Kingmaker

Game Master Rackal28

For his part, Meneas has been keeping mostly quiet about things because he doesn't know any of these people (the other PCs), and his patron's the Eldest of secrets, so it sort of comes naturally to him anyways. While I agree that our characters aren't exactly harmonious, I'm not sure that there's much antagonism either. They're still basically strangers - well, some of them are.

Like Lorna, if there's something I can do to help you enjoy the game more, I'd happily do it.

Yeah, while the various characters may not be entirely like-minded in every way, if they were there wouldn't be much to talk about really. I've played in games here and there where there was zero discord within the party and universal agreement was nearly constant. In my experience those were the games where RP died a slow death. Characters stop talking to each other because they already know the answer so why type it all out? Characters really need to be able to surprise each other sometimes in small ways at least, otherwise the game becomes completely dependent on NPCs for anything dynamic.

I suppose I'm used to a fair amount of party friction and some relationships between characters (not players) that are mildly love-hate. But Signy seems about as sharp-edged as a labrador retriever puppy to me.

As for whether all things said in posts get responses, I can only speak for myself on the subject, but I'm reading and posting with limited time. I can't write lots of long, highly detailed posts so I cover the things I really need to cover. On occasions when I have the luxury of more time I'll do more, but that won't be the norm. I'm scan reading a lot as well so no doubt I sometimes miss things.

Kobold, to echo the others, I'm sorry you're feeling stressed with the RP! I feel like we're mostly sorting through the new-group interests. I'm rather enjoying the discussions that we have (and I do see them as discussions rather than arguments). I think it's good when there are disagreements. To paraphrase some people I've read, disagreement is not necessarily conflict. But I understand that it can feel that way.

If there's anyone ignoring, it might be because we're trying to find some way of fitting into the conversation, so we might miss something someone said. As for holding back, if we were all perfectly upfront and forthright, I think it would spoil the potential of some reveals and dynamics later on. This gives us room to grow.

But I don't want to combative here: I want to help make this a space where you enjoy being! Especially because Wisp is such a cool character. How can we help?

I'm thinking about all of these messages, but it's gonna take me a bit to formulate a response. I appreciate your kind words and willingness to help. It's very hard to be sure what the answer is, or how to feel about this situation, when the "problem" is something only I am experiencing. So I'm trying to make sure I'm thinking about this rationally and fairly.

Sorry it took me a while! I took a nap with the wife and then spent waaaaayyyy too long composing this post but I'm up and in action again so we should be carrying on presently <3

Kobold if you ever need to talk or anything feel free to PM me. I want this to be a good experience for everyone and if there is anything I'm doing to prevent you from having that experience I'd like to know so I can change it.

So I put an in-character strategy of sorts in there, but now I'll ask Rackal: can we see a map of the fort? Knowing where we might want to set up traps, supply caches, etc. would be very cool.

Brental is basically at his maximum carrying capacity specifically for the MacGyver/Kevin McCallister preparedness type of situation. He knows how to take down a dangerous predator in the wild, and that's basically what he's planning for here.

Very sorry; I didn't end up having the chance to dig into this or the Gameplay thread today, though I've started a post replying to Rackal's big update. I'll try to get somethings up in both regards tomorrow. :)

Naturally, this is another one of Wisp's "quiet spells". In-character, she's just a bit overwhelmed by the new faces, and probably by being patted on the head and addressed with such sweetness. She'll be fine once she has a minute to herself.

Your wish is my command poly! :D

Oh, huh, Meneas turned 23 literally yesterday. Neat.

Yaaaay! Happy birthday mister cowl! *bequeaths the birthday boy with the birthday crown as is befitting of his station*

Dang, and here Wisp prepared summon nature's ally instead of detect holidays like a chump...

So, before I get into it, I should probably acknowledge that a big part of my personal experience with ADHD involves a lot of rejection sensitivity, which is to say, my brain is very good at noticing small things and obsessing over them until I'm sure I'm not wanted in a space. It might be making me a worse player for these sorts of games. Like I said, I'm thinking about it, but it's perfectly possible that this is entirely on me.

Okay, so the tl;dr is that there probably isn't really a problem. There are aspects to the gameplay that have bothered me, but a big part of that is that I specifically designed a PC whose main mitigating factor for her evil alignment is "I protect those I care about", so I'm trying to position her to start caring about other PCs sooner rather than later. Wisp is a lot more interesting once she gets to that stage. Signy and Wisp got off on the wrong foot, and that's been hard to bounce back from, but it's honestly the only interaction that's really bugging me. I'm not anti-conflict, I just want to be in the loop about what's going on.

I've been in a lot of games where players use in-character dialogue as a sort of passive-aggressive way of expressing their annoyance with other players, or the GM. You know, a PC remarking in-character, "Wow, this monster attacks really slowly" to remind the GM they're posting too irregularly, or "Wow, [fighter PC] is so good at fighting, you guys don't even need me!" to hint that they think a PC is overpowered, that kind of thing. It's really pervasive in the game I've been running for the last six years. It's what I'm used to, so I perceive it where it's not intended a lot.

Play-by-Post also just, well, doesn't provide much in the way of feedback. I rarely have any way of knowing if Wisp's posts are contributing helpfully or are just bogging things down with her personal nonsense. I appreciate everyone who shared their thoughts or offered to try to accommodate me here.

I'll try to read the PC interactions with a little more care. I'm not asking anyone to "tone down" conflicts or secretiveness at this time, as long as people don't mind if I occasionally want to come to the Discussion thread to check on people's OOC intent behind it. If people are okay humoring my silliness on that, I very much appreciate it.

In my case, I am simply limited on how often I can post. Usually no more than one or two posts a day, so I have to fill the gaps and engage on the few opportunities I have. Many times I will simply throw some hooks or push to express her feelings, and from the years of experience in forums - I try to always push the story to move forward more than stimulate the parallel flavor conversations ;)

It doesn't mean Lorna doesn't want to talk to people or that I don't want to roleplay, but rather that I don't have the availability neither I should be *required* to do so. I have my own pace and I still manage to enjoy the game, even if some people are more or less active than I am.

Overall, let's try not to read too much on the situations. I like our pace and the interactions so far. Some people will always be more sensitive, some people will always be more passive aggressive, some people will have more or less availability to game. That's all part of the human relationships and composes the social contract that safeguards our fun here.

Oh, I absolutely don't expect people to post super-regularly, and I'm sorry if that's how my post came across. The game was probably an unfair thing to bring up.

Hi, all.

On some reflection, I think it would be best for me to pull out of this game. I know it really sucks, and I am very, very sorry. I don't think I'm a good fit, and I think it would be more disruptive for me to stay and continue creating problems than for me to simply pull out now while the group dynamic is still taking shape. The game is supposed to be fun, not an exercise in managing one player's baggage.

I know this is still very inconvenient and a real disappointment to Rackal, and I'm really sorry that I ended up wasting a slot that could have gone to somebody who would have meshed better with everyone. I'm sorry to Brental in particular—I know the "team druid" thing was something we were both committed to for the long haul. It is entirely on me.

Rackal, you have a lovely story getting started here. I want to stress that, because I know it always sucks losing any player, especially early on and especially on your first PbP. It happens to everyone. Most games have at least one dropout early-on. This has been a really fun travelogue opening and I've been enjoying it. Moreover, everybody has fascinating PCs, and I'm sure they'll all have a blast getting to know each other in this AP. Please take care, everyone, and good luck with the kingdom! I'm sorry Wisp wasn't the right person to take part in it. <3

I'm sorry to lose you, Kobold, but you should do what you feel is best. I hope things go better for you in future endeavors.

Hey Kobold: I'm likewise sorry to lose you (and Wisp), but I trust you to know what's best for you. Please take care, and I hope to see you in a future game somewhere!

Sorry to see you go, kobold! But if the game isn’t for you, no matter the reason, I understand the decision.

Was anything else going on behind the curtains? Something I’m not seeing on the gameplay thread? I wonder if there’s anything (like pms) going on that could shed more light on what as going on.

I'm sorry you're leaving the game Kobold, but if it's what you think is best for you then of course you should do what works for you.

I have to admit I don't really have a handle on why exactly the character relationships in the game were problematic for you, but for whatever extent I played a part in that, I'm sorry. Best of luck in the future.

Absolutely heartbreaking to see you go Kobold D: Wisp was such a fun character and you're just a great personality to have around yourself. But I understand you have to do what's best for you and, for what it's worth, I'm deeply sorry for any role I may have had in your departure.

I will have Wisp make a graceful exit, dissappearing into the woods in the middle of the night just as Riftun warned people do sometimes. This way if you ever want to come back please just let me know and I'll be happy to reintroduce you <3 best of luck going forward!

Meneas' idea has him mounted in the four squares just to the left of the left table, ready with his lance to charge once the gates open. Other than that, he's willing to play with whatever plan the others have.

Brental will create two snares on ether side of the entrance outside the walls, as Meneas recommended. He'll spread the marbles in front of wherever Svetlana is hiding (inside the entrance). The remaining snares should be at choke points, like the inner left and right corners just out of sight, and then inside entrances of the two large buildings.

I can mark the map and upload where I mean if that's unclear.

That should take two hours, and I would appreciate anyone with a higher Stealth check to be the primary hider! Brental will attempt to Aid, but he has a +2 Stealth out of armor.

Vodnykel will do as Meneas recommended earlier, preparing to flank-charge, with Brental with him nearby, probably opposite Meneas and Veil. Unless we were keeping them in the stable?

Signy can hide the traps. She's pretty good for stealth and can do it out of armor beforehand.

As much as I'd like to close the gates behind the bandits to keep any from running off, I just can't figure out how it could be done without us running around trying to do an impossible number of things while also trying to fight.

I'm tempted to put Signy on a roof or up on in a tower with her bow, but we're going to be stretched very thin, potentially outnumbered. If she's needed on the ground, those places will cost considerable time to get down from. More likely it's best she finds a place back near the house somewhere.

I went back and checked the DC to conceal the traps and it's 20. Ouch! Signy has a +7 for stealth but I'd never describe myself as lucky with dice.

She'll probably only manage to hide about half of them. It might not be so bad though if we use the traps more to channel and restrict movement than for catching people. A visible trap still needs to be avoided or disabled, which isn't an easy thing in combat. If we place them to keep the bandits contained to the open courtyard even visible ones might serve the purpose.

Can you take 20 on the rolls to hide them? We have the whole night to prepare.

Good question! Rackal?

Ya know what... I can't see why you wouldn't be able to.

Huzzah! Prep time.

If someone else wants to mark up the map, feel free. I'm busy at work today.

Sorry if Meneas came off as harsh there - I'm not quite as awake as I ought to be at this hour, and had a sudden surge of fear that I might have come off as needlessly obstructionist.

That said, Meneas has a bit of an issue with bandits... so it makes sense for him to take this position, but if anyone feels he's being too antagonistic, feel free to poke me about it, and he'll accept with a mild eyeroll.

Same! If I was playing my CG bard, I would absolutely be on Lorna's side. Negotiate, parley, and avoid bloodshed at all costs. But Brental has taken this mission to heart. There is an injustice being perpetrated, and that must be corrected. (This alignment is new for me, so I'm still getting used to the mentality!)

I was afraid that there would be too much packed earth to make much use of the spell. Thanks for the fair warning so I don't waste a spell slot. Still might prepare it for later in the day, but I appreciate the foreknowledge.

Anytime~

There will be plenty of opportunity to use the spell put in the wilderness this is just one of the few no plant areas. Also I felt that Brental would have enough knowledge of the way his spells worked to not waste a spell like that anyways. He seems like a sharp cookie ;)

So, I'm going to summarize what I think we're going to be doing and make some suggestions based on it.

1. Push the wagon into the space between the palisade and the building wall to the left. It should serve well there to block access to it, and remove cover the bandits can use against ranged attacks.

2. Trap the narrow alley to the right of the gate. Maybe double up with a trap at the entrance and one farther down. We won't be able to keep an eye on it.

3. Flip the table and benches to make a low barricade in front of Oleg and Lana's place. Again, we want to keep the middle area as clear of cover as we can, and we can position behind it to give ourselves some cover if they're bringing archers.

4. It looks like it will only be Brantal and Signy out to meet them initially. Lorna will be with Oleg and Lana. Meneas will be outside. Two people isn't enough for anything fancy like flanking. Brantal and Signy will be behind the table barricade and there fore in front of the doors into Oleg and Lana's house. We won't be able to count on easy movement to stop them if we leave the doors unprotected and some of the bandits head for them instead of coming at us.

I can't mark the map in the locations I'd recommend for traps. But I'd say we need them minimally at the entrance to the narrow alley to the roght by the gate (2), a trap on the wagon (1), and traps to cover either way around the little building sitting beside Oleg and Lana's place and in front of those three pit things in the back (2). This coverage would require a minimum of 5 traps, but I don't know how many we'll have.

Does this sound both accurate and sensible?

Don't forget Vodkynel - I don't know where he's going to be, but he's probably important.

That said, I don't have any issues with it thus far. The only real concern (to me, OOC) is whether Meneas and Veil will be able to prevent escapees on their own. It's possible, but it's also possible the dice will not fall in their favor.

IC, Meneas is perhaps slightly overconfident in his ability to handle bandits.

Yeah, I left Vodkynel out because I'm not quite sure about size, his relative ability to soak damage, and other factors. He's probably to big to be right with Signy and Brental, but it's going to be up to Brental to figure out how best to use him.

What I'd love to be able to do is block the exit once we're inside somehow. But we're too short handed to manage it. Vodkynel could probably push the wagon to block it, but it's not a perfect barrier and blocks Meneas just as effectively as the bandits. There also might not be room for the mammoth to do it.

Preventing escapes would be really great, but it only comes up as an issue if we win without getting killed. We're already scattered badly, so with Brental and Signy (probably Vodkynel) as the focal point of the combat early on, they really need to be able to go back-to-back so none of them get isolated and swamped by bandits.

At this level, in his kind of fight, the two deadliest situations are flanking and archers. That's why I have them placed together behind partial cover. The barricade will also stop charges, mounted or otherwise.

Yeah... well, here's hoping that everything goes relatively well. If all else fails, we can start throwing alchemist's fire and acid at them.

Ah, I wasn't planning on having Brental greet them. He was still in favor of charging them on entry, and he's in no way prepared to be any kind of mediator.

Vod's medium, by the way. His stats are in Brental's profile.

I downloaded the map and made some edits on my end, then re-uploaded to imgur. Did you see my recommended locations? It sounds like yours may be slightly different.

Rackal, may I recommend using Google slides or something similar to give us maps and the like? Those are easier to modify than downloading/uploading images constantly.

I think at this point we have most people agreeing to an attempt to parley first. Brental doesn't have to actively participate in the parley. Lorna and Signy can handle making the attempt.

If you want to position the mammoth behind the barricade we can easily do that if he's medium. Of course you can position Brental and the mammoth wherever you want. My suggestion is aimed at reducing the number of incoming attacks per round and creating partial cover to create a miss chance. Let's say there are 6 bandits. If we're side-by-side and our backs are protected by a wall, some of those bandits have to wait in line. If we're split up, 3 can go at you, and 3 can go at me. They're able to (roughly) make 6 attacks per turn compared to our 2. That's a losing proposition. Also consider it wouldn't be surprising for the leader to be 2nd level, maybe even 3rd but that would be very harsh.

I didn't see any extra maps. Where would I find them?

https://imgur.com/a/yEHOSPR

Map

Oh that's fine! I'll post my final prep (with spells) later and then be ready excited for this encounter!

The trap locations look fine to me.

If we do go with a barricade and positioned where I suggested, I think it wouldn't be necessary to trap the doors of Oleg and Lana's place. We'll be standing in front of them, which might hurt our flexibility unless we can auto-bypass them.

We can both use the wand of CLW so if things get too nasty we have the option of retreating inside and closing the door as we heal up. It's also an excellent tighter bottleneck for the bandits if we really need it.

On the other hand, if we're positioned separately from each other, we can't help each other out with healing. If one of us goes down (and at 1st level that doesn't take more than a couple of lucky dice rolls on the GM's part) we're SOL on using the wand. We won't be able to move freely to each other once we're engaged.

I know this all sounds hyper-defensive, but this is actually a very dangerous situation for 1st or 2nd level. If the dice go just a little bit against us, things can go south very fast. We do have some magic to help, but Signy's use of it will be dead simple. She'll cast Divine Favor at the very beginning, and hold her 2nd spell for an emergency CLW if needed, or a 2nd Divine Favor if the 1st one expires before combat is over. Nothing game-changing from her at least.

I'm still up in the air as to whether to challenge one of the bandits. If s/he doesn't drop soon enough, then Meneas has the -2 AC penalty to deal with.

Mkay, would you guys prefer for me to use google slides then? Cause my intention was to use roll20 for the map but I'm happy to change that if you all want.

Once we've sorted that out if it's okay with everyone I'll have all the characters go to sleep, Wisp will make her exit, and then you all will wake up and the ambush scenario will kick off if everyone is down with that?

Sorry if you all feel rushed and would like more time to plan, I can certainly allow that if you prefer, but I am super excited about this next part and am eager to kick it off >.>'

Oh, either's fine by me. I'm happy to use whatever works for anyone. I have more familiarity with the former than the latter, but I'm open to it.

You'll just have to make a progile on roll20 if we go that route. But I have plenty of experience with roll20 that's why I prefer it.

Roll20 has a definite learning curve, but I'm a fan. I'd like a bit of time to set up my profile if possible!

Of course I can give you the day to do just that :)

I'm fine with Roll20. I know the basics.

Hey guys, so the big showdown is gonna have to wait until tomorrow I'm afraid. Not overdramatising today has been one of the worst days of my life and I'm just operating on a continous panic attack since about 3 AM and it has only gotten worse.

I don't want to explain why since I'm still getting all the details myself but yeah. I'm suoer freaking sorry and I appreciate any understanding you can offer.

Yikes. Good luck and hope you feel better soon, Rackal.