigo may have met during the Battle or afterward. He may even be familiar with Yuo's tragic loss following the battle.

For other connections I think it's best that characters actually not be that familiar with Hida Yuo at the start. It's not that he's secretive, but if everyone around him treats him like he's smarter than he looks then he's no longer actually smarter than he looks. He's just smart.

I would, however, like Hida Yuo to be recently assigned to Isawa Katsuko as a Yojimbo. As sort of a local guide and protector while she is here at the Crab Winter Court. With Kaiu Takakana hoping that having to escort a foreign Shugenja in an actual court would be a nightmare for Yuo. Beyond introductions and simple courtesies (of which he has few) they probably wouldn't have even talked. He'd simply follow her when needed.

Though, reading back through the thread it seems like all three Bushi are looking at being Katsuko's Yojimbo. Perhaps Shosuro Ayumi's Yojimbo then? I expect that Yuo would have even less to say to her. I did notice that Ayumi's background has something to say about Yuo, though I'd suggest that such an insight would be almost completely impossible without ever actually having spoken to him. He really does look like any other Crab. (That is the intent of the character in any case.) It's not intended to remain a secret or anything, but it isn't something that even insightful people would get given he hasn't actually done anything.

I suppose it's also possible to be Kuni Daigo's Yojimbo. Which would keep him in-house, so to speak. I'm not actually worried about feeling connected to the game. Being the silent guardian is sort of Hida Yuo's thing, so as long as he's a Yojimbo of one of the characters that has a reason for being around, he has a reason to be in the room. I think I like this last option the most. I think Takakana engineering this assignment would make sense. Thinking of the Kuni Witch-hunters as dangerous and hoping that whatever the hunter finds will prove deadly for Yuo. But I'm open to anything that the other players would think appropriate!

Being familiar with a couple of the characters is nice, it gives a good mix of being able to discover each others' characters and yet not be total strangers to one another.

I wouldn't mind having a yojimbo myself, though a non-scorpion one would be hard to justify I think outside of having both of our superiors order it. Everyone knows the Scorpion reputation and the Scorpion know its effects well, meaning that many would be leery of such an assignment. Yuo is right about my character not yet knowing about his intelligence yet, but that's part of the fun to find out such things!

Perhaps my character knows some of the others through other means though? For example, perhaps one of the bushi was a yojimbo to someone who had been an opponent of mine in a prior court? Or an ally even? In our Shugenja's case, perhaps we learned from some of the same teachers for our non-school skills? We both share divination and samisen, maybe we simply know each other as fellow followers of those arts and have debated their use before?

Also, just realized this though... Nagasawa? The name of your katana's gonna bring some baaaaaaad luck!

Actually, being a Scorpion in a Crab court is the perfect reason to be stuck with a Crab Bushi Yojimbo. Mainly because the court would have gladly "gifted" Yuo to keep Ayumi safe and keep her from being able to move around easily. The Crab seem simple, but they're more familiar with deception than any of the other Clans (even the Scorpion). They simply don't practice it.

However, this is my character's flaw and not your character's, so it's not a good thing to turn it into a disadvantage for your character. Which leads me to think that the idea of being Kuni Daigo's Yojimbo might fit best, if he's open to it.

I think if I have a Yojimbo, Takaji would make the most sense. Prior to the campaign's events Katsuko traveled around the Empire seeking knowledge I couldn't she couldn't find in the vast libraries of her own clan. I could have met him while travelling through Lion lands (Something he and I could hash out in greater detail in PMs - perhaps I save him from death or dishonor and he is indebted to me or my clan) and when asked to attend the Winter Court I could have him requested to serve as my guide and yojimbo south from Lion territory - a duty he would continue to carry for the duration of our stay.

This is just an idea, if he's up for it. I don't think any or all of the bushi need serve yojimbo to the less martially-inclined samurai in our party. This particular instance would likely make the most sense, given the scrawny shugenja that I am.

As for the rest of us, it would be reasonable for Kuni Daigo and Hida Yuo to know of each other, even if they aren't intimately familiar with one another - but I don't feel like it's as essential for Ayumi or Nagasawa to know anyone beforehand, unless they specifically wish to write it that way.

Personally, my character is eager to be at The Kaiu Wall so she can access the Crab's deep knowledge of the enemy, a topic she feels is underrepresented in the Phoenix Clan - especially considering its importance to the Empire's security.

I've got no objections to Yuo being Kuni Daigo's yojimbo. Monks having bodyguards is never a bad thing.

Also, just realized this though... Nagasawa? The name of your katana's gonna bring some baaaaaaad luck!

Hehehehehehehe.

Nagasawa is very much a "Go big or go home" kind of personality, and his background is rigged accordingly. Sure, everyone told Nagasawa the katana they're calling "Ambition" was newly forged. But is it truly? Only GM Koan knows for sure! If the bad guys turn out to be Bloodspeakers, there's that hook available for him to (ab)use. I've got Kolat-bait hooks in there as well in case that's the direction the campaign goes.

Anyway.

I'd volunteer Nagasawa to be someone's yojimbo if I thought anyone might actually want him as one. He's the Unicorn equivalent of the Daidoji Harriers. They're not trained for toe-to-toe duels.

Thinking out loud here but if we did pair up in 3 sets of yojimbo-charge, Takaji/Katsuko and Yuo/Diago leaves Nagasawa and Ayumi as the wallflowers. All it takes is some flim flam of a contrivance and we have a neat meta-arrangement.

It far less plausible that Nagasawa would be Ayumi's yojimbo than Yuo. I'm fully aware that from the character crunch she'd be better off defending her own honor than asking him to stand in for a duel, but its the appearances that are important in court, right? I'm sure with sufficient brainpower some reasonably plausible story could be found.

a spitball (assuming she's willing to pair up): Her regular Clan yojimbo suffers some debilitation that takes him out of service for the remainder of the season. She needs a new yojimbo, fast. Turns out while bushi are being screened, a shugenja notices the portents linking Nagasawa to Ayumi (if I take Kharmic Tie). Between the omens and the emergency rush job, Nagasawa is pressed into service in this way.

ta da?

additional thought:

GM Koan, you had said you'd figure our Statuses and Glories out after we made our backgrounds.

If, for example, Nagasawa and Ayumi do get paired as yojimbo and charge, it's a very different story between her life being entrusted to a poorly trained bodyguard or ceremonially protected by a war hero. Same yojimbo, but differences in glory.

I'm down with being Katsuko's yojimbo. Although Nagasawa brings up a good point about glory; in my head, I had Takaji as fairly low-glory with his brother as significantly higher glory, but I don't want it to be an insult to Katsuko. But if it's part of an obligation, perhaps it doesn't matter quite as much?

additional thought:

GM Koan, you had said you'd figure our Statuses and Glories out after we made our backgrounds.

If, for example, Nagasawa and Ayumi do get paired as yojimbo and charge, it's a very different story between her life being entrusted to a poorly trained bodyguard or ceremonially protected by a war hero. Same yojimbo, but differences in glory.

So which type is Nagasawa-san? ;)

This is a discussion we should all have. What do you think your character's status and glory should be?

For instance, Yuo's history (and pardon me if I'm misunderstanding it) is a story of a quiet warrior that did his duty and lost much. He earned some distinction in the Battle of Twilight's Honor. But that was four years ago, and in the mean time, his star has faded as he copes with the grief of his lost family. Many do not know him, and those that do might not think highly of him. I feel like Yuo's Glory would be appropriately low.

What do you guys think?

So which type is Nagasawa-san? ;)

That obviously would depend on who you'd ask!

This is a discussion we should all have. What do you think your character's status and glory should be?

Nagasawa's glory and status, whatever they end up as being, probably has the former higher than the latter. He's had some glory in battle, but was blemished by being "promoted" out of a command position. He's got a promising wedding coming up, but it hasn't happened yet.

His current position was left vague, since you said the glory/status was to be determined. I envision him as having come to the Hiruma Dojo originally as a backhanded compliment and in near-disgrace. But now he's blossomed into a (more) mature samurai and even does as much training of the Crab now as the Crab do him, if not more. I don't mean like a full-on sensei, but as a sort of capable "military advisor" in his specialized niche: intelligence gathering and hit-n-run attrition warfare.

So which type is Nagasawa-san? ;)

This is a discussion we should all have. What do you think your character's status and glory should be?

For instance, Yuo's history (and pardon me if I'm misunderstanding it) is a story of a quiet warrior that did his duty and lost much. He earned some distinction in the Battle of Twilight's Honor. But that was four years ago, and in the mean time, his star has faded as he copes with the grief of his lost family. Many do not know him, and those that do might not think highly of him. I feel like Yuo's Glory would be appropriately low.

What do you guys think?

I think that's an excellent account of Yuo. I'd say that His Glory would be a 1. Any gains he may have made in battles have been met by equal losses or at least indifference. At *most* he'd have a 2. (And this would be a *huge* stretch.)

His Status would be a solid 1. If he were more aggressive, he could be in line to be a leader among the Crab military, but as it is, he's as average as they come.

On the other hand, I think his Honor would be quite high. He's an excellent example of Bushido in action with a person who is ultimately more self-aware than those around him. His quiet nature is an extension of his extreme self-confidence rather than any inherent shyness. He knows what his weaknesses are as well as his strengths. But this knowledge and acceptance of himself, while very Honorable, does not lend itself to the gaining of Glory.

As to Yojimbo, I don't think it's necessary to match everyone up. Or even match everyone up as Bushi + other. (You could actually have Ayumi be Nagasawa's Yojimbo and assigned to keep him socially protected. I'm not sure that works given the characters, but it's an option worth exploring. Just very unconventional.) I only needed Yuo to be a Yojimbo as a way to connect to the game without having to be the one forcefully interjecting into the story, and to fill his Obligation. And having that obligation be connected to another character, even if the Obligation isn't directly *to* that other character, makes it easier to keep it interacting with the game.

..You could actually have Ayumi be Nagasawa's Yojimbo and assigned to keep him socially protected. I'm not sure that works given the characters, but it's an option worth exploring. Just very unconventional..

That's actually a brilliant idea.

Nagasawa's marriage was arranged by Bayushi Masayari, so he'd have a stake in making sure Nagasawa doesn't ruin his matchmaking reputation by imploding at Court. Maybe Nagasawa can be trusted to be let loose in Court, but it wouldn't hurt to have some insurance. Ayumi could plausibly be discreetly assigned to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

Kuni Daigo's status should, I think, be higher than his glory. Witch-hunters are described as respected and consulted throughout the Empire and he is a second generation witch-hunter. With that said, I think his glory should be low. He is humble and the specifics of most of his deeds are likely untold given their very nature.

Based on Yuo's answers, I'm guessing have Takaji be around the same level? Possibly marginally higher on the glory since I don't think he's done anything to lose glory? Basically since I'm new the the L5R system, my goal when designing the background of the character was to try to make him close to a lower-ring character without making him awkwardly so. After all, it'd be weird if he had high glory from some great battle only to have me have him do something stupid that he should know better.

Even minor skirmishes gain Glory. It's a slow rise, but steady. As a Lion, I'd expect that Akodo Takaji would have a moderate amount of Glory, but nonetheless still be disappointed. Some people may know his name, but more as a Samurai that is competent and consistent and not for what he wants. He seems to be waiting for that one great moment to separate himself from the pack. It just hasn't come yet. Maybe a 3?

For Kuni Daigo, low is the standard for Monks. They gain half the normal amount of Glory when awarded. So even at a good pace, Daigo's Glory would be low-ish. Though witch-hunters are in a weird place, so I don't think it's out of line to have a bit more than the normal Monk. Even while being humble. After all, other people probably do a lot more talking about a Witch-hunter than the witch-hunter does. And being mysterious only enhances the image. :)

As it stands right now I intend for Katsuko to have relatively low-to-middling Glory and Status. I'm working out the specifics as I flesh out her backstory more (what I submitted for recruitment is just a short blurb I threw together at the last minute, and I'm in the process of making minor revisions and filling in gaps.)

She has no significant care for glory and prestige, as the notions strike her as superficial. She is more concerned with becoming the most effective instrument of good - a goal she feels is best achieved by honing her particular skills.

I'm thinking middling for status, but mid to low glory. She's been fairly successful in her court dealings, what with those high skill ranks, but court is not a place where a lot of glory comes in in my experience.

Also, I'm fine with going without a yojimbo if noone's up for it. Just means my character doesn't have to worry about incriminating others with her sneakiness!

It would be a little amusing if we were all relatively low glory and status. The Rise of The Underdogs :D

Even minor skirmishes gain Glory. It's a slow rise, but steady. As a Lion, I'd expect that Akodo Takaji would have a moderate amount of Glory, but nonetheless still be disappointed. Some people may know his name, but more as a Samurai that is competent and consistent and not for what he wants. He seems to be waiting for that one great moment to separate himself from the pack. It just hasn't come yet. Maybe a 3?

Based on your description, sounds pretty much right on to me. Thanks! :-)

I'm thinking middling for status, but mid to low glory. She's been fairly successful in her court dealings, what with those high skill ranks, but court is not a place where a lot of glory comes in in my experience.

Also, I'm fine with going without a yojimbo if noone's up for it. Just means my character doesn't have to worry about incriminating others with her sneakiness!

Court is actually the place where most Glory comes from during this time period. It's a time of peace all over Rokugan and there isn't much opportunity for Glory in battle. Also the culture has a lot of respect for diplomacy and art. Then again, Ayumi seems to be really good at keeping a low profile.

The thing to remember about Glory is that it's less about how much your character cares about Glory and being noticed and more about what they've done and who has noticed. So characters that want high Glory may not have it yet because they haven't had opportunities and characters that don't want it (or don't care) may have it anyway.

Honor is more internal. It's about how the character acts and what they value. It influences how others see you to a degree (though only very insightful people as the roll is not all that easy), but it's not dependent on how other people see you.

These are my decisions for Glory and Status:

Hida Yuo - 1 / 1
Shinjo Nagasawa - 2 / 2
Kuni Daigo - 2 / 4
Shosuro Ayumi - 1 / 2
Isawa Katsuko - 1 / 2
Akodo Takaji - 2 / 1

Does that seem appropriate?

Maybe Hida Yuo serves as a yojimbo to Shosuro Ayumi. He does this because he owes an Obligation to Hida Kisada, who denied Yuo's request for seppuku after the death of his wife and child. Kisada-sama trusts Scorpion about as far as he can throw them, which... well... okay, he can throw the average Scorpion pretty far. My point is that all Scorpion samurai without a yojimbo, are given a Crab escort.

Honor is more internal. It's about how the character acts and what they value. It influences how others see you to a degree (though only very insightful people as the roll is not all that easy), but it's not dependent on how other people see you.

I'm a fan of the Honor Roll, so there's a concrete benefit to living honorably.

Anything else then before you schedule a start date?

If we're ready to go, I'll start tonight.

I'm looking forward to it!

Looking back up the thread, it seems the only one expressing interest in having anything to do with Nagasawa at the onset is Takaji, so I might end up needing some GM Fiat to be integrated into the campaign as anything more than Takaji's smack-talking buddy. I don't know if you already had some "You've all been selected for an important quest.." angle in mind, but something like that is what I might need to be tied in :]

These are my decisions for Glory and Status:

Hida Yuo - 1 / 1
Shinjo Nagasawa - 2 / 2
Kuni Daigo - 2 / 4
Shosuro Ayumi - 1 / 2
Isawa Katsuko - 1 / 2
Akodo Takaji - 2 / 1

Does that seem appropriate?

That looks fine by me!

Maybe Hida Yuo serves as a yojimbo to Shosuro Ayumi. He does this because he owes an Obligation to Hida Kisada, who denied Yuo's request for seppuku after the death of his wife and child. Kisada-sama trusts Scorpion about as far as he can throw them, which... well... okay, he can throw the average Scorpion pretty far. My point is that all Scorpion samurai without a yojimbo, are given a Crab escort.

That's also fine by me. I just wanted to make sure it's not a disadvantage for Ayumi as Yuo is the one getting the points for it. But as long as they're cool with that, I'm cool with it. I expect that our interaction so far is that Hida Yuo has been the big silent guy that just follows Ayumi and hasn't actually said anything.

Hida Yuo wrote:

Honor is more internal. It's about how the character acts and what they value. It influences how others see you to a degree (though only very insightful people as the roll is not all that easy), but it's not dependent on how other people see you.

I'm a fan of the Honor Roll, so there's a concrete benefit to living honorably.

As for Honor, are we not adjusting that before game as well? I'd just assumed we would be since it's even easier to alter than the other two, but reading back I guess that was never mentioned. Personally I'm ambivalent as to the Honor Roll system. I'm certainly happy to play with it, but also don't mind when it's not in the game. I just picture Hida Yuo as an especially honorable samurai and an exception to the standard Hida Bushi in that regard. But that can certainly be established during the game.

And as far as Honor being internal, I just meant that it wasn't increased or decreased by what other people see your character do or things that other people know about the character. It's all things that they do or do not do. :) Which is why it's easier to increase/decrease.

The glory/status looks good to me.

So I guess I'm Katsuko's yojimbo (maybe going with your suggestion of having saved my life, so now I owe you?), and Nagasawa's buddy.

I was struck by another idea to kickstart how this disparate group of samurai are first thrust into some sort of group:

We all drew roles for a Draw Lot Play! We're in a Crab Court, I'm sure there'd be such plays put on.

If GMKoan is interested in something other than the cliche for linking us together, that's a killer idea imo :)

Glory/Status are fine with me.

As for reasons, I don't think that a Draw Lot Play is really a "connection". It doesn't really imply that we actually give a crap about each other and if the purpose is to just say "we all know each other's names" we can just easily say someone happens to introduce us to each other. I'm kind of assuming that the goal is to get a closer connection that that and I think we've done that for some of the PCs. Not sure that we all need to be connected though, just enough cross connections that we have incentive to work together and not just dip out at the first sign of trouble.

.... we can just easily say someone happens to introduce us to each other...

Taking part in a Draw Lot Play isn't any more or less of a connection for samurai who don't previously know each other than being picked by some Lord to perform a quest together.

But it provides a helluva fun roleplaying hook to get us started, and avoids the cliche as a bonus.

Anyway, it's just a suggestion.

I think a good half the party are samurai that wouldn't be caught dead taking part in a Draw Lot play. They're a common occurrence in Crab courts, but many of the characters aren't Crab, or just wouldn't take part. In fact, *both* actual Crab characters are exceptionally poor choices to drag into one.

Not a bad idea, just not so good for this particular group. Though, with that said, it may be a way for some of the character to have met?

Looks good to me! I wouldn't say that my character would be good for a Draw Lot Play though. A good idea, just not one my character would likely do good for.

I'll be totally honest. I have no idea what a Draw Lot Play is.

Regardless, I'll be starting the game soon. Hopefully tonight if my IRL game doesn't run long.

Based on the name (and the fact that I've seen in done a couple of times in anime), I'm guessing it's where you have a play and everybody is somewhat randomly assigned a role (via drawing lots).

In case people haven't noticed, the gameplay thread is now up.

And hopefully saying that doesn't mess anything up for DM; it looks like you're ready for people to start posting things there, but I'm not sure if not mentioning that here was an intentional decision or if you just got busy or something.

In case people haven't noticed, the gameplay thread is now up.

And hopefully saying that doesn't mess anything up for DM; it looks like you're ready for people to start posting things there, but I'm not sure if not mentioning that here was an intentional decision or if you just got busy or something.

Ooh, thanks for the heads-up. I hadn't noticed, and I don't know how long it would have taken me to notice if you hadn't said anything O.o

I'll get going on participation this evening!

In case people haven't noticed, the gameplay thread is now up.

And hopefully saying that doesn't mess anything up for DM; it looks like you're ready for people to start posting things there, but I'm not sure if not mentioning that here was an intentional decision or if you just got busy or something.

Not at all. I just assumed that it would show up under the Campaigns tab. Thanks for letting people know. :)

Not at all. I just assumed that it would show up under the Campaigns tab. Thanks for letting people know. :)

I think that only happens once you've posted in the gameplay tab. Hence DMs asking players to "dot" there. :-)

I'm unsure about the pacing. I've seen that most games are expecting a post per day from the players, and I'm assuming that's what we're doing here?

I kind of painted myself into a corner with my inaugural post since I was expecting a faster turnaround on GM posts. I don't know if GM Koan is just working out the kinks in a new campaign or if he's waiting for all of us to interact some more before coming in with the next update.

I think we may just be waiting on Ayumi? I generally like to post once a day, but it's understandable that sometimes one every two days happens (or slightly longer) when it's important for everyone to post. It's probably good for everyone to get an introduction post in before moving on too much though.

With that said, there wasn't a posting requirement set in the recruitment thread. So it's a good idea to get the GM's expectations now. Slow posting and loss of momentum can really kill a pbp game but "slow" is entirely relevant to what's expected..

Yuo is right. I'd like for everyone to get an intro post in before pushing forward, so I'm waiting on Ayumi to post. I sent her a message yesterday, so I'll wait until tonight to move on.

As far as pacing, a post a day is highly encouraged.

If Ayumi doesn't show, should I contact another of the applicants and ask them to write up a courtier?

Re: Courtier- You would know best about if we'll need one. I'm fine with whatever.

Also, just a heads up, starting Saturday I'm going to be traveling for about a week for job interviews. I think I should still have internet access, but feel free to bot me if necessary.