Rolf, remember that nobody knows what you know/remember unless you say it out loud (or use telepathy, or interpretive dance, or some other form of communication).
I get that it is "in character" and all, but the condescending hot head act will wear thin really quick.
Anyone can play a character that is a jerk. The challenge is playing a jerky character that can still get along with and align their goals with the rest of the party. It's not fun to get treated like that, even if it's fake. I wouldn't even put up with that in my regular group.
Just my .02
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That’s a fair point; I’m just trying to get a feel for Jaeqil’s personality. I’ll try to be more cooperative on that front. Sorry.
No worries :) Thanks for understanding. Also, I am totally on board and fully support you figuring it out in character. Might be kind of fun to work through that together in character even.
Hey all! Sorry for my slow play, I was in Vegas last week and in Kansas this week. Doing my best to keep up! Nice work so far!
General heads-up to all my PbP groups: I have a local PFS con Friday 4/12 and Saturday 4/13 with games from 8am-10+PM MST. I don't foresee being able to update my PbP games during this time (these twice-yearly cons are fun but also kinda grueling).
I'll try to get some basic botting up for my PC games. My GM games probably won't be updated until Sunday or Monday.
I'll just note Primketh's simple botting instructions here: use guidance liberally. If anyone gets desperately low on HP, Primketh currently has two 1st-level spell slots available and will use CLW.
Hey all, I apologize for being MIA again. I’ve had some life/work issues I don’t really want to get into but they’ve kept me from my PbP games for a few days and I’m sorry. I’m not going to bail on our game; I’ll catch back up when I can, hopefully by tomorrow.
GM - I love that loot sheet. It's pretty clear a lot of hard work and effort went into it. Is it yours? It is incredibly well done.
Primketh - I can't believe I never posted in response, my apologies. Real Life >>> PbP. Take care of yourself, and know that I get it, I've been there too. We'll be here whenever :)
GM - I love that loot sheet. It's pretty clear a lot of hard work and effort went into it. Is it yours? It is incredibly well done.
I've played APs with the GM for coming up on two years now and he is the de facto party treasurer because he is amazing with those loot sheets and Excel stuff in general! (And I will admit to stealing a blank version of one of his loot sheets to use for a Starfinder game I GM).
Primketh - I can't believe I never posted in response, my apologies. Real Life >>> PbP. Take care of yourself, and know that I get it, I've been there too. We'll be here whenever :)
Thank you; that's kind. I'm starting to feel the upswing again, so that's good.
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GM - I love that loot sheet. It's pretty clear a lot of hard work and effort went into it. Is it yours? It is incredibly well done.
Aww, thanks! I actually got it from a friend during an adventure path, then got annoyed that it lacked certain features and figured out how to add them. You're welcome to copy it and make changes for your own use if you want - I'd be happy to answer any questions about how to customize it!
Completely forgot to tell this group, but I’ll be preoccupied from now to the 28th because PaizoCon.
Quick question - can we spend our share of the loot as we level?
Plan what you would want to buy, but don’t make the purchases yet. No online ordering with overnight bedside delivery in Belhaim unfortunately - you’ll need to find a merchant after breakfast.
Rolf is updated to level 2 in his profile. I assumed a party split of 532g and 6s - But that doesn't take into account me taking the mithril dagger and potion of cure moderate - please let me know if we should split that up a different way. I've been in lots of groups that split party treasure differently, I'm happy to go with how the group wants to do it. (do we "buy" items from the party treasure, or do we just use them and only split the cash?)
GM - The purchases I would like to make are 5 1st level scrolls (noted in the arcane familiar spells known spoiler in my profile) and a pack mule that I will name Oaf. Based on the breakfast conversation, I might get a few potions to go with it, or possibly just save my money for some more expensive gear down the road. Let me know if any of that is not possible due to the small town we are in.
Also, since I get a couple of spells for free when I level, I flavored it as having had the scrolls all along and only just now being able to 'feed' them to Gis. Hope that is ok. :)
Shows how good I am at reading comprehension. I thought the familiar eating the scroll was clever flavor. Turns out its in the witch familiar description. Doh. Still fun and cool.
Not much different about Jaeqil; he's got Power Attack. That's about it.
I'd like to get a masterwork greatclub if possible, and maybe a breastplate, but that's about the extent of my purchases for the moment.
I decided to stick with Fighter. I'm taking Rapid Shot this level.
Everything looks good - remember that purchases haven't happened yet. Just waiting to hear back from Primketh.
Hey y’all, I need to apologize again for the absence. I’m still going through some rough stuff in my real life and haven’t been able to make PbP a priority. But I really do want to continue to participate. I’ve had a lot of fun so far and I want to get back to it.
I intended to post right now but my laptop must have accidentally gotten unplugged and is dead (I took it to the park for some peace and quiet and pleasant surroundings). I have my home adventure path group tonight but I fully intend on posting tomorrow and get back to posting regularly.
I do feel bad about my delays of late. It’s like the longer I wait, the worse I feel about wasting your time and the more I dread trying to get it done. Anyway, like I said, I fully intend to post tomorrow and continue posting regularly..
@Primketh - Don't worry mate. I've been in your shoes before. I know exactly how you feel. Guilty because you feel like you are letting us down by not doing your part, but overwhelmed because you can't bring yourself to post.
You start finding excuses to do other things that somehow need to be done before you can post. Then when you do have time, you just don't want to do it. Can't think of anything. Writer's block.
Then the guilt for not posting starts all over again.
It's even worse when you pull up the page to read and there are (7 new) x
You gotta prioritize your mind and real life first my friend. This is just a game, and it's supposed to be an entertaining escape from reality. When it makes the weight of reality heavier then it's no longer an escape, it's a burden. It sounds to me like you are doing the right things. Get outside, be mindful about clearing your mind, focus on your health. I don't pretend to know your physical capabilities, but if you don't exercise much you would be amazed at what even a regular walking schedule can do for you. Exercise triggers dopamine in your brain, making you feel calmer. That's what "Runner's High" is - but it's not exclusive to runners.
I have an idea if everyone is on board with it. I don't want to leave Primketh behind. We lost an early group member and decided not to replace him. What if we recruited for a 5th member, and left the door open for Primketh to work his way back in at his pace? Taking the pressure off to post might create the kind of headspace necessary to allow posting to go back to being fun and not a chore. I'm happy to work storytelling into my posts that just constantly assumes Primketh is casting guidance all the time.
Just a thought. I don't want to close the door for Primketh to be able to come back, mostly because I've been exactly in that place before and I know what it feels like.
I really appreciate the encouragement :) I do like taking walks regularly and I've been meaning to get more exercise. I know it helps. I've been taking care of myself in other ways lately too...eating healthier, meditating.
Alright, welcome to the Not-Just-A-Dungeon-Crawl portion of this adventure! There are a good number of people living in Belhaim currently, and they each have their own opinions on themselves, each other, and of course you. I think a slightly-simplified version of the influence rules from Ultimate Intrigue would work well here, but I don't want to make "stat blocks" for over 50 NPCs unless folks think that would be fun and add to the story. It would make the social aspect much more interesting than "Meet someone, roll Diplomacy" though.
My idea is that when meeting a new character, I'll roll Sense Motive checks and include any discovered information in a spoiler for that character. To keep things moving, a successful check will reveal more information than the Influence rules would normally provide, but there will be only one "Discovery" phase unless continued interaction is requested by a player (which might allow for different skills than just Sense Motive for discovering information).
Once you have a hunch about how to interact with someone (or not - I'm not here to judge), each character present could make influence checks using a skill or ability check of their choice. Multiple characters present at a single location can each attempt their own checks or aid each other. Success increases an NPC's attitude (potentially multiple steps if the results are really good), while excessive failure can make them more unfriendly.
Red meets Blue for the first time.
Red Discoveries:Red gets the sense that Blue doesn't like them very much, and that it might be because Blue is feeling very pressed for time and doesn't want to waste time on guests when there's cattle to herd right now.Red feels pretty confident in their riding skills and offers to help herd cattle for the afternoon.
Blue is mighty impressed with Red's riding, and tells them that they're welcome back on the ranch whenever they want.
There are, of course, other ways to make an NPC more friendly that we may discover of the course of the adventure. And just as relationships fade over time if not cultivated, so too might a NPC drift back towards their "default" attitude as events unfold.
Thoughts?
regarding purchases, the first two things I'd be looking for is a masterwork longbow and masterwork chain shirt.
I'm good with the idea you have for interacting with/learning about/influencing NPC's, GM. Sounds great.
I agree, I think it sounds like fun! This is definitely a point in a PbP (in my experience) that a game can get bogged down for sure. Everyone loves a sandbox until they don't know where to go next... ha!
I'll do my best to do my part and explore/talk to people/etc.
So am I right in understanding this is a bit of a general exploration, social portion of the game? The last time I agreed to split the party in a game, half the party died... :)
Sorry folks - team event tonight went much later than expected. I'll try to have something posted in the morning. In the meantme, do Tabin and Jaeqil want to head someplace for their own shopping lists?
Our posting rate has been in a bit of a slump for the last few weeks. Are folks still interested in this game? Is there something I can do as a GM to make things more enjoyable/streamlined/workable for everyone? Or are we just in a summer lull and we'll get back into our regular posting rhythm soon?
Honestly, I feel neutral about it. I haven’t been posting very often due to a combination of Jaeqil not being the talking type and I tend to be less motivated to post when I’m a player in a PbP (plus slight depressive episodes that I don’t wanna get into). When I GM I kinda force myself to post because otherwise the scenario CAN’T advance, whereas as a player when we’re out of combat I tend to just go”Meh, someone else will post and move things along,” which, I admit, is not a good mindset.
TL;DR, my lack of posting is a result of a bad combination of things.
I'm going on vacation during the upcoming week so I had to finish up some tasks at work before I left. I might be able to post in the next day or two but after that the rest of the week will be spotty at best.
First off, I accept my responsibility in being part of the slowdown. I am definitely still interested in this game!
In my experience, (4+ years of PbP, mostly on these boards) I actually find this to be quite common when you get to these sandboxy parts of the adventure. People generally don't know what to do or where to go.
IMO there are a couple ways to help speed this up.
1 - take away some of the sandbox and hold our hands a bit. Since it doesn't really matter where we go, and the point here is to canvass a bit and get to know people and develop relationships, then just tell us where to go and give us something to react to. IMPORTANT NOTE: It is always a responsibility of the player to be pushing the story. Always Be Pushing. Every post should contain something that lets the GM know what your ongoing intentions are that allows him to tell you what happens. Ask a question to an NPC. Make a comment that prompts a response from the NPC. Do something that requires the GM to give you results, or answers a question of yours.
Tennis/ping pong/volleyball etc are great analogies here, except for one important distinction. In the game, you try to do something well enough that the opponent CAN'T return the action. In this game we want to serve something up so well that it requires a return. Each return should do something to prompt another return. GM to PC, PC to PC, PC to GM. Taking this back to the beginning of what I was saying, that is why this can be more challenging in a PbP format - There is less direction and so it becomes a little murky on who should do what and what they should even do.
2 - The other thing as a GM you can do, is allow the players to take some creative liberties. As players we are always trying to be careful not to assume too much, but in situations like this, if you are willing to work with us ongoing on how far is too far to go, you can allow us to take some liberties on what we do, and then what happens as a result. This could potentially allow you to be more of an overseer, and let us know how we are doing as we introduce ourselves to people in the town.
In general, the more purpose we have as players, the better the posting rate generally gets. That is still the players responsibility to develop purpose and go get it.
GM has given us a broad direction - we need to get to know people in the town. He has give us some leeway on how we do that and influence them also. Why don't we start with this - Let's all make it a point to meet and interact with a minimum of 3 people, and then re-convene and figure out what we are going to do next. That gives us all a specific goal, that has a bit of a timeline attached to it. Once everyone has intereacted with, and tried to influence at least 3 people, the GM can scene change us all back to the inn and we can decide what we do and where we go next. Sound good? I'll start with my post today. We've all already got 1 person we have met.
I have to admit one of the things I like about Pathfinder Society is the abstraction of buying and selling things and not having to deal with that in character. So I'm not really digging the current part of the adventure.
As I've noted before, I've been having a bit of a hard time IRL and haven't felt motivated to post as much as I did a while back. One of those "I don't even like anything I like" situations. But I don't want to quit; I'm sure it'll pass. It always does. I like Rolf's suggestions.
I agree with Tabin here - as a player I generally dislike the tedium of buying/selling stuff - I prefer it just happens.
Along with that though is obviously opportunities to interact with townsfolk, which is the goal of this phase of the adventure. I would like to think there is a way we can handwave the boring stuff while still making sure we interact with NPCs.
I agree with Tabin here - as a player I generally dislike the tedium of buying/selling stuff - I prefer it just happens.
Along with that though is obviously opportunities to interact with townsfolk, which is the goal of this phase of the adventure. I would like to think there is a way we can handwave the boring stuff while still making sure we interact with NPCs.
Seconded. (Thirded?)
Then let’s do away with it! The point of the game is to be fun for the players - if it’s not fun, we change it.
The one thing I don’t want to cheat you of, though, is your ability to influence the townsfolk.
Therefore: we’ll be heading out of Belhiam shortly! Thanks for the feedback everyone!
Thanks for the heads up on that GM! I appreciate you both for doing your best to give us everything that the adventure had intended, and also for altering course for us :)
I'm definitely all for influencing the townsfolk. I think we should work that in wherever we can. If the only mechanical benefit is saving some gold potentially, then we can make it a back burner kinda thing. Chances to RP always make things more fun!
Hope you are good Primketh! Can't wait to hear from you. I don't want to create anxiety for you to post, just want you to know I look forward to reading your posts!
Just for everyone's consideration, I can effectively mitigate the -2 to attack rolls (kind of) with evil eye. I can reduce their AC by 2, but it will be a one-at-a-time kinda thing. It will really primarily affect Jaeqil, since Primketh and I aren't generally going to be attacking and Tabin is already eighthling
To bad I didn't memorize reduce person... ha!
@Jaeqil - I will try my best to evil eye the baddies it looks like you intend to target. What would be really fun, since talking is a free action, is if you let me know who to target in character. Could be a cool little in character battle synergy development on the fly. Hopefully with my bigger initiative bonus I can go before you and get that evil eye in place for you to smash.
Since we're in the Sanctioned Portion of Chapter 1, it's time to report the game! Hmm has asked GMs to report any/all games - even if not even close to done - to the Online Support Program (OSP) so the VA team can get a sense of how many games are happening online. As part of the OSP, there's a chance for players to win BOOOOOOOOONS!!! - but that also means I need your email address so the VA team can contact you if/when you win one. Please send whatever email address you wish to be contacted at to me via PM.
My apologies! Im on vacation and wasnt anticipating not having internet OR phone signal at all. Im at a rare wifi hotspot right now. I had planned on posting from my phone but i found one of the few spots in the US without cell coverage.
Ill keep checking the thread when i can, but cant be back to reliable posting until this weekend. Please dont wait for me though. Misfortune and cackle are fantastic bot options. Happy to have my teammates "assume" my actions for me if its my turn also!
Cheers everyone!
Hey all, I'm leaving for a camping trip tomorrow (Thursday) morning and won't be back until Sunday night. Probably can't update until Monday. Happy Independence Day to everyone.
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Aaaand I'm Back!
From Outer Space!
You just walked in to find me here with that dumb look upon my face...
You should have changed that stupid lock you should have made me leave my key if you'd.....
/cast glitter dust
GAAAA MY EYES
Hey guys, glad to be back :) Let's do this!
And once again I forget to give my melee character a ranged weapon...the one thing I always forget.
Damn, I just remembered my moonlight bridge ability. I'll get Jaeqil a ramp up to them on my next turn!
Damn, I just remembered my moonlight bridge ability. I'll get Jaeqil a ramp up to them on my next turn!
By all means, color spray them first! I'm okay with either.
Tried to make the one right next to you easy to hit Jaeqil! With Deadeye Tabin on board, we should cut through these little critters pretty quick. Got a little lucky the ambush didn't hurt to bad! :)