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Whoa, nice!
From a mechanical POV the only thing I'll add is that I don't think you can cross off your armor against this sort of attack. So I think you're stuck with Level 1 Harm (Hearing Voices).
I've been thinking about this.
Like, Eater isn't just a quiet sorcerer standing in passive meditation trying to squish somebody's sub-conscious. He's a ripping, tearing, fear-eating body-eating machine. So it's not something subtle and passive like Crown of Madness. It's a wave of Tangible insane -SOUND-. That's why he makes you resist with Prowess and not Resolve, because of how corporeal the destruction is.
So, while the wave of crazy-sound floods after you, it seems like a shield, a fine shield, would be useful in acting as a barrier to slow down the wave, and, while it still gets to you, at least it's not an unadulterated stream.
I even have an example of this.
Who got attacked by sound and used a shield to help out?
I want to take a Setup Action so I'm posting the rules here to avoid having to flick thru the rulebook.
When you perform a setup action, you have an indirect effect on an obstacle. If your action has its intended result, any member of the team who follows through on your maneuver gets +1 effect level or improved position for their roll. You choose the benefit, based on the nature of your setup action.
This is how you do the “I’ll cover you” scene. You can roll shoot to pin down a group of enemies, then any squadmate who follows through with a maneuver action can get improved position. It’s less risky since you’re keeping the threats to your friends at bay while they act. This is a good way to contribute to an operation when you don’t have a good rating in the action being rolled. A clever setup action lets you help the squad indirectly. Multiple follow-up actions may take advantage of your setup (including someone leading a group action) as long as it makes sense in the fiction.
Since a setup action can increase the effect of follow-up actions, it’s also useful when the team is facing tough opposition that has advantages in threat, scale, and/or potency. Even if the PCs are reduced to zero effect due to disadvantages in a situation, the setup action provides a bonus that allows for limited effect.
tl;dr - setup is different from aid because it;s less transactional. Aid = I give you +1d to your roll, I take +1 stress. No dice roll. Setup needs and Action roll and the effect of the setup is up to the GM, based on success of the roll.
As you can probably tell from my previous post, my assumption is that Katya wasn't briefed on your meeting (need to know). She's figured it out pretty quickly though. It's not entirely subtle.
Also: salted beer? Is that a "guy" thing or an "America" thing? It sounds bad, either way.
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"Doyen. You can't help him. At least let him die with honor." Attero says this without emotion. It is simply good advice.Ah, we're going with links to metal videos... hmm hmm. Okay.
Dude, bro. Bro, dude.
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"More weight then applaud as I exit this is the happiest day of my life codeine bourbon this is no time to make enemies last...
Heh.
Okay, good stuff! And: the reliquary absorbs 1 Corruption -- is it consumed in the process? It is, right?
Reliquary: Spend to reduce corruption taken by 1 and +1d to resist it. Three uses.
Fine: Reduces corruption taken by 2.
Ah, that's worth knowing. I haven't got into the healing mechanics in this game but that sounds very different from Blades in the Dark. In BitD, you'd far rather take stress than harm because it's much easier to get rid of. I'd sort of assumed that it's the same in this game, but if it's not then I might rethink that if it's ok. Assuming the bridge does't crush us all first, obvs.
Fantastic posting so far.
Unfortunately I don't think I have the time to participate at the level you all are at, seems I'm barely able to keep up. I can keep chugging along, or you all can replace me if you find another who's up to the task.
I realise now I over-posted yesterday. I'm sorry if I stole the limelight from everyone else, in my defence it was the first day this year I've actaully had off from work so with lockdown on I had a lot of free time and not much else to do.
I very much doubt I'll be able to post that frequently again in a single day.
DMDM those are good questions and I will post some answers later on.
I am happy to continue. I'll probably be on the more brief side for descriptions, and can commit at the level of keeping tabs daily, though can't guarantee more than that on any given day.
One game note about the roles (Commander, Marshall, Quartermaster, Lorekeeper/Spymaster), they are meant to allow for collaboration, as any good cooperative board game, but the value of having a single decider will be especially good for a PBP game.
Here is a summary of who would like which role.
Commander-- You like deciding choosing where to go and what missions/adventures to do. You like asking leading questions to the GM that explore the lore of missions and the overall campaign (note that lore can indirectly improve position/effect and thus have a mechanical effect).
Marshall-- You like naming and making characters. The Marshall in my face to face (well zoom face to zoom face) game likes making little backstories for the rookies when she feels like it. It also has the feel of a personnel manager in the fiction.
Quartermaster/Spymaster-- You like resource management games. The Quartermaster plays a fairly direct form of this game (and IMO this is one of the most important determinants on the overall success of whether the Legion gets to Skydagger Keep and how well it does when it gets there). Quartermasters also can, if everything goes well, get imaginative with Long Term Projects. The Spymaster works at a smaller level of impact, but has cooler sounding pieces/minions.
Lorekeeper-- You like setting up role-playing "chill" scenes, and enjoy writing up the lore stories, both of actual play and of the past exploits of the Legion. I am the Lorekeeper in my face to face game, and I really enjoy it.
My personal preference this time around is Quartermaster, Marshall, Lorekeeper, Commander. I'd be happy with any role.
Okay so! Thank you everyone for playing so far.
1) Questions, comments, brickbats, suggestions, critiques go here.
I'm thrilled to find out that the BitD system works on PbP. I had a great time, and I loved the NPCs: I could easily tell which of teh Rookies was which in the post where they all pull on the rope! You did a great job bringing them to life :)
2) Do we want to continue?
I think so. I like the theme of survivial horror, and the idea of facing off against things that go bump in the night with no more than guts and cold steel. The theme of the game and the Legion seems well-realised. My only real concern is the recovery system - I've no issue with my characters facing certain death, but going into a mission already stressed and harmed seems like death by a thousand cuts which is less fun to play. Also, I have reservations on the secondary mission concept. Roll a dice and a bunch of NPCs die? That sounds unfun.
Commander-- You like deciding choosing where to go and what missions/adventures to do. You like asking leading questions to the GM that explore the lore of missions and the overall campaign (note that lore can indirectly improve position/effect and thus have a mechanical effect).
Marshall-- You like naming and making characters. The Marshall in my face to face (well zoom face to zoom face) game likes making little backstories for the rookies when she feels like it. It also has the feel of a personnel manager in the fiction.
Quartermaster/Spymaster-- You like resource management games. The Quartermaster plays a fairly direct form of this game (and IMO this is one of the most important determinants on the overall success of whether the Legion gets to Skydagger Keep and how well it does when it gets there). Quartermasters also can, if everything goes well, get imaginative with Long Term Projects. The Spymaster works at a smaller level of impact, but has cooler sounding pieces/minions.
Lorekeeper-- You like setting up role-playing "chill" scenes, and enjoy writing up the lore stories, both of actual play and of the past exploits of the Legion. I am the Lorekeeper in my face to face game, and I really enjoy it.
That is a very helpfull summary, thank you! :)
I think someone who has played this before should be commander. Likewise, it sounds like Quartermaster needs experience of the game mechanics so I'm very happy if you want to do that.
Can I suggest that we get DMDM involved in the Marshall role? His creation and characterisation of the Ravens was excellent and I'm sure hed' be happy to provide names and personality suggestions for the other squads as we need them.
I'm happy to be spymaster or Lorekeeper as it seems you don't need to have a great knowledge of teh game system for either of those things.
a scene-stealing player can do it with just a few lines, if they're so inclined. (We all know the story about Tallulah Bankhead and the champagne glass, yes?)
I'd never even heard of this person until your post but the story sounds intriguing.
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Are we able to change our character's Special Ability?
The one I chose is butt and, knowing what I know now, a different one would be good.
And, yeah, I'm sensing the 'you get a little bit hurt until you die' thing.
With that in mind:
We're gonna have Leon use his two Tonics on Dorian at the end of this mission, yeah? That power seems like the Medic's big whammy.
It seems like everyone should take some armor with them, even using their 2 utility load points. It's like free Harm.
Since Stress seems to come up a lot, I can see the QM being under pressure to use that one action that cures 3 stress a lot.
I like the theme of survival horror, and the idea of facing off against things that go bump in the night with no more than guts and cold steel... My only real concern is the recovery system - I've no issue with my characters facing certain death, but going into a mission already stressed and harmed seems like death by a thousand cuts which is less fun to play.This goes to the Campaign Phase, the board-gamey bit between episodes. The idea is, you have a limited number of things you can do -- heal Harm, reduce Stress, work on a project, recruit new Rookies, what have you. Choices must be made.
If I understand correctly, the game *assumes* that your PCs are going to get ground down over time. You'll accumulate Trauma and maybe Blight, you'll get injured and be out of action for weeks at a time, and then you'll probably collect more Trauma. You might recover, but you'll probably end up with lasting damage, and you may die. That fits with the survival horror theme.
If your Specialist dies, you can play a Rookie. They're not actually that bad, and over time Rookies can become Soldiers and eventually Specialists.
Also, I have reservations on the secondary mission concept. Roll a dice and a bunch of NPCs die? That sounds unfun.I think the point of this is to reify that you have only limited control over your destiny. You can triumph in the mission that you're on, but who knows what will happen to those other guys? Stuff happens offscreen, and sometimes it's good and sometimes it's a disaster. It's part resource allocation (you can improve your odds a little by wise choices) but mostly it's a big old "meanwhile" roll.
The recovery system is in the player's control. Each campaign phase (comparable to downtime in BitD, the players can take actions that will allow the Legion as a whole to recover, whether it is stress reduction, recovering harm, recruit new rookies, obtain assets, or work on long term projects.
Generally, the Quartermaster, in conjunction with the other players (especially the Marshall) will make decisions on what campaign actions to take, balancing long term and short term needs. So, do you do stress reduction now, or wait till later?
In my "home" campaign, we have managed to get into a good place, which involved a fair amount of luck and fortuitous long term investment choices. So it isn't hopeless, it is possible to build up-- but it is also possible to get ground down. As they say, we play to find out.
I would view the secondary mission system as the "bad guys" part of a cooperative board game. Don't view it as something that is part of the player's story, but as the nature of the adversary fighting back against the players. There are a couple of things you can do to help work better on the secondary missions (such as having multiple specialists with Strategist, for instance). Overall though, the secondary missions are there to make it clear that the Legion is being hard pressed, and is important thematically as a source of rookie casualties.
Then it seems that Dorian would be the best Quartermaster,
Karina the best Lorekeepter,
Leon the best Commander,
And that leaves Marshall for myself.
...do we need/have a spymaster?
Happy to serve as Quartermaster.
We can choose to have either a Lorekeeper or a Spymaster. I believe the intent is that both are roughly equally "powerful", with Spymaster being more gamey and Lorekeeper being more narrative in nature.
Are we able to change our character's Special Ability?
The one I chose is butt and, knowing what I know now, a different one would be good.
And, yeah, I'm sensing the 'you get a little bit hurt until you die' thing.
With that in mind:
We're gonna have Leon use his two Tonics on Dorian at the end of this mission, yeah? That power seems like the Medic's big whammy.
It seems like everyone should take some armor with them, even using their 2 utility load points. It's like free Harm.
Since Stress seems to come up a lot, I can see the QM being under pressure to use that one action that cures 3 stress a lot.
Yeah, Liberty happens a lot, often to help with Morale as much as with stress.
Also, the Scout's scrounge can be used to insure a safe rest, or a cache of many relatively common supplies. The officer's channels needs a sway roll (so is mechanically a little harder), but can get rarer things. I've seen the use it to get satchel charges, explosives with fine Orite timers, and fine Bartan luxury rugs.
Upon further reflection, I just don't think I have the time to keep up with this game. I thought I could but with my kids being crazy and sick it's just too much to do right now.
I apologize but I'm going to have to bow out. Best of luck to you all and I'm gonna bookmark this to read you in game from time to time, see how y'all are doing.
Upon further reflection, I just don't think I have the time to keep up with this game. I thought I could but with my kids being crazy and sick it's just too much to do right now.
I apologize but I'm going to have to bow out. Best of luck to you all and I'm gonna bookmark this to read you in game from time to time, see how y'all are doing.
Sorry to see you go, and thanks for starting us on the long road. All the best!
The campaign phase looks like this:
Time Passes
Time and pressure on the Commander rolebook increase by 1 each. The Quartermaster must spend 1 Food use to feed the Legion or the Legion loses 2 morale. The Lorekeeper tells their tales of the Legion (if enough Legionnaires have died). -- I *think* we skip this part the first time? Because we're fixed at 2 ticks and 0 Pressure?
Campaign Actions.
The Quartermaster takes campaign actions. The Legion will get a number of campaign actions for free based on troop morale. This is also when Laborers work on Long-Term Projects, the Spymaster (if you have one) deploys their spies on assignments, and Alchemists can be used to perform alchemy projects. -- Right: we would get two (2) campaign actions, because Morale is currently 8. We can buy more actions by spending 1 Supply each. These decisions are pretty critical!
Legion Advances.
Ask the Commander if the Legion will advance to the next location, and which path they’ll take. If the Legion advances, the Commander will roll pressure to see how much time they accumulate. The Quartermaster may spend Horses to lower pressure for this roll (one use per pressure). -- Okay IIUC we automatically advance to Western Front, we don't roll Pressure, and there aren't any horses anyway (yet)
Mission Focus. The Commander chooses which mission type to focus on from those available in the Legion’s current location. This doesn’t guarantee that such a mission will appear in the next set, but it makes it far more likely.
This is a big one. The way the table works is, 1-4 are the standard four mission types, 5 is the Commander chooses, 6 is the GM chooses. I'll usually give you the sort of mission you want, so whatever type you pick, the likelihood of rolling it jumps from 1/6 to 1/2 on each roll.
Mission Generation. The GM generates and fleshes out missions using a combination of the charts on their sheet, and what has happened previously in the campaign. Then I...
The way we played it in my original campaign was to begin at the Back at Camp phase, as if we were in a zone prior to the Western Front (e.g. Ettenmark Fields), and we had to do the whole thing of time advances, pressure, and what not. It is not well laid out in the book how to handle the first campaign phase, and am happy with whatever interpretation you choose to go with. We did set up all of the initial setup before starting campaign actions.
I am going to assume for the moment that I will be the Quartermaster. His name is Grigory Zhukov, although he is so old that few in the Legion know his name, as he insists on being addressed as The Quartermaster. He is reputed to be frugal, and known by the command staff to be resourceful and frugal, carefully husbanding the Legion's assets during normal times, only to aggressively draw down those resources at critical moments. He is a grizzled, tired looking man with white hair and a scraggly unkempt beard, and the only item that would set him apart from a rather shabby member of the Legion's staff is an ornate dagger that he uses for sealing contracts and more. His favorite word is nyet, which he deploys along with his ... colorful language.
One note, each command staff has questions (in the first page, under initial setup) to ask the GM, so here are mine:
How was the Legion supplies affected by the first mission?
How has the first mission affected our material supplies?
Also, my proposed set up as a proposal to the other command staff and for which I will take their advice under advisement:
Sonia will take the place of Old Gurgles as our alchemist.
I would like to choose Black Shot, Horses, 2 Laborers, and a Supply Cart as the additional material to start the campaign.
In a later post (likely tomorrow), I'll outline some concepts for long term projects (normal, ones that laborers can contribute to, and alchemical projects) to ask for what sort of clocks they would have, and if there are prerequisites required for them.
Sorry to see you go, but RL comes first.
I'm happy to be Lorekeeper. I'm probably going to have not much to say for the first couple of turns as I watch and see how it goes. After that I'll try to get more ivolved.
The Legion's Lorekeeper is Viscountess Sofia, a clever and eloquent Orite. She is friendly, but doesn't give much space to allow other peopel to do the talking except when she's pausing for breath. The ink stains on her sleeves and teh fact that she keeps paper scrolls in her scabbard, would allow you to guess her role quite easily.
How was the Legion supplies affected by the first mission?A disaster. The baggage train was overrun, and your supply depot was in the capital. Which is burning. (Which is /still/ burning, after several days.) Only the dramatic reduction in the Legion's numbers prevents the situation from being completely catastrophic.
How has the first mission affected our material supplies?See above. Almost everyone has some valuable item(s) that got left behind.
Also, my proposed set up as a proposal to the other command staff and for which I will take their advice under advisement:
Sonia will take the place of Old Gurgles as our alchemist.
I would like to choose Black Shot, Horses, 2 Laborers, and a Supply Cart as the additional material to start the campaign.
Where in the book are the options for additional material listed? I had the impression you started with nothing...?
There is an initial setup section in pg. 135 for the QM, which lists the various assets that the Legion begins with. In particular, there are two question prompts under Initial Supply and Modify Material that it says I should ask. I recall that in the descriptions of the initial missions for each of the Chosen, the GM has instructions to most of the command staff for starting position-- when we were playing with the Horned One, the QM got to start with 2 supply and 1 additional blackshot, and that particular mission involved raiding a blackshot caravan. So, it was a fairly organic outgrowth of the initial mission.
The way we played it in my original campaign was to begin at the Back at Camp phase, as if we were in a zone prior to the Western Front (e.g. Ettenmark Fields), and we had to do the whole thing of time advances, pressure, and what not. It is not well laid out in the book how to handle the first campaign phase, and am happy with whatever interpretation you choose to go with.Aha, you are correct: I found the rule on page 349.
-- It seems like it's hard to get rid of Pressure dice? So that after a while, handfuls of them are being thrown at a time?
We will likely advance more often than not, and all pressure goes away once the Legion advances, so pressure doesn't build up so fast. We can (and should) throw horses at the problem as well. Still, time is constantly on the mind.
DMDM Dom't we get a reward for succeeding in the mission (with zero losses, I would point out)? Or is it jsut that we survived to fight another day?
Initial legion values Does anyone who's played this before have preferences on what options I shoud cross out?
Remember Ettenmakr Does anyone have ideas they want included in this?