Mummy's Mask

Game Master Samy

Just so I know, of our new players, has anyone read the gameplay thread from the beginning to catch up on what went on before? Not gonna judge either way, I'd just like to know so I know whether to repeat various things from before.

I have not read it from the beginning, but please don't go out of your way on my account.

I have not yet done so.

I have not either.

Nor have I. Should we? It just felt like metagaming to me to do so...

Although I think it's an entertaining read for anyone who cares or has the time, in the grand scheme of things you're not missing much if you don't read it. Let me see if I can summarize the high points (if I remember correctly):

Day 1 - Everyone meets up at random in ye olde Tooth & Hookah, chats a bit, and decides to form a group to join in on the lottery for dig sites in the Necropolis. Group decides to go shopping for warm-weather duds and other supplies.

Day 2 - All the groups show up and the lottery commences; each group gets their assigned dig site. Throughout the day different people from the group go and mingle with the other participating groups and gets to know some of them better, as well as do research on Akhentepi's tomb.

Day 3 - The Necropolis opens! The group ventures to the tomb and explores several of the rooms and has some encounters with nasty little wooden dolls, a scorpion, and uh...I forget what the last encounter was with but it proved damaging enough that we decided to head back into Wati for more supplies/healing.

Day 4 - Harmose, Turel, and Aleris all rise to discover that their other three companions all suddenly had to go see a man about a horse. The flyers are posted and the interviews occur!

Day 5 - This is where we're at now, I believe.

Of course that summary completely cuts out all the RP that's happened, but the only really big things that have happened that are still relevant is that Harmose and Aleris seem to be on their way to becoming an item (they even went on a date on the evening of Day 3; the document file is in the player folder somewhere for the curious) and Turel also seems to have a bit of a crush on her. However I think Deseri might have also caught his eye...call it a hunch, hehe. There's also been some brotherly bonding between Harmose and Turel, as well as some trigger moments for Harmose regarding his past.

Oh...and uh, there were also the bits with our former cavalier deciding to play on the chariot we found (and consequently break it) as well as his unique battle cry...but those are more amusing/ridiculous than anything else :3

The only thing that might prove interesting to re-read is the section where we interacted with and researched the other groups in the area, because you all were in Wati and might have encountered them too as you were trying to get hired.

From Player folder: Google Doc with notes on rival groups

___________________________________________

--- RIVAL GROUPS in gameplay ---

Nor have I. Should we? It just felt like metagaming to me to do so...

You should by no means feel forced to do so. For those who feel that they are able to separate OOC and IC information, you are perfectly allowed to do so. Your choice. I just prefer to know who has done so.

Marching order: we need trap spotters and beefy people near the front. Who wants to volunteer?

Polux is not (yet) the most brutal of scouts (level 2 should go a long way in improving that :P), but I guess it would make sense having him scout ahead? Or are we moving as a group at all times?

I actually began reading the Gameplay since the start, but then RL got in the way - I am resuming it today though, if that is ok ;)

Hey, welcome back!

Thanks Harmose!

Slowly getting up to date... (Actually meant to do a 'Hi guys, I'm back' intro to my post above, but it slipped my mind. Still kinda wasted :P)

Yes, welcome back :D

OK, I'll be one who hasn't read what came before. Makes sense for me.

I actually began reading the Gameplay since the start, but then RL got in the way - I am resuming it today though, if that is ok ;)

Totally fine. :D

I HAVE POWER AGAIN! life is better with heating and wifi. Once I have the time I intend to because I like entertainment. When I was to join before I read like 2 pages but the game stopped so I didn't read more.

Hooray for power!

I usually read all the way through the gameplay in games that I join so that I can fit my character better into the backstory of the world and the other characters. In this case, there are so many of you joining at once that I don't think it matters.

I have put links up above to the sections of gameplay dealing with the rival adventuring groups, or you can read the google document summary so you have some idea who the competition is.

Hmm

I'm glad that you've got power again! Life really is better with heating and WiFi, hehe.

It truly is. I am warm and able to be entertained by the internet.
I agree with the reading to fit in better but so far nothing bad has happened and I will get around to starting the read.

Samy, is there any chance we can do the following things to keep gameplay efficient?

Standard Door Operation Procedure

To reduce dithering time (for doors are the enemy of play by post) could you have us always check for traps and then return to standard marching order? You can blockroll our perceptions. When I GMed Risen from the Sands, I kept a google doc with blocked dice rolls that I could roll for party perceptions, Will saves and Initiative blocks that I rolled under a GM spoiler. I had one called "Standard Door Operating Procedure" that I cut and pasted every time the party approached a door, whether there was a trap or not. If there was a trap, I bothered to look at the rolls. If not... Well the cut & pasted spoiler block showed that the party was still doing its checks, and kept everyone suitably paranoid.

This allowed me to also ruthlessly roll the party into each new room once they finished exploring the last one.

Initiative Blocks

Same thing. Cut and paste into your post at the beginning of combat to speed things up into pre and post monster blocks.

Would it help if I compiled a set of such blocks for you in the player folder in our shared drive?

Hmm

There is a chance. :) Thanks so much for the suggestions. Let's do a few more data points and see how things go like this. I didn't personally feel a big problem with the door opening or initiative this go around. I'd like to see things a little further and then review the process. If we end up needing to optimize, those certainly seem like great ideas. Hope that doesn't sound too dismissive.

Okay. You're the boss. :)

So... wait on doing the compile?

I'll second Harmose's suggestion, should we find after a few go-arounds that doors and everyone rolling their own initiatives slows things down too much, that is :)

I think keeping time zones in mind is a good idea too, because I know we've got people scattered all across the US and a few people on the other side of the pond as well; that can sometimes make things seem slower than they are.

*edit* Who has the Cure wand? Was it Harmose?

If the wands on me... Man, that's a dumb decision. Because I can't operate one of those things yet without UMD. Could we have let it be on one of the newbies who can, like Kito or Deseri?

Aleris might have been carrying it earlier since she has the spell on her spell list, but I'm happy to say that we passed it off to Kito or Deseri sometime between finishing the interviews and getting to where we're at now; even though she can heal I think it'd make more sense for one of them to be carrying it :)

I just did the pass off. I realize that I negotiated for it, so it was probably on me. Yay for not thinking things through in advance!

Good thing Harmose is so pretty, otherwise none of you would put up with him.

I could take it. The spell is on my list.

Bah ninja'd by the gameplay thread

I just want to say, Kito, that I busted my gut laughing at the "Boo Boo Be Gone" line. Thank you! That was delightful. I hope you don't mind Harmose admitting responsibility -- it would have been something he would have done. But the creativity and mischief was all from you. Oh, and Thera too!

Turel for shame! A girl must get to know someone before she opens herself up completely ;) Maybe a little wooing is in order. Make her feel special. Phrasing matters :)

And I love the "Boo Boo Be Gone" activation phrase! Can I borrow it for other games?

And I love the "Boo Boo Be Gone" activation phrase! Can I borrow it for other games?

I would be pleased to make such a wand for people!

Permission granted.

Yay! The look on their faces should amuse me. Actvation commands have been largely forgotten about

Funny thing, I've actually done something similar to what Deseri was doing with batting at the air figments. For whatever reason, I found myself fascinated by the light stretchiness of the curtains at my brother's place and so proceeded to tug on them going, "Boink, boink, boink."

Too bad I'd forgotten that the rest of our gaming group was there too, so I looked up to see my husband looking at me with a raised eyebrow while the other two of our buddies that had noticed were grinning...

I understand. She is distractible so I will go with things that would distract me. Curtains are wounderful.

Haha I didn't think of that numbering thing, cheeky mapmakers leaving such an obvious hole in there. :D Well, that gives you a hint that you were sharp enough to pick up on, good work. :D

Samy is right! Well done Hamy! I did not notice it.

Yeah, but my discovery has apparently stunned you all into silence. C'mon people! Post! We've got a tomb to search. Samy, since there is no combat, may we take 20 on our perceptions and search the room we're in? I'm starting to flashback to both Hamlet and the Wizard of Oz, and wondering if we shouldn't peek behind the curtain / tapestry before leaving.

Hmm

PS 90% of my insights have come from taking notes. I was counting rooms and suddenly realized that one was missing.

You may take 20, it just takes 20 times longer than a normal search.

You guys and your rolls...you made me check, but lucky for Ra-Khefer, apparently in Pathfinder there is no longer the rule about accidentally hitting an ally. :D

That's why I was even willing to shoot into that space. I've got an unlimited supply of acid splashes, but they'd be useless if I could hit allies with them.

Good luck, everyone. This one can be rough.

Yeah, leaping in there with my 5 hit points was likely foolish. On the other hand, Harmose doesn't desert his teammates if he thinks he can help. Yay for my one knowledge skill!

I think leaping in paid off pretty well with some good knowledge.

^ I agree!

Man...even though Aleris' roll had no effect on the doors (and to be honest I figured it still wouldn't be that easy), I swear I get the best rolls for some of the dumbest and strangest checks. This has led to all sorts of hilarity like unarmored clerics tackling foes and arcane casters punching people in the face, to name a few...

Guys, I'm sorry to pull a dick move, but I'm gonna go back on my earlier decision that vulnerability eliminates hardness entirely. Qari's cold still does +50% damage as vulnerability is supposed to, but I'm going to change it so that hardness gets subtracted. Otherwise she's just totally ripping that thing apart and I need to make you sweat at least one drop. :b

This is hardly a trivial fight. None of our melee guys have power attack. Only Ra-Khefer has a half-way decent strength. Harmose can do nothing but grease here -- and water is pouring in.

Qari is our only hope.

I feel sorry for your attack rolls.

Yeah, well I'm being my normal useful self here... All I've got to offer is my bizarre ideas.

However, the ladies are about to rock my world! You go, girls!

I don't think there's a mechanism for called shots quite like that.

Isn't there a Dirty Tricks rule where you can do stuff like that briefly, like one round of blindness by tossing stuff into peoples eyes? I think you just use a CMB roll vs CMD.

Is there? Can anyone link me?

Found it! Your wish is my command, my lady.

Dirty Trick

Thank you! That looks good, I will allow it to work!!