Here is the Discussion thread. We'll take care of things that are not actually part of playing the game here, like leveling up, questions about game mechanics, etc.
This is Jim. My toon is Fergus McDammitson, a human variant paladunce. For all of his apparent bluster, Fergus can be quite friendly.
By way of lore, Fergus is the son of McDammit and grandson of Owen.
By the way, for John's info, I think he hasn't made an alias, and that is just his account name.
Actually, I don't think that's John. His toon's name is going to be Larson, I believe.
My guess is, that's Pavel...?
I've got :
Sean = Paul Freeman
Jim = Fergus
Josh = Haldor
??? = Varis
Harvey = a ranger, name unknown
Actually, it's Jacob playing Haldor.
Hmm, where did Josh come from... no idea. Anyway, yeah I meant that.
In any case, we'll firm things up in person tomorrow and then I'll get this started with either 5 or 6 PCs (I'm assuming Dave isn't playing and TBH its probably a good thing since 7 would be really tough).
John is playing Fizzlebomb
OK folks, I'd like for each of you to do the following.
In your PCs profile there is a place for "Classes/Levels". In that place please put the following information. This will then appear under your PCs name every time you post. This will help me with moving the game along and such.
Class [Level] HP xx | AC xx | Initiative +x | Saves: ST +x DX +x CN +x (etc.) | Perception +x | Insight +x | Investigation +x
I've done an example in my header. If you would, fill out your race as well, gender I don't care unless you are playing a female for whatever reason. Also, you'll see places to fill out some of your "character sheet" like Special Abilities and your stats. This isn't as important but it'll be good to have handy and to get a feel for what your character is.
It doesn't have to be exactly like this and of course you can abbreviate, just have the info handy. If you have some unique or PC-important info or stat you want me to be aware of you can place that in there as well.
Looks like Harvey still needs to create an alias for his PC, once he can do that I'll try to start.
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Below is a helping how-to created by one of the excellent Pathfinder Society GM's, Endless Forms. I've played in literally dozens of his games and he is the one that is running the Shattered Star campaign that I showed you in email a couple weeks back. This will help with how to format things like your attacks, spells, etc.
How to Play Play-by-Post
Below are some basics on playing in a PbP game. Mastering the basics is just the first step though! Once you’ve got the basics down, start trying to improve your play-by-post gaming to make your characters stand out and make your posts effective and efficient. For that I point you to Painlord’s Advanced PbP guide. If you are just getting started, I suggest you read the following basics on play-by-post play. But always remember, the key to all play-by-post gaming is to be consistent!
The Basics #1: Formatting and Basic Posting:
The first thing you’ll need to learn is how to properly format your posts. Everyone has their own little quirks but in general these are the agreed-upon formats:
”Use bold text and quotes when your character is speaking,” then use normal text to describe their actions. (though most people don't use the quotes, the bold is enough).
Italics is often used to denote what your character is thinking or when creatures/characters are speaking telepathically to each other.
Quotes are used less often but are mostly useful in replying to something said earlier or to highlight something important that the other players might have missed from earlier.
An example post might look like this:
Trotter leaps in front of the gruff ranger and tries to remedy the situation with some quick words. He should have let me do the talking! Now he’s gone and offended the villagers! ”My dear people, I think my friend misspoke. You might have heard ‘get out of my way!’ but what he actually said was ‘have a nice day!’”
The Basics #2: What to do in Combat:
Combat can be a bit more complicated than simple back-and-forth roleplaying. To make things less complicated for everyone, make sure it is clear to the GM and the other players what you are doing. Spell out each action if necessary.
And I can’t stress this enough: when using spells or abilities (especially if they require the GM to make a saving throw for one of the bad guys), please post the name of the spell or ability you are using and-most importantly-post the DC and type of save. It is also considered good etiquette to post a link to your spell or at least summarize what it does if it is a less common spell (or something more complicated than, say, fireball) so that they do not have to look it up each time.
The GM is taking a lot of time out of their day (more time than you are to play, most likely) so be respectful of them and save them time and hassle by posting all of the relevant information in your post. If the GM has to stop and look at your profile to find the spell, its DC, and maybe look up the spell’s details if he is unfamiliar with it, the GM ends up spending a lot of their valuable time analyzing your post instead of writing their own update to the game.
A bad combat post might look like this:
Trotter casts a spell at the creature!
Also note how sparse and bare that post is. It’s boring. Sometimes necessity and lack of time don’t allow for a lot of description, and that is fine. But if you have time, take advantage of the medium and add a little flare to your post to make it stand out. A better way to write that post would be like this:
Trotter grimaces as he watches his friend fall to the blows of the evil Aspis agent. ”Have a taste of your own medicine!” he screams as he casts a spell at the baddie!
Notice that in this second example the GM has all the information they need right there in the post. The GM can roll the save for the bad guy and keep moving without having to look up the spell or check your profile to find the DC buried somewhere (or even calculate it themselves, yuck!).
If the actions you are taking are particularly complicated, it might also be a good idea to break down what you are doing so the GM understands each action individually. Here’s an extreme example but note how much easier it is to understand the mechanics of each action:
Trotter calls upon his luck , draws his pistol , fires his gun quickly reloads it and then places it back in its holster .
The Basics #3: Your Responsibilities as a Player:
The most important rule: be consistent!
Playing in a game via play-by-post can in some ways be more flexible than planning out a night-long gaming session with your friends, as it allows everyone to post at their own convenience. However, it is also quite a bit of work on a daily basis to keep up with the game. And yes, I said daily basis. In the play-by-post arena it is considered standard to post at least once a day. And posting multiple times a day is quite common with some groups who prefer faster-paced games.
Everyone has occasions where they are unable to post for a day, but when you sign up for a game you should plan to post at least once a day. If you are unable to do this for whatever reason, it would be courteous to let your GM know ahead of time. Similarly, if you are going to be gone for more than a day-say, if you will be out camping for a weekend and won’t have internet access-make sure to alert the GM. Most GMs will offer to ‘bot’ your character (also called GMPCing); if your character needs to do or roll something while you are away, they will roll it for you.
Basically, play-by-post is an inherently slow medium. Combats can take days or maybe even a week or two. It is your responsibility as a player to work with your fellow players and GM to keep things moving forward and to be consistent enough to finish the game in a timely manner.
I am not sure how to add the character information to my alias. everyone else has lighter gray text below their name with race, class, level, and ac or initiative but I can't find how to add that.
I sent an email about it, but go into the profile of your PC and use the "classes/levels" line to put it there.
Let me know if you guys can now see the name plates on all the tokens on the map now. Also, I have a link to Roll20 on the top of the page for easier access.
Also, you may notice little changes on the map from time to time. I'm still playing with how to use it. As you might guess, I just figured out about the name plates. :)
Could I pick up a chair and use it as an improvised club? if so would it take some kind of action to pick it up?
Yes, I'll say it would take half of your move action. I'll allow it to be a d4 of damage, plus strength.
I'll wait until lunch for Fizz to post, after that I'm put him on delay and move on.
I have the tavern brawler feat which lets me attempt a grapple after attacking with an improvised weapon or an unarmed strike
i want to ok it with you sine alot of the grappling rules are a bit odd and many are up to the dm. I want to drag the hobgoblin assuming that i maintain the grab. is that kosher?
IIRC, I believe it says that if you maintain the grapple you can move at half speed.
Fizz and Sain, when you can please update your header with your HP, AC, etc. It'll help!
Class [Level] HP xx | AC xx | Initiative +x | Saves: ST +x DX +x CN +x (etc.) | Perception +x | Insight +x | Investigation +x
Two side notes. First, apologies for not being able to attend at 8DCG tonight, however now that my wife is not travelling for work I really don't have the free time I did previously. Its one reason I wanted to start this forum game. Second, since Harvey seems to have trouble holding on to a computer I'm going to pull his character from the game until he returns. The module was designed with five in mind anyway so it works out to some degree. Hopefully he can return soon.
Looks like Sean and Paul have effectively pulled out of the game. Do the four of you wish to continue? Will Jake be able to keep up with the game?
Yes, Jake can keep up with the game. He cannot post during the school day but does at night, and I will remind him to check his phone in the night and mornings before school.
I definitely want to continue. This is fun.
Also, I'm sure Jake will give me the carte blanche to act for him if he's holding up the game.
Nah, wasn't worried about holding up the game, I just wanted to be sure he had the time to play it. I got the impression that both Sean and Harvey just had too much else going on to keep up (at least I hope they weren't bored).
OK, we continue! I can easily adjust to four players and in some ways I'd prefer it.
I definitely wish to continue playing. I find myself checking every couple of hours, just to see if anything new has happened and what others are doing.
Glad to hear it. During the week I try to update in the morning before work, at lunch and one more time at night when I can. The weekends are random, of course.
We go on with four then.
OK, take a day or so to level your toons up to 3 and we then you can decide where to go next. Of course, you can decide to search the room you found the woman in before going elsewhere or whatever you wish.
Regarding the Monk Ki ability Flurry of Blows : Yes, I believe you could make an attack with a weapon and then use a ki point to make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action. So if you can use a longsword as a monk you could go longsword/unarmed/unarmed with a ki point.
I know Varis is aware but in March/April I will be moving to Fremont, CA. For a PbP this means nothing, however my wife and son are already in the Bay Area and I will be traveling there this weekend for a visit. I'll have the computer and I should be able to update but I will not have any of the books with me.
Just wanted to give a heads-up!
The hell you are.
My original reaction was there same but it seems to be validated now that I'm here and have seen the apartment/townhome we have rented for the next year here in Fremont. It'll do for now.
I must say its different from other places I've lived in the fact that I can actually see topography changes nearby. Its a bit cooler than I would like though.
"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." -Mark Twain
By the way, could you log in as Haldor and post under his name when you perform his actions? It'll make it easier to keep track of and I'll be able to see his header as well. Either that or tell the kid to get on here. :)
I'll see if I can get his username and password.
I've tried to get him on here; he's just busy with school.
Should we consider a replacement? I would wager that Dave might want to play with us.
I asked him when we started, he didn't even reply. We can go like this, no worries. If you still talk to him and he can post regularly then Dave can join us either way.
Pavel and I were just sitting here at 8DCG and he suggested that we try to all get together on Roll20.net and actually "play". As long as you have a mic/headset we can simply talk as if we were at a table and use the dice commands in-game. I'm free pretty much anytime on the weekends. Any thoughts?
sounds good,
but i would not want it to keep us from being able to keep playing the pbp
Yeah, I like that. But I still want to do the pbp.
Oh of course. We would just play and pick up where we left off on here. Would Jake be able to get on his own computer? Does everyone have a headset/mic and speakers?
So, since Pavel brought it up, when would you like to try it? I'm game for anytime this weekend if you guys are.
Jake has a computer. We both have headsets and mics.
i have them, havent used them in a while
I am game during the weekends as well.
Alright... shall we try it? Say, Saturday evening around 7:00pm?
I cannot this Saturday night. Alas, this weekend is kind of full for us. I am happy to designate John as my proxy to act on my behalf, though, if y'all would like to go ahead Saturday night.
Nah, the point of it is for all of us to be there. What time works for you?