The Strangler of the Shadow Moor (Inactive)

Game Master Terquem

Aw come on guys, don't leave me hanging like this. I set up a description, there was great role play and exchange between the characters, but now what are you going to do?

I think we might be waiting to see what IT does. It looks like a tough cookie, and unlikely one whose first instinct is to socialize over dinner.

Maybe if you allowed us a Knowledge roll to potentially know what it is?

Only Gwernach has seen the "creature" and he does not know what it is. If he were forced to make a decision on what he thinks it is, he would probably say it is a Gargoyle

When he tried (hilariously) to inform the others about what he saw, he failed, and went instead with a simple "shhhsh" gesture

The other two characters who responded to his attempt made similar hilarious misconstructions about what he was trying to say.

There is no possibility that a Knowledge roll will inform any of you as to what the creature is, even if you did look to see what Gwernach is trying to tell you about.

How long would you like to "wait" to see what IT does?

A couple minutes at most (the use of a notoriously vague term being deliberate) sounds reasonable. Either it will finish its meal and move on, or it will engage us - and if it chooses to do so violently, that will be on it.

Will the whole party follow Yildiri into the darkness at the opposite end of the tee intersection?

I will!

Alright, I think we have a consensus - things are about to get weird...

You might notice the map is not linked at the top of the page

At this point (and I know players are never happy with this sort of thing, but...) you have no idea where you are, or how to keep track of where you are going.

I'm sorry, when did these "mystery robed blokes" show up?

My mistake, thought they were robed but actually just grey (Does this mean the grey lizard like thing was naked?!) Point is I'm pretty sure there is more than just the gargoyle thing lurking about and Gwernach would rather trudge after the more peaceful of the two - based on what he's seen the ugly one do.

This is the ugly one - sorry I wasn't better at making that clear

down with bronchitis, but I hope to be back up and posting in a couple of days

sorry for the delay

Get well soon!

Once again, all I can do is encourage the players of this game to try to talk to one another, ask each other questions, make statements about decisive actions, and engage the DM – it is stalled, and I know no one seems to like a dungeon that isn’t just kicking open doors and killing monsters and taking their loot.

It’s your game

It's not that; it's just that the dungeon's more than a bit spartan. No hints on where to go or stuff to do.

Hints? On where to go, what to do?

You are lost, you have no idea where you are, or how to get back to where you were.

At this point just surviving should be a motivation. And yet, talking to each other about the situation is not an option?

You continue to make this point. I'm sorry this isn't a Pathfinder Adventure Path with signs on the dungeon wall telling your characters what to do, where to go.

The "Spartan" situation should have absolutely no impact on the characters interest in talking to each other about what they each think they should do, where they should go, how they are going to help each other survive. Crap., even an "in my own head" post about what your character is thinking is going on, or how you are going to get out of this mess" might give me something to respond to.

I've been thinking about this a lot, and it bothers me. I do not fault any player in this game, not at all. You have all been patient and kind, generous even in putting up with me.

But the game only moves forward when the characters act as agents of change. You each can chose to engage each other, drive the story forward by engaging in dialog with each other about what you are going to do to get out of this situation or getting your friends to follow you in a course of action

I have failed. I have let you all down by not providing the kind of game you want to be a player in.

I thank you all for your kindness and willingness to try this far, but it is best that the game end now instead of any of you having to listen to me beg you any more to try and learn about each other.

I think a number of things have contributed to this but a slow posting rate is chief and kills most on line forums. For my part, I've been caught up in RL and have not had the time I did this time last year so I feel partly to blame.
There was a driving motivation when we first entered the temple however now that we are lost and separated from Mr. Andersen, the guy who brought us here in the first place, *shrugs* it feels like we started on adventure and got side lined into another.

Thank you Gwernach, and again I fault no one else but myself for the way this game went downhill.

It wasn't clear what you wanted us to do. I'd rather it not end like this, I like my character, and I love playing in a world that ISN'T Golarion and ISN'T just Pathfinder Society with all its strictures.

It was very good for a while, I don't see why it can't continue. We came into this temple for a purpose, but we haven't been able to DO or FIND anything. You're right, it shouldn't just be hack-and-slash, I've had quite enough of that. Nobody's asking for that. I think we've been having a miscommunication problem.

I think that all of the characters in this game are excellent, and all of you should be proud of your characters. But, for me, I can't keep on expecting these characters to engage each other in a dialog of more than one or two posts - each of you knows practically nothing about each other, and it seems you are not interested in trying to find out what is going on in each other's head

Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that - I never made it a requirement of the game, but at the same time I am disappointed, with myself, in that I could not foster this desire in any of you.

I'll try to make a compromise if you are interested.

This game, a "we are lost in a maze of magical portals with no clue about what is going on" - IS NOT working out for any of you.

I would be willing to end this game, and through some handwavium, transfer the characters to a new adventure, something with more robust clues, setting hints, and more monsters to fight, if

and only IF

you, Sasithorn, and the other players agree to put more effort into talking to each other as part of that new game.

You all should know by now that I do not intend to quit these threads, unless some catastrophe befalls me, I'll be here. I am not the most active type poster, but I can make a promise to try better

I want players who want to role-play their characters, and that means talking to other characters more than what you all have done so far

If this is not something you are interested in, if you just want to demonstrate how your character build excels when dice are rolled and in-game challenges are overcome, then I might not be the GM you want to play with.

Think it over - no one here owes me anything, you have all done your best, with what I presented to you, it just hasn't gone the way I hoped it would, and that is on me, not you.

I don't have a problem with how things are but I think we're concentrating on the job in hand rather than getting to know one another at present...

I don't have a problem with how things are but I think we're concentrating on the job in hand rather than getting to know one another at present...

Very good point.

As for me, I'm in the habit of revealing my character via the process of adventuring, and as I've said, I've been suffering an exceptional case of mental decay for years now.

I used to be a FANTASTIC role-player. For one thing, I'm a natural actor (at least, I used to be - I worry I've lost that, too, and I fear for my future and everything I've ever wanted to be and do in life). Ironically, getting involved with actual people is what dragged me down, since for far too long I was stuck in supposed 'gaming' environments that turned out to be actively hostile to anything beyond bean-counting. MMOs were a terrible mistake - good for a couple years, but quickly turning to s%$! circa 2007, and taking everything else with it. It dragged me down, and down, and down, and I've been fighting a losing battle as gaming in general has not only formed an organized culture (bad), but one that is actively tilted toward the new wave of LCD types (vastly worse).

I could say much, much more on the topic, but I HAVE been trying to say it for so long (you'll find plenty of it in my primary avatar's post history if you go back a few years), and with so little payoff and so much punishment for my efforts, that by this point I'm just about exhausted.

Yeah I agree with Yildiri, not many player characters sit down to have a heart to heart in the middle of a dungeon or where ever. Doesn't happen to much in real life either - or maybe I'm just weird. I like the idea of revealing tidbits about a character in play however this is largely through action and, as Terq expressed, thought bubbles. Then there are those characters that have not quite grown on me versus those which pop and are a lot of fun to play. Sorry to say, Gwernach is one of those former characters I have going and his posts may not be as interesting.

I certainly did not want to create a debate.

You have all given your time and effort to this game, but it is not going anywhere.

The game thread will be shut down permanently on Friday.

Thank you

I am sorry for not giving you a better experience.