The Crucible of Freya (Inactive)

Game Master Grimmy

Forgot to say:

Everyone starts with two action points, because of the dangerous nature of the campaign. Gain an action point on level up. Max 3 in the bank.

Important to note, spending two can save your life outright.

Other details in APG, they are actually called Hero Points in pathfinder, I call them Action Points out of habit from watching Acquisitions Incorporated 4e games.

Hey all, having some issues at home will try to keep up please be patient..

There's no posting requirement Janna, post at your leisure.

Can you guys track your own XP?

I can, we got what, 1000 so far? ☺

are we using fast, medium, or slow advancement?

Medium track, but you'll find you advance as quickly as the fast progression, with all the ad hoc I award.

200 xp so far.

BTW the 1000 thing was a joke....

I hope you didn't think I was serious

I know. How do you make that small round smiley emoticon btw?

press Alt-1 but you have to use the number key pad to get it.

it is a rather small thing so I had to use the "bigger" code

cool thanks. Also, guys:

Whenever you have time, can you make your mini-stat lines more like Damien's, by putting them in the class/level fields of the profile?

Janna's and Astor's are fine, I prefer un-spoilered but I can get used to it if you guys like it like that.

If you prefer unspoiled I can go that way. You're the DM!

Edit: Just took them out, I'll edit/add more into it later. I'm at work right now and can't do major work to a character.

Thanks!

Another note:

By my count, my proposed initiative handling got exactly one out of seven votes, and that guy later quit :)

So we will be doing the tiers thing you guys wanted.

@Janna: I can't get the smiley to work on my macbook pro.

not sure, all I know is its an ASCII code, so key strokes may be different to get the same AscII code.

maybe just experimentation - thats how I found it.

I use the block init in other games. I usually end up at the botton most of the time anyway so no biggie for me.

Small omission:

Assume that during the conversation, the sheriff mentioned in passing, or you overheard him say to one of the two Knights, that there is a possibility the Footmen will want to break camp with you for a few hours to get their legs back, and they have some tents in their packs.

^^This is the formatting I'm most familiar with, so I can process it mentally at a glance.

If you prefer unspoiled I can go that way. You're the DM!

Edit: Just took them out, I'll edit/add more into it later. I'm at work right now and can't do major work to a character.

Spoilered really is fine if it's your preference, I will get used to it. So long as some form of mini-stats are there, like what you and Janna had, we're good.

Damien's style of formatting is the one that is most visually familiar to me.

When I specifically need something I'll dig for it in profiles, but the at-a-glance stuff is good for helping me not wipe you out.

I'm mostly a "dice fall as they may" style DM, but if it's really a toss-up which character a monster is going to target, I might choose the one who can take the hit. That's the closest thing I do to fudging.

Those of you with no mini-stats up, no rush. Get to it whenever you feel like it.

Done and dusted DMG :)

Beauty with the Init is we can try it and see...

Oooh! The tension! Boy I've missed gaming!

I know, right! Should be an interesting adventure!

A week ago it wasn't even a going concern. It will be a great ride.

Hey DMG, have you ever thought about using google drive for an interactive map? It's really not that hard when you already have maps with grids. Here's a link to one that I had for a game that I DMed.

Black Fang's Dungeon 7

If you upload the map as an image to google drive just set the sharing options to editable by anyone with a links and add the avatars people can move themselves. Just post the links in the gameplay with your posts. The only thing you have to do extra is take screen shots of everyone's avatars. I just kept them in a file and whenever I created a new map I uploaded them and any bad guys I needed. The bad guys I got from just googling pictures or RPG tools files I have. Just size the avatars to fit the grids and bam, you've got an interactive game board! It was a little extra work but it made a lot of difference.

However you might know all about this stuff and are choosing not to use it because you don't want to. In that case disregard all this stuff. I just thought I'd point it out!

No, I do need help. I don't know how to do layers in the google drive so people can move around the tokens.

For this map I have all initials as layers in gimp so I can move the layer, export to .jpg, and it syncs to dropbox so the link is already updated, no further steps. But I would rather do your way for the next map if you can explain what I need to do.

-DMG

I can definitely help you with that! It's really not that difficult. Do you have a mac or a pc? If you have a PC, the first thing you need to do is use the snipping tool to capture a picture of all the avatars and store them. One of the unfortunate things is you have to upload them to each map, but you can literally drag/drop them into the map. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

1. Upload your map with a grid into Google Drive as a drawing. It has to be a drawing for this to work, not an image.

2. Drag/Drop the avatars in there. Depending on the actual size of your avatars vs. the size of your image you're most likely going to have to adjust them.

3. Drag/drop any images of bad guys, traps, etc you need to have. I've gotten most of my images from rptools.net, specifically under their community section. You can download a lot of the files to use. Or, if that's too much, just use the same method and take from google image. And you can even create on the side in the drawing a sort of DM screen to hide them behind, just everyone has to be on their best behavior not to look behind it since they can edit the map. How to do that is the next step.

4. This can be a little tricky/annoying, but when you right click on any piece, there is an option that says "order". In that menu it says bring front, bring forward, send backward, send to back. I don't know how to explain this well, but basically this is how you control your layers. Nine times out of ten all you need to do is set the background as send to back and all the avatar characters as bring front. Once you get the hang of this you can have more fun. I had a room that had a trap where flames would appear in the majority of the room when it was set off. I just put all the flames in the right spaces and then right clicked them all as set to back. All the pc's were set to front so they could move around and such. When they set off the trap I just right clicked the background and clicked send to back, which makes is the furthest layer, thus revealing the flames.

5. This is the most important part, change the share settings to editable and then choose the anyone with a link option. Or you can choose anyone on the web, but no one is really going to search for your map, so I just use the link option. When I did that I made sure to just keep a copy of the link handy and copy/paste it in all the posts where it was pertinent so no one had to go searching for it, especially in long battles that might go a page or two.

RPtools also has a really cool map creator and I also used GIMP. I don't have as much time to create maps as I used to but I don't mind lending a hand if you need it. Once you get the hang of doing it they become very easy to manipulate. Feel fee to use that link in the above post and mess with the map, I'm not using it at all. And anything you need me to do just let me know!

Heh I already did move tokens around on your map, I forgot to ask if it was ok first. I was like wheeeeee it works. I've been trying find a way to do that for a few days.

I have mac not PC but I figured out how to screen capture with an area select today, it's shift-command-4.

Just to add, I'm a visual learner and need to see things for myself. There is a chat option in google drive and we can set up a time where we can both be on an image and I can show you in real time how to do a lot of that stuff. That goes out to anyone else in here who wants to learn. RPtools is a little more complicated, I learned a lot from just watching their tutorial videos. If you have time to check them out they are some amazing tools and can really enhance your map creating abilities. And if anyone in here has better ways of working this let me know, I'm always up for learning new tricks!

Oh, go for it! Use and abuse that map. If anyone has played it before, that's my recreation of part of the map from the beginners box. It was the first campaign I ever DMed. I made it in Map tools from RPtools.

I think I tried maptool back in the day, not for VTT or anything, just for making maps. I tried everything. Dundjinni, Campaign Cartographer, Fractal Mapper. Bought them legit too, or legit demo at least. In the end though, I just went with GIMP for my maps.

For PbP I need something the players can edit themselves though, and I would like to have a way to do fog of war. So now the whole headache starts again.

Well, there are ways to do that, but Google Drive does have it's limits. You can draw over the maps with basic blocks, like the one in the map in the link above, I just changed it to be like a fog of war to cover part of the map. Actually instead I just added one, threw a text box on it, and then just call it a day. You've just got to trust that the players won't screw with it, and if you watch you can actually see when people log in and mess with stuff, and it keeps a sort of real time log. It's certainly not the most perfect set up, but it gets the job done. And it adds some depth to the game.

I've got to go for tonight, but I'm including another link from a map I created with a big battle I put together. Feel free to manipulate it as much as you'd like. If you're interested maybe sometime in the next few days I can sit down at a time that works with you and help you figure it out. Unless you figure it out in the mean time, which I'm positive you can, then you won't need me! So, until then, good luck!

Battle at the Lorrimors House

PS. The red squares drawn over the bad guys means they're dead. My crew won this one!

Yup, next days are all good for me, no work until wed woohoo!

Just a note that i do not post alot on weekend. Family time during the day and some posting in the evening

I'm sure that's true for many folks. Enjoy your family time.

Hey, I'm sorry I missed some action. It might be a couple of hours before I post on my initiative. We are watching our nieces and one is a screaming baby. I'm just sneaking this one in while no one's looking! Sorry about that. But I will post an action in that time frame, you can count on that!

No need to apologise, there's no minimum posting requirement for this adventure. Someday I would like to run a fast paced posting game but I will stipulate that during reruiting. This one, you guys dictate the pace :)

The dice gods giveth and the dice gods taketh...

Oh ye fickle dice gods :)

Oh my days!! First two attack rolls of the campaign, both confirmed crits!!

Nevermind the damage, it's an auspicious omen!!

Ahem

"A Serjeant Arbalester of some quality."

What-Ho!

Vhillish your posts are creating a conflict for me that I think we need to discuss before it goes any further.

I'm at an impasse here.

I can definitely help you with that! It's really not that difficult. Do you have a mac or a pc? If you have a PC, the first thing you need to do is use the snipping tool to capture a picture of all the avatars and store them........

lots of good stuff!

.......is how you control your layers. Nine times out of ten all you need to do is set the background as send to back and all the avatar characters as bring front. Once you get the hang of this you can have more fun. I had a room that had a trap where flames would appear in the majority of the room when it was set off. I just put all the flames in the right spaces and then right clicked them all as set to back. All the pc's were set to front so they could move around and such. When they set off the trap I just right clicked the background and...

So the one reason I haven't run a game on these boards has been my inability to do maps. With your hand holding and help it sounds like you two maybe the light at the end of that tunnel.

When I get a chance to spend some time on this perhaps you can help me?

If successful I guarantee a place in my next campaign.

Cheers

EDIT: I meant running a game since 2011, that is.

Astor I was looking at your battle map you linked ..what battle is that from? I can guess its Carrion crown AP but I am currently almost finished the second book (here on the boards) and I do not remember such a large battle in the AP (unless that is a prelude of events yet to come)

I'm still learning myself French Wolf but any help I can offer I will.

Glad you stuck around, although it's a little intimidating running for someone who published on Raging Swan! 0_0

I was thinking of using henchman and hirelings a little further along in this campaign!

I'm definitely using "So what's for sale anyway?".

I was thinking of using henchman and hirelings a little further along in this campaign!

Ding-Dong! The Chosen Men will live :)

Ha ha Vhillish I am taping Sharpe's regiment on the box later tonight. Love that edicated fellow

Don't be intimidated - I am all about the fun. RS was partly luck, partly great editing too. The likes of David Posener and John Bennett now they have real talent.

Cheers

Just thought I'm mention that as a general rule, due to the nature of pbp, I encourage you to make any reactionary rolls (Init, perception, ect.) on my behalf. Whatever helps keep us moving along :)

Cool, will do. That go for everyone then?

One game I was reading through to aquaint myself with the medium had a player complain they like to roll their own dice.

goes for me definitely...as i do not want to hold up others.

OK cool.

So, I'm very sorry to do this, but I have a baby tha will not leave my lap under any circumstances. I'm posting this from my iPhone and can't really do anything substantial. So DM ,Feel free to either skip me altogether or post for me to move the init forward. She's been screaming uncontrollably and since this is my niece and I don't actually have children my ability to multitask in this way is nil. A link to my character sheet it posted in my alias. At this point Astor would be reckless and stupid. Just please don't kill him yet ;)

No big deal, I take care of two nieces and a nephew often myself! Let's call it a ready action to fire at any hostile who comes into your sites.

Little ones come first!

Edit: You have no ranged attack that I can see. Astor will run to join the fray instead.

Thanks for checking in to keep things moving Fyrian, but seriously don't sweat it! Real life trumps, especially with the kids.

Map updated, Round One open, Vhillish up next!

LOL
Take the day to do things with the family and check in on the boards and what do I see.... a billion posts !!!
You guys are keen aren't you? :D

Honestly, this bodes well for the future of our campaign, just notice in the future that this will happen sometimes for me where I don't or can't post for a whole day, either due to family or work or both.

I don't mind you rolling things for me to keep things moving, Grimmy.
I'm pretty easy going about such things....except when you roll so horrendously for my character ;)

That said....tally ho and all that...nice crits !! :)

oh yes....Sharpe rules!!!