[SFS/Shifty] #2:21 Illegal Shipment (A) (Inactive)

Game Master Nik B.

Recruitment announcement.

#2-23 (T3-6) drops on the 28th of May, and I am looking to rub a few tables of it. Recruitment is being offered to my current tables first, and residual space will be offered more broadly in 48 hours.

My preference is for 3 tables of four or more players.

#2-23 The Edge of Cadascon

Sign up HERE

My reporting data looks good.

With regard to recruitment, Croaker is very interested. Signed up

Reporting looks good ^^. I am signed up for Edge at Paizocon, looking forward to it. If anything happens to the table I will gladly play.

Yeah, keeping True Savior of Tasch....so all is good

I could play it..though like Lenleath, I will be playing it at Paizocon Online...so it would have to be a Nova replay (or one of my last few Glutton for Punishment...). I will sign up though :-) I can keep Geo, or pull in Baurquathus (my Pahtra Operative I still am trying to get a feel for), or a Mechanic Dwarf...got lots of level 3-5's...

Reporting looks good!

I'm also signed up for edge at PaizoCon, but I'd gladly use one of Orrian's Jadnura replays to keep playing him at Shifty tables! Orrian will level to 5 after this, so the high tier table streak can continue, too!

Len I was unable to put you anywhere. There is a wall to the north, Geo in the other corner (unless you want to stomp on him ;)) Croaker in the doorway. Gien that you have reach, you may position behind the gang members, but I will let you decided that.

Moved myself now - that's exactly the gap I was meaning ^^

@Ceolor - reporting data needed :p

#2-23 The Edge of Cadascon

Initial boarding call!

Team A - Link

Aerondor - Kultanien
AFlashInTIme - Zoom
Agent Eclipse Altorin - Cyrido
Chris Wasko - Daata OR "Sully" Carmine
Revvy Bitterleaf -Rocket

Team B - Link
Chris Marsh - Conrad
Dax Thura - TBD
EbonFist - Azara Thenason
Phaeton_NZ - Tricsie or Stella
Scottybobotti - Mr. Bison

Team C - Link
Farol - Croaker
Jim Crase - Rayburn
Sedoriku - Ceolor
Qstor - vesk pregen
Quirk, Private Eye - Cesar

@Ceolor - reporting data needed :p

Shoot biscuits I never provided that, did I? Whoops!

Name: Sedoriku
Character Name: Ceolor Xusha
SFS ID and character number: 108507-702
Your email: cosbornb (a) gmail.com
Faction: SS (Luwazi Elesebo)
Day job Roll: Profession (Wilderness Expedition Writer [think Mark Twain: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

So it seems that Geo will decide for the future of Zelrai.

@Ceolor Zelrai is a she not that it matters, just FYI ;)

Fudge biscuits of gender pronoun misreading/misremembering!

Ok folks, the scenario is over. So it is the time for Croaker retrospective :P

@Team - great game. Good RP, I love how PC's were picking on the ideas and bringing them to life (like small taxi, it had no impact on the story and could easily be ignored, but yet you worked on it and give a flavor to the story).

@Geo - good run mate. I like Geo feel, his interactions with the AI, referencing his father notes whenever he tried to recall some info. And the bloody high diplomacy rolls, :D Good one. Great game Jim, thanks

@Ceolor - Great RP. I really like Ceolor as a character. He is enjoyable figure. Your posts are entertaining and fun. I am happy to be playing with you at another Shifty table

@Lenleath - I liked your Izaalguun a lot! It was unique, you played him not just yet another PC with an odd race. The way he spoke and acted felt differently and I really liked that. I played couple of times with Barathus or other very different races and I would have a hard time distinguishing their posts from others. Well played!

@Orrian - it was a pleasure to play with you for the first time! (as a player and not a GM). I liked his forerunner twist. Even that you messed up my idea for buggy - you squox loving human :P (he knows what I am referring to), I am glad that you joined. Good RP!

@GM - Another good game mate! I liked your descriptions of hive location. Great scene in bar a things like bartender really adds to the story a lot! Kudos to you for running it! If I may have a small suggestion to make, without causing you rage that would kill me at the next table ;)

I think Shifty you should not have let us rest after the first part of the fight. The swarm was supposed to allow it to know what each and every member see/hear. It means that when we entered the hive I think like the 2 creatures in the other room should either attack or flee. If not, they should have done something while we rested (attack us or flee). I don't know if this was the scenario design or your call. But it felt a bit off. However I know that we were in bad shape and could not survive that fight (that sonic attack was brutal!).

@GM A question - would you allow us to drive with a buggy into the hive location? (asking out of curiosity)

Scenario - I liked it, there was a good feel to it. It included good balance between social interactions and fighting. I really liked that it took place in fogtown. I liked the swarm monsters, they were interesting and challenging.

Last but not least - it felt great to be running with a flame rifle :D Even that it is not the weapon for a mystic (to close to the heat of combat). I must do this again.

To sum up: a solid game that I really loved. Thank you for it! I hope to play with you again!(with some of you I already am and will ;))

Croaker Out!

Happy for the suggestion and feedback.

The 'Hivemind' ability was limited to a 30' range on the statblock, probably to avoid an overwhelming train of angry Swarm just mobbing (and likely TPK). So in the case of resting up outside, you were well and truly out of range of the swarm inside the warehouse. Once inside the warehouse the battle did overlap and you had the creature from the front office and the main nursery all link up. The rear loading bay creature was over 30' away from the main room, behind a door/wall, and was also timed to coordinate with Gangsters.

So in fairness, I had to weigh up rest breaks and look at proximity and what you could get away with :)

You could have (sort of) driven a buggy into the hive location - it would have been fine outside the warehouse, and you could have even notionally driven it into the cargo bay.

TBH, the scenario specifically calls out that 'don't be a Jerk' and let the PC's rest. Which I mentioned to my group, after they got done with the 'garage' fight...they begged for a rest before opening the door into the actual nest.

And yeah, interesting thing, if we had fought the gangsters, they wouldn't have been there, but instead the 'reinforcements' were security guards stuck in the cargo area's office and sees the PC's as possible help to survive and get out.

All in all...yeah. I like this scenario quite well Hard fights, but they all made sense (which I like...I hate the random 'oh...here are some goblins that pop up' feel), and while they all were CR+2-3 higher than a Level 4 party....None of the Swarm at this 'tier' have ungodly armor (well...none we fought at least), or super high HP. The Repulsors I think had only 50, the 2 things in the cargo area I think had 30 (The large creature) and 40 (the one with the weird claws). Tough, but as long as you don't do what 2 groups I have ran this for (which is divide your fire)...it is quite possible to drop one in 1-2 rounds.

Also....will say that the GM was being REAL nice...the big creature should have exploded in acidic goo and plates. :-) For which I was QUITE happy it didn't happen.

That make sense. In that case I have no objections :)

But to be honest (now talking about the scenario) 'the swarm' aspect of the scenario could have been better. Every individual monster was interesting, challenging etc. But I hoped that there would be some mechanics that the joined personality would impose.

So if one would remove the word swarm from the scenario it would play the same. I think there is some lost opportunity here that could have been used.

From what I remember when looking at Attack of the Swarm (am thinking of running it), All Swarm have 'Swarm Mind' which means as there is 30' or less between them and another Swarm they have constant 'communication, if one is aware of the threat all are.' If a chain can be traced, this means it can make distant swarm alert of an threat. It also allows 1/round if they are within 30' of another Swarm creature, to roll twice and take the better on a mind-affecting effect.

And (again) if I remember right, we weren't really fighting any of the real 'controller' swarm units. Basically the actual generals/planners. Those have Swarm controller traits that can make other (i.e. lesser) swarms act more pack like.

But I think those are generally meant for level 7-12 range....

And with that...I think I need to pull out the books and relook at running the AP.....maybe roll20, but a good old pbp might be fun....though I am afraid that will take 3-4 years :-P

I've been playing through Attack of the Swarm, really fun writing and made me stoked to play this adventure ^^.