I completely forgot to do the map last night. I had my long jog and prep to fo for my RL games and it just passed me by I'm afraid. Sorry guys!
Saying that if everyone is falling back off this map I might just finish the encounter in theatre of the mind.
@Jermaie - You were right, Narine wasn't injured just pinned. I was getting ahead of myself. She was the only target for all 3 (heck I'll just say it) hellions so she was going to be injured by shooting from the 2 that didn't pick her up shooting at her, and then be grabbed. I did roll after the fact to see if she would have been injured and really she didn't have a chance.
Either way she couldn't get back to you just because she was pinned and couldn't move back towards the source of her pinning.
Yeah, it's alright. I figured she was dead meat anyway.
You know, since our first, say three sessions of Pathfinder about a couple of years ago, we haven't once even tried using maps. We all take it in theater of mind and have thus far haven't run into too many issues. Every now and again I'll draw up a simple map on grid paper to get a general idea of an area whenever I'm GMing, but I don't usually show it to the players unless I have to.
It's just so much of a pain designing these maps time and again, and my group has the kind of guys who see a map and go, "But I wonder what's on the other side of this cliff here..." It depends really, because as much as I've wanted to run PBP's before I always figured I'd need maps to illustrate player positions but I'd hate every second of designing them. It's why I thinking about trying to run FATE on these boards, though it is quite daunting, knowing how difficult it is to get people on board for RPGs other than Pathfinder here.
I'm a big fan of maps because I like the tactical nature of things and the absolute answer that maps give you. Most GMs, however, do without and I'm OK with that too, as a player. It just changes the focus of the game.
If I was running a pure horror game like CoC, WoD core or Dread I'd generally lean away from maps. With games that have a tactical element I prefer to have some sort of physical representation.
what are hellions?
Ssssssh! Don't spoil the surprise!
Hehe gotta love the Dark Eldar...
http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Hellion
this is a messed up universe...
You have no idea.... go read some of the novels.
i think i totally nailed Cort and his pessimism
On the brighter side, the Ciaphas Cain series are a bit more cheery!
However, it does make me happy that they haven't confirmed that the vespid are actually being mind controlled! Just implication. All you have is this neat communion helm to facilitate communication with the strain leaders and the Tau that also makes them able to grasp the concept of the greater good.
I very much prefer that they maintain the threat of mind control that is every Tau subject either subscribing to their false harmony or are forcibly assimilated into it. It is only implied that the Tau brainwashed other races, but you couldn't ask anyone who was actually captured because they would claim they haven't been brainwashed and have seen The Greater Good.
You can be happy! All the Tau ask is that you submit to them deciding your entire life, constant overwatch and thought control, the threat of mind-alteration or mind control if you are being too individualistic or question the greater good, and even permanent detention or execution if there is no other choice. For the Greater Good.
While every other race has what they fear controlling them, the Tau have what you love controlling you. And you won't even know you're enslaved.
But this is another discussion entirely. In fact, I'll put this in a spoiler.
Just a bit. And really good too! I cant encourage them enough! The Horus Heresy series is an amazing read for any fans of 40K.
All I have to say is, FOR THE LESSER EVIL!
Also, Harriers for the cup!
I've a mind to read the Ciaphas Cain novels. The Gaunt's Ghosts series is simply brilliant and I'd recommend it heartily.
I cant reccomend Ciaphas Cain enough!!!
It's a pity those things are Hellions rather than Mandrakes.
Cormaeg is a scout, and it clearly shows that scouts are superior to Mandrakes in "Sabbath Martyr".
As for Cain, I agree, he is like Flashman, only without (most of) the bad qualities.
Flashman?
I asked my friend what Dark Eldar use for Scouts. He said Hellions, I thought about it for a second and thought... I have an awesome idea!
Flashman is the character they based Cain on, he is the same in many ways, only worse.
He REALLY is a coward, he is a bully, he is a toady and worse, but he always comes out of any situation looking like a true blue hero.
I think the books acctually makes pretty good reading, they are by George MacDonald Faraser if anyone is curious.
So Hellions are scouts, does that make Mandrakes assassins then?
All I know is that Scoutchief Mkoll sure showed one up in Sabbath Martyr.
And he is only the Ghosts SECOND best scout.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashman_(novel)
Yes my friend said Mandrakes are assasins. Those where his exact words.
Well, in a sense. They are actually something far far worse.
On Farsight, no one seems to be able to get close enough to him. He's very far out of the norm and is the actual measure for it. He doesn't say anything, and I think no ethereal has been close to him enough to attempt much. I think it's a mixture of the Tau higher-ups trying to cover up Farsight's apparent betrayal, that Farsight is extremely valuable as propaganda and is a hero among the Tau, and that Farsight looks like he still follows the philosophy of the Greater Good even if not the recommended methods for attaining it. He doesn't do anything to actively go against the Greater Good and stays where he is, though not responding to communication, so they're leaving him alone, but I can't recall what the current position on him is.
It's also been hypothesized/hinted at that Farsight does what he does because he's fighting against Chaos/Demons/etc. from getting through where he is, sacrificing everything in the process. Of course, that's mere speculation. My own thoughts are that Farsight has been changed by his time there (if it IS the same Farsight, then he's lived over 200(!) years) by the Warp and possibly the sword, so normal methods won't work on him. Despite the Tau not having much of a Warp signature, they DO still have one faint as it is, so it's easy to infer that they can be affected by it.
On the Ethereal caste, it's hard to say. Leaving aside the questions of their origins, my own theory is that they genuinely believe in the Greater Good and they are willing to do anything to achieve it (though it differs between ethereals). Very naive, but that's what makes the Tau hilarious: the fact that their aspirations are futility in the 40k universe. (Farsight, if I recall correctly, eventually came to believe that progressing towards their goals even if they can never achieve them is still admirable and should be sought for.)
Also, Kroot are awesome. Just putting that out there because they really are.
Hey dm I was thinking it might be easier if you swapped you map to google docs then we could just move ourselves around and that could let you just make one map per encounter
Ok advice please
Break pin as a half action then stand, or crawl more as my other?
Crawl! Get the frak out!
Breaking pinning is is a free action. You can test at the end of every turn.
You only get 1 half action when you're pinned.
There will be a lot of suppressing fire and pinning in the rest of this scenario. Suppressing fire is on page 248. Pinned is on page 255.
So this is what it feels like to have your ass handed to you? I think they even took the trouble to giftwrap it for us, you got to love the little touches like that.
Don't fight Dark Eldar at night. They have dark sight!
I'll see your suggestion, and I'll raise you with "Don't fight dark eldar at all"
Kill the Xenos!
Shouts Garion as he runs for cover...
Garion, the cowardly lion.
When the rest of you are dead or corrupted, but I make it back, I will make sure to include how brave and expenda...cough cough I mean HEROIC! How heroic each of you was as I bravely faced down 100...no 300 XENOS, Bolt Pistol running dry and my Chain Sword clogged with the gore of my foes, and in the end I show my compassion and loyalty to my lost squad as I grieve over your fallen executed...I mean martyred, bodies!
This has been an excerpt from the Memoirs of Garion Valkof, the Little Commissar who Could.
That maths is more or less correct. Pen can only reduce armour soak not toughness soak. So the maths is a bit fuzzier.
((Armour - Pen) min 0) + Toughness = Soak
If you can follow that
yerp I forgot my parenthetical!
who are we waiting on BTW? I am anxious to have the last hole blown in my back
Medicae is a full-round action. Got it! Thanks for looking it up, GM. :D
Hmm I need to look up when I have time tonight if you can ready a shot. That is what Cort would do
You can ready an attack with a ranged weapon basically just like in D&D/Pathfinder
In that case I will go ahead and post
I'm going to introduce a consept of partial chest cover. To seems to me that the chest is always exposed if you're firing at the enemy, but most of the time it's mostly protected. You guys don't need to do anything differently you'll just get the benefit of cover on your chest more often.
To give you a concept of what system I'm going to use, higher rolls on the BS test have a greater chance of hitting exposed areas. In terms of semi-auto fire where the chest is not the first roll I'll just randomise by rolling a d10.
Enjoy you tiny bit of extra armour... That the enemy get too... Bye!
We just gotta do called shots to the head all the time. Easy.
"This is a rotator cannon, it doesn't do "intact"..."
And it doesn't do headshots either...
hey dm, I just looked it up
lightning reflexes lets you roll twice for init and pick the highest
step aside (tier 3) lets you take 2 dodge or parry attempts
Sorry I knew that. I was speeed typing!
I will probably take step aside eventually. I have decided I don't like to be shot
Is there a tent that makes your shots harder to dodge?