Elsewhere in the Shackles (Inactive)

Game Master Giant Halfling

@Saph- I could be wrong but I think after talking about the division of labor in port Hedy added an assist bonus from you to all her checks? Edit: I just saw Hedy’s post. Looks like you’re in the clear, Saph, if you want to go looking for a healer.

I’m good to just go on the date for now. If we still need a healer after that plays out, I’ll roll it then. If another player finds a healer, that works for me.

I’m wondering if I’ll learn anything while out at the Taldan Bakery—though don’t get me wrong. The scene can just be a date, nothing more.

I'll look at the positioning post tonight to figure out where to put it. If no one wants to hunt down a junior officer we can promote up.

Saph is heavily biased, but Ronnie does actually help co-teach the martial arts classes. Of course, Saph decides who helps co-teach, and that is a heavily-biased choice. (Stoneskull also helps with unarmed combat, and two men help with weapon drills.)

Will post now on that...

Working on a GM post for Hedy and Aerin. My take a little bit (kind of busy) but please let me get it up before you get any further.

Working on a GM post for Hedy and Aerin. My take a little bit (kind of busy) but please let me get it up before you get any further.

That's what I get for not reading the recruitment rules, or asking. Enjoyed the RP and Hedy got a new hat! I'd say that scene was a win.

Is there anything else we need to do before we set sail? I want to smash some skulls.

Is there anything else we need to do before we set sail? I want to smash some skulls.

Saph sips wine at the bakery, thinking about… stuff…

Ronnie: “Hey, Saph, ain’t that our ship?”

Saph looks out seaside window toward the sound of pounding cannons.

Saph: “Oh, balls.”

"Damn if I can put my finger on it, I just feel like we're forgetting something, is all..."

"Damn if I can put my finger on it, I just feel like we're forgetting something, is all..."

Saph: “I’m a thing?”

lol.

I've had a busy week, but I still need to post Saph's date. Aside from that... now that Aerin and Aersten are more or less settled in, we could set out just about any time. There is, however, still opportunity to accomplish a few more things in Port if you so desire.

Hedy, Murillo, and Paddy have used up their 14 days worth of actions, but Saph still has 9 (iirc) and Aerin and Aersten both have 7 (but, even more so than Saph, might have to be instructed to use them). For 1 action any of them who are so inclined could: roll gather info (diplomacy) to find a potential healer/caster/officer; roll (bluff, diplomacy, or intimidate) to recruit an NPC that you've found; or, roll (diplomacy) to influence a crew member (though, note that it is possible to decrease their disposition if you fail by too much). Alternatively, you could also use those actions to roll crafting or profession checks if you want to work on a project or something? Aersten- if you don't want to get tied up in the recruiting side of things right now, you could use your actions on profession [sailor] checks to demonstrate your abilities to those now serving under you... a couple of solid successes could improve some of their attitudes (as long as don't completely botch any of them).

I might use Diplomacy to gather info. (Minus one day of that for the bakery… 30 is a hell of a check for fluff RP, but the dice do what dice do.)

Maybe I’ll do a bit of both: info first, then recruit… still depending on what new players do first.

Aersten Vidsun wrote:

"Damn if I can put my finger on it, I just feel like we're forgetting something, is all..."

Saph: “I’m a thing?”

In this context the "thing" being referred to is clearly "Doing a headcount and making sure everyone's onboard." :D

EDIT: GM, regarding the sailors, can you point me toward the rules for how to do this sort of thing? I'm assuming, given the attitude levels listed on the spreadsheet, that this in some way bears similarity to the rules for Diplomacy checks?

It was a lame excuse to throw in a They Might Be Giants reference.

@GM, no rush on the 9 days (chop off day 9 if I’m down to 8 ’cause of the restaurant info-gather). I’m interested to see how the date goes, and both the location and conversation with Annie drove Saph’s first priority for info-gathering.

Gm, I was wondering if you might be interested in attaching a few notes to the crew of the roster. Just little tidbits about their personality or disposition or goals. Things that we hear about as we interact with them. I rarely remember the name, race, or class of an NPC, but more often "That dude who wanted to avenge his father", or "the grumpy douche who voted to allow keelhauling as a viable punishment", or "that guy who's sailing because he wants to earn enough money to buy a wedding ring". Stuff like that.

That would be nice. Notes to help write up posts. I'm happy to invent all sorts of things in posts, but it would be nice to at least record them (or not do it if you would rather define it all of course)

I'm not sure if I should be grinning or sighing, lol.

I love that the hints of individual personalities and stories I've been able to throw out for the various NPCs have piqued your interest, but there's literally 40 of them so adding a sentence or two for each to the spreadsheet is kind of a big project.

I will do it, because making the crew feel real I think will really add to the RP on the ship, but you're going to have to give me a little time on that (since it's not like I can just look them up somewhere and copy their description- I have to make it all up first).

You don't have to do it for everyone. We can invent things as we go along, just a place to add notes, like Hedy has slept with Gentleman Jim, before she was captain. Or Murillo hates Azadi. So on, nothing that needs to be dumped 100% in your lap unless you want us not to embellish and add.

How about you do it for only the people we've actually been talking with in character, and update it anytime we learn something about a new person? That should filter out the 'rabble' that we just spam diplomacy checks for.

That is more easily doable. I don't remember, are you guys able to edit that spreadsheet or only view it?

Also, regarding your own embellishments, I like when players are able to participate in world building like that, my only concern is that for some of the NPCs I already have certain ideas in my mind and they don't always line up with player additions... how about: I'd love for you guys to make up stuff for crew NPCs but would appreciate you running them by me before you post them? And, for the record, "Hedy slept with Gentlemen Jim" is canon now.

I think what I'll do, if you guy are on board, is link each crew member's name to an editable document just for them, and then anyone who wants can leave notes about that crew member there. Would that work?

...... that's actually a really good idea. As long as we sign off on what we've written. (So if I call an NPC an outrageous a%%@@&*, everyone knows it was Paddy who wrote that).

I think what I'll do, if you guy are on board, is link each crew member's name to an editable document just for them, and then anyone who wants can leave notes about that crew member there. Would that work?

I totally read that as edible. I will be busy the rest of the afternoon but I like the idea of a document we can help you with. Even if we can't eat it.

That works. Hedy slept with plenty of the crew before being captain. Sea voyages are boring. What else are you going to do with your time, Read? :) I believe her first post was to disentangle herself from someone in her nook in the kitchen, could have been dear Jim.

Now she is endeavoring to keep to non-crew members.

I totally read that as edible. I will be busy the rest of the afternoon but I like the idea of a document we can help you with. Even if we can't eat it.

We can't? Pardon me a minute, I need to get some tape...

Sounds good! I'll try to get that started later tonight.

@Hedy- on the off chance that you missed it, there's a tag to you (and Saph) waiting in gameplay.

How about you do it for only the people we've actually been talking with in character, and update it anytime we learn something about a new person? That should filter out the 'rabble' that we just spam diplomacy checks for.

I was thinking that... Stoneskull, Mouse (+ her brother), and Cucumber stick out.

I... really with I didn’t say “stick out” after Cucumber’s name.

If there's a link somewhere here for how we're doing influence of the crew, can someone provide it the new guy? :)

Click “the Roster” near the GM’s avatar, which links to a Google Sheets file. Scroll to the right and you’ll see colored boxes labeled PC, Indifferent, Friendly and Helpful.

Sure, that part I saw. What I meant is, what mechanism are we using to change those attitudes?

It is the same as normal influence checks. I believe. Diplomacy is all Hedy's been doing, DC depending on where they are from hostile to friendly.

Ah, okay. So in the case of what GM asked, I just sub in a Profession (sailor) check instead of Diplomacy? I can do this! :D

Thanks, Cap'n!

The normal mechanic (Aersten) is that an officer picks one crew member and (as a full-day action) rolls a diplomacy check to influence that crew member, with the same DCs as a normal diplomacy check. If you fail by 5 or more they are influenced negatively instead. It takes two successful checks to move someone up a category (or 2 bad fails to move them down), but if you beat the DC by 10 or more (or fail by 15 or more) you move them a whole category on one check.

There are, however, non-standard ways to influence the crew also. For example, Hedy could probably use profession [courtesan] to influence someone who was attracted to her, if she wanted (although there could be a risk there of alienating them later if she shifts her attention to someone else). In your case, I’m giving you the one time option (if you want it) to try to impress some of the riggers with your skill. In this case it wouldn’t be a 1 to 1 exchange (just replacing one die roll with another), but you’d make profession checks for the rest of the week and depending on how well you roll you could potentially influence all of the new riggers by instilling confidence in them (or all the old riggers by making them nervous, if you botch your rolls, lol).

Upkeep update: Murillo's taking the ghost touch rapier as part of his share, selling his old rapier +1, and purchasing a wand of cure light wounds. Character profile updated.

Hedy and Saph- I stopped using spoilers for it (which may have been a mistake with so much going on at once) but Sylik told his story and is standing in the captain’s quarters waiting for one of you to say something about whether or not he’ll be joining you. Also (Hedy) it may be worthwhile to do an RP post or two with whomever you decide to promote (unless, of course, you decide to send Aerin hunting for another caster officer); not every crew member might want to be promoted...

I've added the first 3 links to the roster (for the NPC officers). If anyone feels like double checking that they work, and that the individual pages they lead to are editable, please let me know how it goes.

Links all work fine, and I took the liberty of fixing a typo; I worked in publishing in a previous life, damn if I can help myself. :)

Just to let you guys know, I tend to read all spoilers when I'm not busy. If life gets tough (not terrible right now, but a bit overwhelmed), I only look at the ones for Paddy. I keep character knowledge and player knowledge separate.

Just to let you guys know, I tend to read all spoilers when I'm not busy. If life gets tough (not terrible right now, but a bit overwhelmed), I only look at the ones for Paddy. I keep character knowledge and player knowledge separate.

Oh gee, I wonder who recommended her? Lol

I’ll let it slide if you, *air-quote,* forget that your character could only possibly know who recommended Ronnie for the junior officer position, which you obviously know from reading my spoiler because how else? There’s like 40 people on our boat, plus Ronnie has three letters of recommendation.

But we can, *loud-sigh*, pretend Saph was swatting a fly and her gloves accidentally hand-gestured the confession of secretly-blatant favoritism.

I couldn't care less if you let it slide or not =P

*soft-sigh*

If life gets tough (not terrible right now, but a bit overwhelmed)

Joking aside, I did notice this^… so I hope the in-spoiler bits are entertaining. I enjoy reading other PCs’ fluff scenes.

I find it a bit hit or miss, but overall I do like them. I haven't read them all yet

Ronnie seems surprised to be called in to your quarters, and relieved that she's not in any kind of trouble. When you offer her the promotion she bites her lower lip and looks around the room uncomfortably. "I was afraid she'd do this..." she mutters.

Looks like a certain NPC read my spoiler.

::nerdragingly crosses arms::

lol- it wasn't a difficult guess for someone who was privy to all of the Saph and Ronnie spoilers!

Sense Motive DC0

Sense Motive DC -5

Acrobatics DC-5 to jump to conclusions

Acrobatics DC-5 to jump to conclusions

DC-10 if you have the mat.

"Terms accepted. Since I doubt you want the esteemed title of Cabin Boy,...

There happens to be another term for a boy who's role was to 'satisfy the desires of the officers', used during the 18th century of the British navy. It shows a darker nature that I'm sure is not even close to the tone intended by this game.

Yikes, I see what you mean. That escalated quickly, to quote Ron Burgundy.