I suppose that's a fair point. I was still thinking from the logic of Disable Device, where the idea was I didn't even know whether I would have to roll Disable Device or not at all. With Perception, that's... less of an issue. I'll go ahead and roll Fortitude, then.
In all seriousness Zalika, will you point to me where you posted what I said? All you said was that if delegations were targets, you might be one yourself; you never mentioned that considering your nation's weak standing in the conference, it would make you or other members of your delegation a likely target for being framed. I'm willing to admit that maybe I'm missing it wherever it is you wrote it, but as far as I can tell the post to which you're referring simply states that he may frame another nation as opposed to simply slaughtering higher-ups from all of them. You never mention Osirion itself or that it'd be a likely target. You've said twice that you've already said this but I honestly cannot find wherever it is that you did it. Not trying to be rude, I'm honestly just confused as to where you said this that I'm not seeing it.
oh are you referring to her delegation being framed, or being targeted for assassination.
If its the latter, she said that further up, but its unclear if you are referring to her delegation being framed. Even if that's what Jonathan was driving at - her reaction still stands, while it might not have occurred to her, she still thinks it unlikely to happen, which I could rp out.
To be clear however, her irritation is entirely IC - where she feels Jonathan is driving at a point she made moments ago. I probably should have made that clear
I was addressing being framed, specifically. I know it's fairly obvious she could be assassinated, but given Osirion's pleas for help against the Fire-Bleeder and overall weaker standing, Jonathan is asserting it might be prudent to consider the fact that framing an Osirion delegate for killing someone, especially someone whom they might have already met with to forge an alliance, in exchange for being protected from the Fire-Bleeder. In particular, you've already met with the Chelish representative and Jonathan isn't the only one who knows--for one, he's already reported it to the Galtan party, and not to mention all the clerks and such who saw you enter the Embassy, plus any other spies who might have happened to be there--and Cheliax is perhaps the evil nation that would most like to stop Deskari. Crippling them and forcing them to withdraw from the conference, even if it doesn't destabilize the whole thing, is a huge win for Deskari. I wouldn't be surprised if Thrune ends up dead and either you or someone working with you is implicated.
As for being an assassination target, I know you did mention that. I was more talking about being framed, as I think that's the far more likely way Osirion would be implicated; you have everything to gain from this and nothing to lose, after all.
I'm not particularly worried about personally being framed. Derailing the conference is anti everything that Zalika has been working towards at the moment - and there's nothing that points to the Firebleeder still going after me, as it hasn't been explicitly stated (iirc) that its under Deskari control. I'm not saying someone within my faction couldn't be blamed (like Father Makar for instance) but I feel that Zalika is on pretty solid ground.
Also I don't quote follow the reasoning behind your point with Cheliax. If Cheliax is one of the strongest allies to stop Deskari, and I'm trying to form an alliance with them, wouldn't that make me less likely to assassinate them, and more likely to share common ground? I can understand the POV if negotiations broke down, but until that happens it would be a truly massive risk - if its an assassination attempt that fails (and Cheliax has far stronger resources than Osiron does currently), then not only do I lose support from Deskari, I lose any chance of an alliance with anyone else at the conference. Its a desperate move from someone that feels they have no options yet, therefore as long as diplomatic negotiations don't break down, any risk is more mitagated.
To be perfectly honest, the best way to frame an Osirion delegate would be moving against Galt and blaming it on me - Zalika is still skeptical + still mad at the obvious spying on a head of state by Galt, which has pretty much wrecked chances at diplomacy between Galt and Orison. Therefore, if there was any nation that Zalika could be blamed of 'burning a bridge with' in favour of an alliance with Deskari, Galt would probably be the only example at present, since at the present, she could still consider attempting to find common ground with everyone else @ conference.
Yeah, it would make you less likely to assassinate them if you were trying to form an alliance. My point is, the fact that you've been seen meeting with him before he died could potentially be construed as something else. After all, it isn't as if the meeting was official or recognized; it was a back room deal to discuss alliances outside of the actual conference. No one else knew it was happening, and anyone who asked a clerk working there would probably just get a response that they recognized you. Because it wasn't any sort of official meeting, everything you say about it is (theoretically) conjecture. Someone can claim that it was all a front in order to gain their trust in order to assassinate him. What you were actually doing doesn't matter, at least in this scenario. Zalika doesn't even have to know that it was an assassination plot, either; someone could have used information she gave to kill him, or she could have been magically watched.
On the note of the Firebleeder, I more meant that Deskari's power could potentially be a draw to siding with him in order to deal with the threat of the Firebleeder. If he could promise to defend you from it, that would be a compelling reason to do his bidding. After all, it's the far more pressing issue for you.
Its a good thing then that Jonathan was secretively present during our conversation and therefore can confirm (as can any member of the Galt delegation since he told them) the context of the meeting. Calling it a backroom deal though is pushing it though - it wasn't like I snuck in and hid around, I approached him, fully in front of a crowd, in the presence of others, and requested a short discussion about a possible alliance. We then went, to his office, past all the clerks, and had our discussion. Furthermore, its not like an agreement was made to sabotage the conference - if you might recall, all that he wanted/I promised, was to give him a fair shake if he had a suggestion - my response would have been yes if anyone came to me with that proposal. While you could argue that the meeting was more opportunistic than "planned", you couldn't claim that it wasn't "official" - Zalika has the authority to make such decisions in her capacity as an official delegate. If it was a real backroom deal, its unlikely and unrealistic that Jonathan would have been able to get access so easily - not with the hundreds of secracy spells out there and available.
Again though, not concerned. If he croaks, I could equally claim someone felt threatened by my attempts to form an alliance with Cheliax (aka perhaps one of the Free Nations Alliance that might not be so disposed to Cheliax), and so had him removed. I could equally claim another one of the evil empires present also did it - its too easy to find an angle for anyone - nor can you assume that I was the only person Cheliax has spoken with all this time - if I am, that probably speaks more about how terribly the Free nations Alliance are managing this conference
Point being that I can 100% see myself as an easy target (since I'm trying to find common ground between as many nations as I can @ conference) for assassination, and less so as a relevant target for being framed - you can legitimately point the finger at anyone if the Cheliax ambassador dropped dead
Everything ok Faceless?
Not pushing (I know everything gets busy this time of the year), just checking if things are going ok for you, that's all.
Yeah, I'm alright. I was sick for a couple days, then my family has spent the last few days getting decorated for Christmas. I should get posts up in the games I'm running later today. Sorry for the wait.
I think in the absence of any objections, everything is ok with Jonathan's suggestion?
Yes.
Hey guys, I just wanted to pop in and let you guys know I'm gonna be opening up some recruitments in the future you might be interested in. I generally try to let people I'm in games with know I'm planning on doing stuff as I know how you all tend to play, and so I like to give you a heads up as I know we can mesh as players which means meshing in a DM--Player scenario is also more likely. Two of the recruitments are games already in progress that have lost players, the other two are gonna be new games going up on the forums.
Kingmaker: A Light in the Dark is a moderately-modified Kingmaker campaign that will feature signficant homebrew elements as well as incorporating some published modules. Some things as written are changed significantly, and so prior knowledge of the AP isn't a problem; the game no longer even has the same main villain, but it still has all the Fey flavor you might expect. I'm looking to recruit a replacement for a ranged Slayer who left the game (either having someone take over the character or making one to fill the same role) and picking up 1-2 more as well.
XCOM: Enemy Unleashed is a Savage Worlds game based on the XCOM video game series, in which the player characters are former UN Peacekeepers who discovered the first leg of an alien invasion after investigating the destruction of a city by unknown forces. Familiarity with Savage Worlds is not really a requirement as the system is very simple and easy to learn, and some of the current players came in with no knowledge of the system before playing. However, being familiar with the XCOM series will be a plus for you. We just lost a player who was filling an Assault-style role, so that's what I'll be looking for. Our sniper has left for the time being but will be returning, so she's a DMPC for now.
Also, I should note that both our GM and Aramus are involved in both of these games as well.
The two new recruitments that are going up are going to be using Shadowrun 4E and Pathfinder; the Pathfinder game will be set in a custom setting with some new magic rules and spells, as well as a vastly different cosmology that impacts the game world. If you're interested in any of these, keep your eye out for the recruitment thread. I'm obviously not guaranteeing a spot, but you'd have a good chance at getting in if you submit a character. The re-recruitments will likely go up in a few days, while the others may be a week or two.
I have a concept for a Ranged Unchained Shadow Walker Rogue but nothing for a Slayer :(
You wouldn't necessarily have to play that Slayer, but I more just want anther ranged character to take his place. That said, I'm also accepting characters other than just the one replacing him, I'm going for at least 1-2 extra characters as well. Feel free to submit as well when the thread goes up! I'll have a list of all current characters when I do so to help people make something that fills a niche the group might need.
The game is currently level 2, and they're probably only about... 1/2 of the way through the first book, maybe closer to 3/5ths of the way there. If you are familiar with the AP at all, they're currently clearing out the Temple of the Elk, but with a very different enemy at is core due to a side-quest I threw together. My games don't tend to move at a great speed--although it is currently moving fairly quickly as I'm not at college and can update whenever I please--so not have a ton of time to post isn't necessarily a problem. My goal is to try and average 4-5 posts a week as a GM once school starts up again.
Feel free! Our Slayer was an Android with some very interesting and peculiar mannerisms, which I felt made him a very interesting character. If someone feels they can do that justice, I'd be more inclined to bring them on in that role as I liked the character and would rather not relegate him to a backseat in the campaign if someone else will pick him up. I'd love to see a role-playing sample of how you would continue that kind of thing if you submit for him, though. Also, feel free to rebuild him some if you wish, as long as the character stays mostly the same.
PS: By the way Zalika, I'd be willing to pick up more than one ranged combatant if you're interested in submitting one outside of the Slayer. As I've said to a number of people, I want to get a bit of a larger party for this game as it's very player-driven compared to some others, so doubling up on ranged combat isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Hmm, if Elek was interested in playing the Slayer, I probably wouldn't submit a rogue alongside - not only does it have a similar focus it conflicts with leadership roles as well - and I don't really think of many other ranged classes that don't also have conflict issues / interest me.
I'd probably be looking at a Bard or Mesmerist instead just for a bit of utility.
For those who are potentially interested, here is the link to the recruitment for my Kingmaker game.
And it's no problem, Elek. I can understand your reasoning, and I'm well aware with having to deal with chaos and stuff like that in real life; if you asked Aramus or the GM, I'm sure they could give you a list of examples. Still, feel free to pop in if you change your mind!
Hmm, unfortunately I might need to decline as well. I really like your houserules - they are all totally logical and well thought out, but I'm heavily reliant on using HeroLab as a crutch to keep my character sheets up to date, and my stats correct. Unfortunately, I'm pretty terrible at on the fly bookkeeping (which I'd need to do for this) - and I think its just going to be messy for me.
Ah, that's unfortunate. If I remember correctly, Hero Lab doesn't have any sort of system for ignoring prerequisites or anything of the sort, does it? Ironically, my player who disappeared really loved Hero Lab and it caused him some problems as well. He used it extensively to keep track of things for the games he ran as a GM, too; he kept all of our sheets saved on their as a duplicate to check for level-up errors and the like. Much like Elek, feel free to pop in and submit a character if you change your mind! If not, well, we'll always have each other here.
And isn't that what really matters?
Yeah unfortunately everything shows up in a million red marks if I ignore pre-reqs, and any abilities that change or get removed - I'm unable to touch :(
Still, its pretty neat role-playing in this group, I'm having a good time.
Sidenote: are we waiting for me though in gameplay - I just assumed we are all happy moving foward so didn't make a 'I agree" post or anything :S
Maybe? Knowing Faceless, he also may have just not updated yet. After all, I'm not living in the next room over to nag him about it anymore, so who knows? I'm kidding, of course; I have a habit of not always updating my own games as often as I'd like, so I hardly have room to talk anyway.
In all likelihood, last time I talked to him outside of a game on Paizo he was asking me for the email addresses for our boss from last year and one of our professors in regards to job applications, so he very well may be busy with that in addition to the usual holiday craziness still dying down. According to my phone, that was last Thursday, so if I had to bet that would be what I'd put my money on. I don't talk to him as much over breaks as I do when school's in session, since he Skypes in on my weekly tabletop game.
Mostly me not posting Monday due to a family thing and then forgetting to get around to it afterward. I'll work something up before I go to sleep.
Nooooo plz, get beauty sleep!
I know what its like, I'm tired atm x_x
Not getting back home from work till like 8PM was crushing today
Hey everyone.
I’m posting this in all the games I’m running (all two of them). I’ve had a lot of fun GMing over the last few months and even years, and I want to thank everyone for being a good sport and putting up with my rather pathetic posting rate and kind of sloppy style. That being said… I feel like the fun has sort of gone out of it. Over the last month or two, it’s started to feel like more of a chore to keep posting and running my games. I can’t really exactly pinpoint where this feeling is coming from. Maybe it’s just my stress bleeding over from real life. But I feel like the quality of my posting and my drive to tell a decent story have been dying off.
I’ve sort of been putting this off because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone and I have a bad habit of not giving up when I probably should. But for now I’m putting the games I’m running on an indefinite hiatus. I still like the ideas for both of these games and I may come back to them later, either by restarting from scratch (in which case anyone who’s played before will have preference in playing) or picking up where we left off if people are interested in giving it a second try. I want to thank everyone again for great games while it lasted.
That's o.k GM, thanks for the time and effort you already put into this, it was good fun while it lasted. Take care though and look after yourself, burn outs are rough.
Hey, it's okay and I understand, man. Better to back off when you can rather than force things and burn yourself out. Take your time and let us know if and when you want to run something again--you know I'm always game.
Thanks for letting us know, GM.
It was fun while it lasted.
Sad to hear it, but I can't say I don't know what that feels like from time to time.