A more Savage Sandpoint. A new look at an old friend.

Game Master ZenFox42

I'm back.

Cool. See,this is what happens when you don't scroll up just 4 posts to make sure the answer isn't right in front of you. :)

It's not you!
Things happened. Sorry, my bad. On we go!

It's not you!

Things happened. Sorry, my bad. On we go!

No worries. I understand fully. The 'things happened' seem to be too commonplace for many of us these days..

I certainly get "things" happening, that is for sure. In the midst of the whole Birthdays & Bomb Threats thing a month ago, I started dating someone. Real Life strikes again!

Still here in limbo awaiting inclusion

I certainly get "things" happening, that is for sure. In the midst of the whole Birthdays & Bomb Threats thing a month ago, I started dating someone. Real Life strikes again!

There ya go! A positive!!! Congrats!

While we're waiting for the GM to return, here's something to think about. I'm considering moderating a campaign with a Steampunk theme. There are a number of possible systems to use, including Savage Worlds.

There is also an interesting GURPS sourcebook based on the Graphic Narrative (comic book) called Girl Genius. I've played GURPS and like what it tries to do in principle, but in practice, it tends to get tedious during melee and complicated to create characters. Savage Worlds has its own melee complications, such as the soak rolls and Benny re-rolls. In PBP these can cause it to take days to discover the outcome of one solid success. In other ways, however, I think SW is cleaner in melee and definitely simpler to create characters.

There is a Savage Worlds Steampunk sourcebook called A Widening Gyre that was published before the last edition update to SWADE, but it has the basic character creation options and a few new skills and edges. The campaign ideas are serviceable but I much prefer the Girl Genius sourcebook as a campaign basis.

So I may modify the SW Steampunk sourcebook to fit the Girl Genius world and modify what the sourcebook has from GURPS to SW. Also, the Girl Genius Sourcebook is expensive and only available in paperback, so people on a budget would have a hard time affording the sourcebook. The Widening Gyre is available in pdf for under $10 US, so that would be a cheaper way to go.

It will be a while before I make an official post to start the campaign, but if anyone is interested, I'll keep you posted. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know via PM. In the meantime, if you haven't read the Girl Genius books, they are all available on line at https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php.

Well if we are advertising while we are waiting ;-) I am running a PF1e game that could use 1 to 3 players, it currently has 4. It's called Dreadfulness in Dunwich its set in a slightly alterred southwestern region of Greyhawk. So drop by and check it out if you think you might be interested.

Jzero Katzu yeah I prefer Savage Worlds over GURPS but also like Shadowrun 5e. I have not read any Girl Genius books so will give them a perusal, thanks for that btw. If you are not going to run a contest then I would love to join the game when you launch it as I do enjoy that genre.

Color me interested as well. I've used both GURPS and SW extensively, and at this point much prefer SW. Using a SW setting that uses the edition before SWADE (called SWD, BTW) is really easy, you can probably use the new Edges and Skills (if any) without changes. When you talk about modifications, would you be producing a document that contains the changes?

I seem to remember reading a Girl Genius comic at a friends house... uh, seems like it was quite a few years ago. I also may be interested.

I'll definitely publish a summary explaining the character creation limits and additional edges, skills, and powers. I'm still reading through the comic book pages to become more familiar with the Girl Genius world and reading the GURPS sourcebook for additional information and ideas.

Girl Genius is a parody of Steampunk, with a lot of over the top elements. I'll pare some of those out of the role playing to keep things somewhat grounded. The SW sourcebook allows arcane magic as well as weird science arcane background, but Girl Genius does not include conventional magic. But lots of the things that the weird science geniuses (called sparks) do are functionally equivalent to magic.

I hope I can get players who are willing to enjoy adding comedic elements that are essential elements of the comic book. There will be serious threats to life and limb, but that doesn't preclude role play that is on the lighter side when not fighting monsters and villains.

Both sourcebooks include a variety of monsters, some of which are common staples of fantasy worlds, like vampires, revenants, mind control, and constructs (think Frankenstein's monster and robot/androids). PCs will include the ability to play a number of non-human "races" like mechanical or biological constructs, as well as Jaegers, humans who have been given a special potion that gradually transforms them into fearsome fighters.

I have a lot to consider, so it will probably be a few months before I'm ready to start.

Well if we are advertising while we are waiting ;-) I am running a PF1e game that could use 1 to 3 players, it currently has 4. It's called Dreadfulness in Dunwich its set in a slightly alterred southwestern region of Greyhawk. So drop by and check it out if you think you might be interested.

Jzero Katzu yeah I prefer Savage Worlds over GURPS but also like Shadowrun 5e. I have not read any Girl Genius books so will give them a perusal, thanks for that btw. If you are not going to run a contest then I would love to join the game when you launch it as I do enjoy that genre.

I'll take a look and consider a character if I can come up with something that does not take too much time.

I've got Shadowrun books and would like to play in a Shadowrun campaign, but haven't had the opportunity.

SJG does offer a PDF of the sourcebook ... but $40 is still pretty steep. I love the genre though.

Jzero - just be aware, if you're converting concepts from GURPS into SW's Edges, or modifying the SWD Steampunk's Edges, it's very easy to make an under- or over-powered Edge. There's a SW forums board where you could post your suggested Edges for review by the group-mind, some of whom understand the subtleties of the system *very* well :

https://www.pegforum.com/forum/savage-worlds/savage-worlds-general-chat

They've helped me out several times in the past to hammer out an initial Edge idea into something that's well-balanced.

New Skills are less prone to over/underpower, but keep in mind in SW a single Skill is usually used for a variety of tasks (like Fighting with any weapon, or the multiple things you can do with Thievery).

Thanks for the tip.

I think this GM has in the past sometimes gone a while without posting due to workload.

I always try to notify everyone when I'm in that kind of situation so that people know what to expect. I encourage everyone to do that whenever posting is delayed by RL.

So quick temperature check for my own edification if nothing else: did people come here for SW, or for Runelords, or for both?

For me, I came for Runelords, an AP that I have wanted to play for over a decade. Just kinda wanted to see where everyone else was at :)

Both. I've played Pathfinder your years, but am interested in getting more experience with Savage Worlds.

And I'm back. Update in the morning. Thank you for your patience.

I'd never heard of Runelords, but I'll play anything that's offered in SW.

Welcome back PWGM! Glad you're back and hopefully fine!

Ceven: I came for both. Well, I enjoy Savage Worlds and have never played the Rise of the Runelords AP. Also, I did the Savage PF kickstarter and this is my first chance to actually play it. :)

Gah! update is taking longer than expected. Sorry folks I will get this out tomorrow or die trying!.

Please GM whatever you do, don't die trying as that would be a horrible ending to this wonderful adventure ;-)

I guess I came for both, but I guess mostly to experience SW a bit more although RL does have a draw and I am interested to see how this GM puts a different twist on things (or at least I hope they do).

No worries. We're just glad you're back!

FYI: I'll be headed to a local convention this weekend. I will have a computer with me and will be checking in but my gaming schedule for Saturday in particularity is pretty full so I may be delayed posting Friday through Sunday.

PWGM - is everything alright? It's been 8 days since you made a post in this game...

Hey Jzero! How hard would it be to add the templates and Legend from the Festival map to the Gate map?

Also we need a token for the new player. Thank you again for being the map-master.

Feel free to raid any of my other maps for tokens. Click on any of the following profile links. There are links to all the maps I've used in various fantasy games. If you see a token on a map you like, select it, copy it, and then go to the map you want the token to be added and paste it.

ClebshGM
ClebschGMDtBP
ClebschRoW

If you need more tokens I can make them fairly easily however not sure how to get them on the map once made. But I am on Discord and can pass the image to whomever can get it to the medium to be used.

For instance I could have easily made you a dog 6

Everyone who has access to the map link can make edits to the map, including adding tokens and any other adjustments. If you have a map token, for example, it should be relatively small, less than 250 pixels square. Any jpg or png image you can copy to your clipboard, you can then paste to the map. It will show up in a new layer at the center of the document. You can size it and move it from there.

There is also an option to upload an image from a file location.

This is a good point to remind people that if your token is behind another map element you can bring it forward. Right click on the image, select Order/Bring to the front.

Okay but to include a new token means you must have it hosted somewhere online yes/no? Or can I simply add a token from a file I have on my computer?

It can be from a file, like an upload (jpg or png type images). Or you can copy and paste it. No link necessary. I've also be able to add animated images that can be fun for things like fire or smoke.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who partake. Don't eat too much. :)

The (vegetarian) roast is about to go into the oven. Cheers to all.

Sorry but I am Type O which means I am more a carnivore -- so where's the beef!

Team Sandpoint,

I want to thank you all for the opportunity to try to play in this AP; whether it is Savage or Classic PF, it's always been a favoite story of mine.

That said, 4 months in, the party is still dealing with one of the most iconic first encounters of an AP ever, with no end in sight. That's tough for me. Not saying I haven't been in even slower campaigns, but my enthusiasm here is depleted.

I think you will all have a great time eventually; very best of luck to everyone.

Take care,
Cev

Cev,
Sorry to see you go. Hopefully we'll ramp up here soon. Check back if you want, check things out!
If not, good luck and hope to see you in another game!

It would help if the GM would update us when not able to post with a prediction of when the next post will come. Also are the things in RL that are preventing progress likely to change soon? It's not costing me any time to stay in the game and I'm willing to wait, but it helps if we know what's happening.

It would help if the GM would update us when not able to post with a prediction of when the next post will come. Also are the things in RL that are preventing progress likely to change soon? It's not costing me any time to stay in the game and I'm willing to wait, but it helps if we know what's happening.

This is a helpful perspective Jzero; I have been in a similar position in other campaigns and you are right, I was willing to wait. Our GM came to us in one of them, was super forthright about battling depression, and every last one of us was like, "then that's the fight we fight, let us know when you are feeling up to it"

I do also appreciate the "not costing me anything" perspective, but I can't claim the same experience, at least not completely. When I log on to my Campaigns page, and I see all the campaigns with no new posts, it does cost me something. Doesn't send me into depression myself, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't a total downer. No harm, no foul, just a bummer.

@Velrek - I dont mind keeping my ear to the ground, thanks for suggesting :)

No doubt about it, a campaign that hums along with lots of daily posts is the best case scenario. Sometimes you just have to look elsewhere.

At the moment, almost all the games I'm in are slow posting, often with the GM as the main hold-up. I've been in a lot of games where the GM seems to have great ambitions, but then RL intervenes with a job change or final exams, and suddenly the PBP goal goes to the back burner and sometimes then to oblivion.

I think we're waiting on Evesk, unless he's waiting for an answer to his post in the gameplay.

I am waiting on the action starting. I placed the Icon where I felt he ought to start, but was not told to start my action, do not even recall what the Initiative order is now or even if one was established.

Basically I am waiting for the DM to chime in so I know what I need to do next.

In his last game post, PWGM made a spoiler called "Initiative" which shows everyone's order in this round. While sometimes spoilers are not meant to be read by everyone, the Initiative one is. It shows that you are first in initiative this round.

Okay will get something up then by tomorrow its time for bed now.

Jzero Katzu wrote:

It would help if the GM would update us when not able to post with a prediction of when the next post will come. Also are the things in RL that are preventing progress likely to change soon? It's not costing me any time to stay in the game and I'm willing to wait, but it helps if we know what's happening.

This is a helpful perspective Jzero; I have been in a similar position in other campaigns and you are right, I was willing to wait. Our GM came to us in one of them, was super forthright about battling depression, and every last one of us was like, "then that's the fight we fight, let us know when you are feeling up to it"

I do also appreciate the "not costing me anything" perspective, but I can't claim the same experience, at least not completely. When I log on to my Campaigns page, and I see all the campaigns with no new posts, it does cost me something. Doesn't send me into depression myself, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't a total downer. No harm, no foul, just a bummer.

@Velrek - I dont mind keeping my ear to the ground, thanks for suggesting :)

Well that is depressing. Several things that are not relevant here hit at the same time and like Jzero said things went south. I apologize, it is entirely my fault.

Assuming this game survives my goal is posting several times a week. I can't predict when the posts will go up or even if I will maintain that standard. I am still new to P-B-P GM'ing.

You are welcome back anytime Ceven.

I'm glad we are back in business.

We're back, baby!

Yea!!!

I put a link to the current map in Jzero's header. I recommend the GM do the same, so it's easy to find the link.

Jzero I thought I had asked this but how do you do that header thing?