Saw some playwriting advice from David Mamet on my social feeds that I'm going to try to apply to GMing.
Every scene should be able to answer 3 questions: Who wants what from whom? What happens if they don't get it? Why now?
For those of you who are worried about going the wrong direction: push. It will be ok. Get involved in a way that works for your character. We will pull it together.
For those of you who are worried about going the wrong direction: push. It will be ok. Get involved in a way that works for your character. We will pull it together.
Pushing ;D
@ST We're waiting for Mason's answers to these questions.
Missed those somehow. Will update now.
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I feel like I've gotten my mojo back running games here. I've posted a new recruitment for a more traditional supers game. Feel free to head over there if it sounds interesting.
And if you have any feedback on what we are doing here, I'm definitely open. I know some of you haven't found a way in yet, and I'm up for writing some new doors/scenes if that helps.
I don't think we've been working with dates for when the victims were drowned, but does the torn ticket stub show a date? If so, what is the date in relationship to when Summer Harrington was killed?
I was trying not to pin down specific dates. The ticket is from 8 days after she was found.
Same question but for the third victim, Laurel Montgomery. Is the ticket dated before or after her disappearance?
And if you have any feedback on what we are doing here, I'm definitely open. I know some of you haven't found a way in yet, and I'm up for writing some new doors/scenes if that helps.
I'm not talking about me, and this is just theorizing, but it may also be that some PCs aren't strong investigators (or just don't have an "in" or any obvious wat to contribute to this investigation), but this is all we've done so far. Their times to shine may happen in other scenarios.
I don't think we've been working with dates for when the victims were drowned, but does the torn ticket stub show a date? If so, what is the date in relationship to when Summer Harrington was killed?I was trying not to pin down specific dates. The ticket is from 8 days after she was found.Same question but for the third victim, Laurel Montgomery. Is the ticket dated before or after her disappearance?
Victim 1 was 6 months ago (something like December 23).
Victim 2 was 4 months ago.
Victim 3 was four days ago at the beginning, probably 11 days now.
I'm not talking about me, and this is just theorizing, but it may also be that some PCs aren't strong investigators (or just don't have an "in" or any obvious wat to contribute to this investigation), but this is all we've done so far. Their times to shine may happen in other scenarios.And if you have any feedback on what we are doing here, I'm definitely open. I know some of you haven't found a way in yet, and I'm up for writing some new doors/scenes if that helps.
I get that. I definitely envisioned that Tori and maybe Henrietta would be wielding shovels in a graveyard to investigate the first two deaths. I just feel bad because they don't have anything to do. If they are still interested, I want to get them involved.
I'm still very interested. My silence is largely because I have a convention coming up in about three weeks and we're not nearly ready. I am the game room director and my wife is the con director. She is 90% blind and I am her eyes, so I have to take dictation and read her emails, as well as anything she needs to be typed or written. I should be more immersive after March 9, but please don't feel like I am bored. The truth is much to the contrary.
I think it's probably best for me to bow out. I wish all y'all the best with the campaign, but I just feel that it's not been a good fit.
Cheers
Sorry it didn't work out, Cwethan. I'll remove you form active players/characters.
I'm still very interested. My silence is largely because I have a convention coming up in about three weeks and we're not nearly ready. I am the game room director and my wife is the con director. She is 90% blind and I am her eyes, so I have to take dictation and read her emails, as well as anything she needs to be typed or written. I should be more immersive after March 9, but please don't feel like I am bored. The truth is much to the contrary.
Good to know. I just don't want people "sitting at the table" bored with nothing to do.
it was good they let us know, good player there.
I want Sehkmet to go berserk now, tearing apart this place in an effort to destroy this abomination of large scale undead creation. But I also want to be a good player and not totally derail the story. On the third hand, we ARE playing monstrous characters. So, can I please have advice, especially from the GM.
This is basically hitting one of my complications in a way that I hadn't foreseen and so it probably isn't as obvious to others. It just seems that this would seriously disturb Sehkmet.
But it's enough of an edge case that I can see the character going either wat
With respect, Kendall is not undead. She is a simulation with no memories of anything beyond her death.
With respect, Kendall is not undead. She is a simulation with no memories of anything beyond her death.
That is NOT how the Sehkmet part of the character is seeing things.
And at the player level, given that we're in a superhero/monster verse universe, I am not at all sure that is correct.
Soul of murdered girl which animates an AI designed to mimic her and then escapes it's computer sounds like a PERFECT backstory for a character in this campaign :-(
Kendall is certainly supposed to push some buttons.
My intention was for her situation to be ambiguous and intriguing. I don't think anyone has senses that would outright tell you what she is (detect undead, for example).
I can certainly see her pulling on some of Sehkmet's complications. I don't know whether Sehkmet would fly off the handle and do something rash without all of the information or be more circumspect and figure out what is going on here.
As far as the current investigation goes, you have the information you need from this location, so if you want to wreck the place, it won't derail this story. Either way, it might set up another story.
Hope that isn't too vague, I'm trying not to be spoilery.
Love the setup. Harker is ready to change scenes as per my las post.
Cheers
Well y'all have been busy. Crisis has been averted. I should be back, gods willing.
But I've read through things and I've gotten a bit lost as to where everyone is and what we're doing. Are we all together now or still separated?
I think Henrietta, Hathaway, Harker, and Sekhmet are at E-Phermeral.
And, Mummy's Bride and Griffin are at Boston University/College (one of them)
We've got the location of a probable villain (Dylan Foley) where we could regroup.
Cheers
I got a little lost, also. I thought Sekhmet was with with Helen and Benjamin, but I also wasn't sure if the three of them at Boston University was happening at the same time as the others at E-phemeral, because a PbP often moves from scene to scene not necessarily concurrently due to player availability.
Benjamin had asked a question over the communicators we all have about the Amazonian flower, and nobody but the GM responded; and then he shared his observation with the rest of the party about the Amazon River and Boston's Charles River, but nobody responded to that either. Understandable, since digital Kendall is kind of an important scene (especially for Sekhmet), but since Benjamin doesn't know anything about what's going on there, I was just going to wait until we regrouped or something happens with Helen before worrying about posting again.
The timeline for those scenes was muddled. Benjamin, Helen, and Sekhmet were at BU during the day and the e-Phemeral scene started in the evening. Let's get everyone back together. We can continue the Kendall conversation in spoilers if we want to.
I hope I have fixed I hope team, we can all be there, and Sekhmet actions play into events.
Yeah I also thought Sekhmet was with us. Maybe in the future when the party is split, can we put in bold letters at the top of our posts where we are?
If I screwed up I apologize. I definitely thought I was at the ePhemeral offices.
I dont think you did, we can have the party meet up in my view.
And Hathaway is on you side, as he stated just. He knows the true Danger here. And it truly terrifying.
I think the critical thing is you play your PC as you feel they would act, Rule of cool, and what she did was 100% what her PC would do.
If I screwed up I apologize. I definitely thought I was at the ePhemeral offices.
I think "screwed up" isn't accurate. I misinterpreted your post when you moved to join part of the team, as the initial transition post didn't actually say which members of the team you were joining.
Hence why I think all of us could help each other out by just posting location at the top of the post when the party's split.
For my part I'm just gonna assume Helen kept the Prof distracted while Benjamin found the flower and other info and I'm ready to transition to the next scene.
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Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for giving each other grace and being adults. I'm sure we all been at tables (virtual or physical) where that wasn't always the case.
I don't want Jonathan to get too far ahead of the PCs. But, he's ready to enter the apartment with the description of the scent in Mist form.
I suspect its better for all of us to go in more or less together. While this may be just another step on the journey it could also be the big climatic fight scene :-)
Hi gang, sorry for my absence. Things got really bust at home and work (not bad, just busy), so I was unable to keep up. I expect that I will be able to catch back up tonight or tomorrow. Sorry if I’m holding anything up! Move forward without me if you need to. I’ll retroactively react to anything I need to, and I’ll adapt to whatever the party has Benjamin doing.
Hi all, this is moving way faster than I expected. As mentioned things are chaotic at work and other places so sorry I've not been showing up frequently.. usually this isn't a problem for me, I'm just exhausted after various things impacting me. I'll try to do better and please bot me if needed. If I find I'm not keeping up I'll check in with the GM and adjust or leave if necessary.
No worries on absences Benjamin and Helen (or anyone for that matter). For me, this campaign is a refuge from real world horrors right now. Everyone take care of your business and be here when you can.
Easy enough for a character to step to the side right now.
I do agree that the investigation has been going on kind of long, and I feel like we've stopped learning useful things. I was hesitant to use the Hero Point like you suggested in case other people were having fun with the investigation, but I worry that we're just spinning our wheels.
Maybe the plant can be used with a ritual to summon the yakaruna, or maybe the creature is waiting in ambush for us at the museum, and my timing is off for trying to skip ahead a bit... in which case, I apologize.
I am having fun but also agree that the investigation has been going awhile. I admit due to various reasons, including what's happened while the party has split but also my needing to step away for a bit, I'm not quite sure where we *are* in the investigation, which makes it easier to disconnect. Maybe we need to keep a notepad tracking the clues somewhere? Can we add it to the game slides maybe?
I want to note, it's hard to GM mysteries. My personal experience is players pick up on clues you don't expect them to (or *think* they've identified a problem they are sure is the issue when it's not) and miss stuff you think is obvious. So props to you for laying things out as well as you have and trying to balance maintaining some sense of mystery with revelations. It's not easy.
Yep, mysteries are hard. I am using every trick I know to keep this one moving. They are extra hard here. If we were playing in real time, there would probably be some cross talk and some theories that I could elevate or encourage.
You are in a fine spot and there should be action incoming.
Hey GM, it looks like my spending a Hero Point didn't have an affect. Is that right? I know we found the yakaruna, but it seems like we were going to find it just because we've gone to the museum? Just want to make sure so I don't mark it off.
Yes. You can have it back, or use it to jump to an understanding of what is going on.
Benjamin, if you don't want your invisible man to be a bit bruiser or super competent boxer or martial artist, it might be a good idea to look at the Set up advantage and some of the other advantages that improve aid another tasks. It makes sense to me that an Invisible Man finds ways to make other character's attacks more effective.
I'll take a look, thanks.
@GM I plan to keep hitting the creature again with the cumulative Affliction until Controlled.
Now, that it has surrendered. Can I ask it a question, before next round? Before Jonathan says, "look into my eyes."
You can ask it a question. Answer might be halting and stuttered if it is trying to fight you, but Compelled says it does what you want.
I'm NOT trying to be silly or a jerk over in gameplay.
Following are serious questions as I think it likely that some of us are operating on different assumptions and this seems like a good time to clarify things (note, it is quite likely that it is ME that is wrong :-()
1) Am I supposed to know (in character) that Harker tried to mind control it?
2) Am I supposed to know (in character) that it failed its will save?
3) Was the GM comment that it grows still meant to have been sufficient to tell me to back off?
I'm NOT trying to be silly or a jerk over in gameplay.
Following are serious questions as I think it likely that some of us are operating on different assumptions and this seems like a good time to clarify things (note, it is quite likely that it is ME that is wrong :-()
1) Am I supposed to know (in character) that Harker tried to mind control it?
2) Am I supposed to know (in character) that it failed its will save?
3) Was the GM comment that it grows still meant to have been sufficient to tell me to back off?
1) Yes, because Sehkmet has seen Harker use the ability several times in this game, besides all the time before the game started. Most powers have noticeable effects and this one is Vision-dependent.
2) ST posted a reaction to the Will save failure here
3) It was just a description for the creature's reaction to Harker's ability.
Frankly, I needed to know that too, because the ability is somewhat language dependent. I hoped it understood English.
Always in favor of questions and good communication. It is so easy in PbP to not be explicit in our communications and make different assumptions.
I will say that I am very rusty in running games in this way, and my cognitive function is pretty compromised these days, so please always ask if something doesn't make sense.
I will attempt to be more clear in ooc statements.
In a Doylist explanation, Sehkmet is pretty new to the team, and might not totally understand the powers of her team mates.
Likewise, the Mummy's Bride is one of the oldest members of the team so she trusts what Harker's capable of even when others may not (so it makes sense for her that she might pick up on it when Sekhmet wouldn't). So it makes sense for her to intervene, especially as she understands both Sekhmet and Hyde are apt to keep attacking.
And if I wasn't okay with her getting torn up a bit I wouldn't have had her intervene. She's an immortal brick with healing powers. She'll be okay.
hathaway is there he is just letting the others deal with this
@ST Harker and Mummy's Bride are both Investigating the office/lab for clues to where the river is, where is Cassie and Foley, and what experiments are being done.