Sarah the GM's page

I'm really enjoing the interplay between you all :)

All good :)

Lady Martella has a pleased look on her face as she sips delicately at her hot drink. "I'm glad we all seem to be aligned."

She replaces her cup in its saucer and looks at you, suddenly all business again. "As to what I want from you on the day - well, quite a lot unfortunately. Several of my usual network are currently, let's say, standing down." She gives Shamsi a quick look; presumably some of the names on the list included people who might ordinarily now be having this briefing instead of you.

She starts to tick items off on her fingers.

"Firstly, I need someone to have a quiet word with Baron Nicolaus Okerra. He is not a senator himself and so won't be voting, but a lot of people look up to him. I have done some favours for him in the past, but he has avoided meeting me so far. I know he will be attending the vote on the day, so I need someone to make an impression on him and remind him what he owes me."

"Secondly, there are a couple of loose ends I'm trying to tie up. Both Countess Abrielle Pace and Duke Centimus are voting members of the senate but I don't know which way they are going to vote. I need someone to discover which way they are leaning as well as their reasons for voting that way."

"Thirdly, I need someone to keep tabs on political rivals and update me if they change their tactics, most notably High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus. I want someone to keep an eye on him and watch for unusual behaviour and any interesting conversations he has. Use the magic in the badge to keep me updated on what he is doing."

"Fourthly, to further undermine the influence of the recently disgraced Earl Calhadion Vernisant, I would like to see some of the historical artifacts that the earl donated to the senate vanish from the Arcade of Triumphs before it is unveiled prior to the evening’s vote. They are in a labelled display case, it's locked but I am sure you can deal with that."

"Fifthly, on a personal note I would like to exact some retribution against my more powerful half-brothers, who have contributed a large bottle of rare, 150-year-old red wine from family holdings in the Opparos province, now held in the senate’s kitchens." Martella draws from her purse a single syringe and places it on the table. "This is filled with a putrefying agent to render the wine embarrassingly undrinkable, for this to work you have to conceal any sign of tampering - just push the syringe in through the cork and leave the bottle in place for it to be drunk at dinner. Do it right and the wine will appear to be of terrible quality or — even more scandalously — a forgery."

"Finally, I don't know what's going to happen on the day. I may need one or more of you to drop what you're doing at any point to respond to whatever is happening. In particular it is likely that I will need to pass messages to various people."

She picks up her tea once more and makes a face as she realises it has gone cold. She signals a passing waiter for another cup.

"I'm sure you have questions."

No, the point of the tags is that you don't need to roll in a lot of cases, which is why I'm presenting the information in spoilers for you :)

I'll post the tasks next time round, I just wanted to check that I've answered all the questions

Lady Martella shrugs. "I know almost nothing about the Voritas family, but it's entirely normal for badges of extinct family lines to be used for entry into the building. Just don't try to pretend you are an actual Senator, and you will be fine. I'm not expecting you to face too many questions, the building will be extremely crowded." She gives a quick glance at your tiefling features. "You don't exactly blend in but it's a diverse crowd. I imagine people will quickly realise whose behalf you are there for, it's hard to keep secrets in that sort of place."

"On the topic of blending in, I have opened a line of credit at my tailor, Thread Rare. They are expecting you to drop by, and by the time they are done you will at least pass a superficial inspection." She gives Shamsi a slightly pained look. "Just go easy on the gold thread, please. Even my funds are not limitless."

"In terms of what you can take, it's impossible to stop people from carrying a dagger but anything bigger than that will be confiscated. Even trying to stash something in the building is more trouble than it's worth, but nobody is going to notice a lockpick or similar if you're discreet with it. And I assume you can be discreet."

"As for why I care - because I do. I know the Princess, slightly, and I think she will be a good ruler. She will certainly be a better ruler than the High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus, who seems to think rebuilding the 'glory days of the past' involves invading everywhere that used to be Taldor, and burning Qadira to the ground. I know what Taldor would look like under his rule, and I will do everything I can to stop that from happening."

Another (hoepfully quick) post on how this game works

LitM runs on tags. If you want to do something then let me know what tag(s) you are relying on, you may be able to do it wihtout needig a dice roll. Eg Darrel might be able to win a fight that Shamsi would need to roll for, and Shamsi might be able to stealth by something that Darrel would need to roll for.

Likewise, you can pick information up by having the right tags, so I will be using spoilers like the one I just posted. It will be up to you to decide if you have the appropriate tag to read under the spoiler. If you aren't sure, feel free to check in with me :)

As she gives it a closer look Shamsi sees that the metal cricket beside Martella is a curious clockwork device that muffles the sound of
conversations for those more than a few feet away. Martella smiles. "One of my many experiments, this one proved more useful than some. Alchmy and clockwork are my gifts, rather than magic."

The Lotheed family are renowned for their ability with magic. It appears that Martella does not share that talent.

He returns his gaze to the one who called the meeting here: Lady Lotheed. "This is all very lovely, but it's no social occasion being here, is it." It's not a question.

Martella gives a small smile and takes a sip of her hot drink. "The direct approach, and a fair one. No it is not." She puts her cup down and smooths down the pleated folds of her dress. "As you may know, the Day of Exaltation is coming up, and alongside it a historic vote by the Senate to revise primogeniture. If the vote goes ahead, womein will no longer be excluded from inheriting royal power, which means that Princess Eutropia will become the heir to Taldor's empire."

Anyone with even a vague understanding of current affairs will know that Princess Eutropia's younger brother died many years ago, and that there is currently no heir for when Grand Prince Stavian dies.

"As you can imagine, these sorts of occasions make for a certain political jostling, and I want things to run smoothly. The day that the vote takes place, I want you to be in the Senate building as my aides. I will have some tasks for you to carry out."

She reaches into her purse and pulls out three small bronze badges, ornately stamped with a seal that you dont' recognise. "These badges will gain you entrance into the building. They are givn to aides to the senators, although these belonged to the staff of the long-dead Senator Voritas, whose family line was involved in the senate for nearly a thousand years before dying out about a century ago."

"In addition to getting you access, they have a minor magic power that allows for two-way telepathic communication with the master senate badge, which I will be wearing. That means you will be able to contact me anywhere in the building and I can reply. You won't be able to communicated directly with each other, but obviously you can pass a message to me and I can pass it on. Although I will be very busy so please don't treat me as a messenger."

She purses her lips, and folds her hands together over the now smoothed-down pleats of her dress.

"Before I move on to discussing the specific tasks I want carried out, are there any questions?"

Major exposition dump, time for a pause ;)

Grrr I *know* I posted something on Friday, just checked in today to see if anoyne posted over the weekend and nothing because my post got eaten! Either I didn't properly post it or the forum ate it. Grr grr grr

Posting *again*

Oop. I will try to be clearer in my descriptions!

@Shamsi - the cricket is a brass clockwork thing that makes a gentle buzzing to stop your conversation being overheard. It's not real, and your character would see that immediately :)

@Shamsi - oh that sounds painful! I hope you are ok. Post as and when you can.

@Apemantus - sounds like you have come up with something perfect for Halloween! I'm always uncertain about doing that sort of thing with a group, I guess you'd have to know for sure that your players were into it wchi is probably easier if it's a group you know well. I know the last Paizo AP of PF1 had some very unhappy people with the way it ended.

I'm really enjoying the interactions posted in game so far, I'm looking forward to seein where it goes. I will hold off to give Shamsi time to heal and post.

And we are go! Thank you for bearing with me.

@Apemantus, please will you put your themes, tags, quests and so on into your alias? Take a look at how either Shamsi or Darrel have done it if you need inspiration or guidance.

Heh. No problem, it happens. Hopefully you didn't forget the actual event itself...?

I admit nothing. Although actually I have been the one in the past who had to call my brother to make sure he'd remembered!

@Shamsi - given the GM nixed the whole "Qadiran scum!" thing I'm guessing she is not interested in playing out religious conflict either. (Nor am I really, tbh.)

Ding! We have a winner.

On romance, I'm pleased you are all on the same page as me. I have been in games where it was a thing and that was fine, but I'm not sure how to run it as a GM so I'm glad I don't have to.

Oppara, heart of the Taldan empire. However diminished that empire may be at present by comparison with its so-called glory days, Oppara is still a resplendent city - at least, in parts. And the week leading up to the Day of Exaltation (a day when the Grand Prince, in his great mercy, promotes a commoner to the ranks of the nobility) is a week of festivities, of celebration.

Thousands of visitors arrive during this time, from all of Taldor and beyond, gawking at the sights, and sounds, and smells. By some estimates, the population of the city doubles during this time, and it certainly feels like it. The streets are swamped with crowds, and makeshift stalls where vendors sell traditional Taldan foods: anchovy skewers, anglebobs, canal crossings, clamguards, jubilee pie, honeyflake, long wine, yonder tarts, and more, including regional delicacies from separated provinces such as Andoran mince and Chelish raven cake. Family banners and provincial flags drape the sides of most buildings, with merchants hawking heraldry ranging from replica banners of the old Armies of Exploration to wooden swords and handheld Taldan flags for children. Taverns offer themed drink and food, with varying bars adopting well-known nobles from the long history of the empire as their mascot or self-declared patron.

Pushing your way through the crowds, on your way to your assigned meeting, you have time to reflect. The note you received a few days ago from Lady Martella Lotheed was short and to the point, inviting you to meet with her at what turns out to be a small, smoky cafe a few blocks from the great building where the Senate meets and deliberates. The streets here are even busier than elsewhere in Oppara, making it easy to blend in and get lost in the crowd. Which is surely Lady Lotheed's intention.

Long, golden beams of the setting sun dance through the cafe’s smoky interior, highlighting breads, cheeses, and wine bottles behind the only counter. Martella sips casually from a steaming mug, dressed in an elegant but reserved gown — at least by Taldan standards. A hand-sized brass cricket buzzes quietly on the tabletop beside her.

“I’m so pleased you could join me this evening,” she begins. “Please order whatever you like; the fig jam is particularly lovely here. And feel free to speak candidly. I’ve taken measures to ensure our privacy.”

You are, you immediately see, not alone. In addition to you and Lady Lotheed, two other people have joined your table.

Feel free to introduce yourselves and write a description of what the other two see :)

Hi guys, I'm so sorry - I compltely forgot I had a family thing on this weekend! It looks like you are all still here and chatting away nicely so I'm please about that, but still sorry.

I will get us posting tomorrow and yes I have ideas on how to introduce you all :)

I forgot to open the gameplay so you could all dot in, I have now fixed that.

Now open!

I'm not into football but I have been known to watch rugby, although only at international level - I dont' have a local team.

@Apemantus - that works.

@Shamsi - I'm still thinkinb about the list. I think in order to keep things simple for me, you have already made contact with Lady Lotheed and she is grateful for the service. Whether you have done an errand or two in addition is up to you, but she pays well and on time.

Darrel is basically a build that you wouldn't play in Pathfinder, that of a perceptive fighter (giving fighters perception and sense motive can be done but why would you when Wis isn't a key stat for them?).

I'm reminded of the bit in Terry Pratchett where one character tells another an explanation that is wrong in every way but a very useful lie, and I sugest we think of D&D in the same way. It's a helpful explanation in some ways becuase it's a baseline we're all familiar with, but trying to run this game as "Pathfinder with house rules" is not going to work.

I'm in the UK so were on similar time zones. I work in biotech research so there's some days when I'll be stuck in a lab with limited time to post but generally shoukd be ok to post something most days.

Either Sarah or GM or both is fine with me :)

Just so we're clear, yes you can mix and match and change tags to create a better fit for your charcter as we get to grips with this new system. BUT, you don't have add in tags based on what you think you "should" have. This isnt D&D and the lack of a cleric/wizard is not a problem. I realise that requires a high level of trust in me as the GM but I'm not setting you up to fail.

I see this as a relatively low-magic setting, magic is weird, and magic items are rare and powerful. No ring of protection +1 or "she casts fireball at you, roll reflex save."

Welcom and thanks for taking a chance on a new system and putting in some great characters!

I'll drop in and out and answer questions as I can but we probably won't get a full gameplay post up until Saturday. hope that's OK

I'm doing better now, thanks for bearing with me.

Thanks too for all the interest, it seems to be a great game system and deserves some love.

Because it's a new system and my first time GMing it, I'm going to go with a smaller group just to keep everyone involved and hopefully keep complications to a minimum.

The lucky group is

Shamsi al-Khay

Darrel Stavalos

Apemantus 'Oldcastle' Vernisant

I've set up a discussion thread so please drop in and say hi, pass the time, chat among yourselves :)

Hi all, I'm just posting to let you know I've come down with a bug and it feels like my head is packed with cotton wool. I'm extending recruitment for a couple of days until I can think straight again!

Thanks for bearing with me

@Apemantus - looks good, can you find a way to work Martella Lotheed into your backstory please? The player's guide gives some hints about how to do that.

That all makes sense to me - I look forward to seeing what you come up with :)

If anyone thinks they won't be done by Saturday and needs some more time I'm happy to do that, just let me know. It's always a balance between keeping momentum and being pushy, so please tell me if I'm on the wrong side of that line ;)

@Darkness Rising - any of those sound good although obviously they would come in to play in different circumstances.

@Apemantus - sounds interesting, I look foward to reading more.

I'd still like to close recruitment on Sat with a view to starting the game on Monday so if anyone has any questions or needs any input please let me know.

@Archpaladin Zousha - So far, it looks like all characters are human apart from one catfolk. Given this is my first time GMing LitM I'd prefer something more "core" than say a 9-tailed kitsune. Also, given Trail's experience in frustration with playing a fish out of water in our game, I would suggest you look at the WftC campaign traits and decide which one your character would go for, even if you don't use it as a theme or a tag.

oh, about the claws tag

would it be fine if i named it "murder mittens"? :P

I love it!

I have to say it took me until that image link for me to make the connection to the Briny Dozen! I have seen the film, but the main thing I remember about it was thinking that the Julia Roberts character needed to make better life choices

"Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the b@@$+iest of them all?"

(Just kidding, although Pellegrina does sound a bit like the girls who picked on me at school for being nerdy and good at science)

I look forward to seeing the other themes when they're ready :)

@Seth86 - honestly, something simple like "Retractable claws" would work for me. Waxing poetic and all is nice but there's a lot to be said for clarity and simplicity :)

@NotEspi - Ah, but as my old GM told me "Only named NPCs count!"

Feel free to add as much or little information as you like, there's no obligation to write entire paragraphs on people who may or may not even feature in the plot :)

@Seth86, thanks for the added info. I have to admit that doesn't jump out at me from the theme as it's currently worded. Do you have some alternative wording that you could use instead?

@NotEspi - Great, I think we're getting there! One more question: what about the 8 who went in and haven't been seen since? Anyone there that Shamsi had ties with or would miss? Or maybe is secretly glad they're gone?

@Seth86 - those Tags all look clear to me (I love your "Everthing is a tree" tag!) apart from your "How nature intended" Theme. Can you tell me a bit more about what that means to you and/or where you would rely on it during the game?

Two quick questions for you

1) Is everyone more or less OK on understanding the rules, or would it help if I did some more posts on how the game works?

2) It's great to have so much interest and 2 characters more or less completed, I'd love to keep that momentum going. Those of you still working on it, if I set a deadline of next Saturday 3 October for finishing up so we can start the game the following Monday (6 October), would that be reasonable or would you like more time?

@Apemantus - ouch, I hope you feel better! Migraines are *horrible*, on the occasions I get one I don't even look at the paracetamol and go straight for codeine and/or ibuprofen.

@Seth86 - yup, LitM would work well if you ever wanted to do a Wind in the Willows or Redwall-type game, or even (gods help you) Watership Down (Y tho).

@Darrel - thanks for the replies and you raise a good point. Your character Themes, Tags etc are not set in stone, this is a new game and there needs to be flexibility. If you decide that something needs tweaking during gameply to be more fun then we can absolutely do that.

STATUS CHECK

Expressed interest

Elbowtotheface
Archpaladin Zousha

Character still in progress

rdknight (some concepts sent via PM)

Seth86 unnamed character

Apemantus Oldcastle

Mostly complete

Shamsi al-Khay

Darrel Stavalos

But apart from that, you're mostly done? ;)

The Fate RPG has a tagline that character creation is gameplay. I'm not sure LitM goes that far but it's in the neighbourhood.

Oop I missed that, all good then!

@Apemantus - sorry, I missed your question earlier. Yes, Sarenrae worship is permitted but most people will wonder why you woship a foreign goddess when you could worship a god who's actually Taldan

@NotEspi - you can definitely be Qadiran and there'll always be some dick who makes an issue of it but not constantly. Your Themes look good but it woukdn't hurt to have a combat tag or two. This is mostly an intrigue based AP.

Mostly.

@Darkness Rising - haha yeah, I tgink we've all been there! You're not particularly behind everyone else so the next day or so is fine :)

HOW TAGS WORK IN THIS GAME

Tags are how you make something happen. If you use a Tag labelled "Swordplay" you are doing something fight-related. If the Tag you use is labelled "Athletic build" you are probably climbing or swimming or similar. If the Tag you use is labelled "Honeyed words" you are doing Diplomancy.

Tags exist as part of your Theme but can also come into play through the narrative, e.g. "Dark" which might be good or bad depending on what you want to do.

Let's assume that you are using two Tags: Stealthy and Cover, because there are lots of things you can hide behind in order to sneak up and eavesdrop on a conversation.

As the GM, I can let you do this in one of three possible ways

SIMPLE

I might say "Yes, those two tags are enough for you to get close and hear what they are saying. Here's what you overhear."

No dice roll, just invoke the Tags and get your reward.

QUICK

I might say "Yes, you can probably get close to them but let's see if you're spotted." Roll 2d6+2, because each Tag adds +1 to your roll.

(Someone in this thread used the word "synergy" and they are absolutely right, sometimes you will want more than 1 Tag for the same thing)

If you roll 10+ you overhear the conversation and get away without being spotted

If you roll a 7-9 you overhear the conversation but they spot you as you are leaving

If you roll a 6 or less they spot you before you have a chance to overhear.

DETAILED

I might say "Let's find out how much you can overhear before you have to move away."

In a Detailed roll, the number of Tags you throw down determines the Effect you get. Each Tag gives you +1 Power, so in this case the two Tags would let you overhear 2 things, let's say you learn that the mcguffin is being stored at the warehouse on Cheap Street and that it's due to be moved tomorrow evening.

You'd then roll as before, 2d6+2

If you roll 10+ you overhear the conversation without being spotted

If you roll 7-9 you overhear the conversation but they spot you as you leave

if you roll 6 or less they spot you and you don't learn either of the two things.

In addition to using Power to find out useful things (e.g. as a knowledge check to ID monsters) you can use 2 Power to create a new Tag (like using magic to create a Tag labelled "Concealing Fog" that other players can then use to help their actions). You can also use Power to inflict Statuses on people or things, e.g. Helpful-1 or Bleeding-2 or Discovered-2. Each 1 point of Power lets you give 1 point of Status.

This is a very condensed form of the rules so it won't do by itself but it should hopefully be a useful start.

@Oceanshieldwolf - good thought. Thanks :)

The previous recuirtment thread is HERE and the discussion thread is HERE. The GM in that game gave a good description of how the game is played, althugh they were working from an early copy of the game so some of the concepts have changed a bit in the final version.

@Seth86 - that looks good as a draft, keep it going and I will comment later. My only thought now is like I said to NotEspi, it's not clear to me how some of those Tags (Trade routs and Caravan in particular) would be used in gameplay and/or what you want to do with them. My next post will be a bit more about how Tags are used in the game, in case that helps.

@rdknight - hello! Hope you are doing well. It's definitely not too late to join in, we are still at a very early stage :)

@NotEspi - I'm going to take back something I said before, based on the words of a GM I gamed with - I would prefer you not use the "Qadiran scum" drawback. It means you literally only gain XP in that theme by having something racist happen to you and as the GM who has to make that happen, it's just going to depress the hell out of me.

@NotEspi - that works for me

@Seth86 - starting from PF and converting into LitM is sort of how I made my character for the game I was in, but it takes a lot of work. The systems are very different and I ended up dropping the idea.

@Apemantus - I agree that going full caster is a big ask of this game system. Having some backup combat Themes (gish caster) sounds like a good plan :)

@NotEspi - thanks, that looks like a really useful link for making LitM characters.

What you say makes sense and is helpful context. Yes, Keleshites (Quadirans) are not looked on favourably by some sections of Taldan society so that works in terms of your family (and yes, a PC with a whole family is a rarity!) being poor and not catching a break. The guild in question could be the Brotherhood of Silence, which is the main thieves guild in Oppara. Or it could be a smaller criminal organisation, your choice.

It sounds like your falcon is more than a mere pet and may be a familiar, possibly with spellcasting as a future Theme if you want to develop that way (not obligatory). He/She needs a name, of course. In terms of Quest, something simple like "I will look after you" would work: you'd have to balance letting them take risks on your behalf with the real danger of harm that brings. And instead of "book scrounger" you could go for somethign like "reads people like books". And a Quest like "Can't trust anyone" would allow for a lot of Milestone/Abandon quandaries as you have to decide if it's true or not.

Sidenote: the PCs primary patron in this AP is Martella Lotheed who is herself of Keleshite origin, maybe you were sent to blackmail/threaten her and she turned around and offered you (and your family) a way out, provided you work for her instead?

@NotEspi - these look great! I have a few questions :)

My experience of this game is that it's frustrating to have a tag that sounds cool but never sees any use in the game, which is why I have so many questions. I hope they're helpful.

@Seth - absolutely, I will happily help and offer input.

To answer your question: yes, a kitsune 9-tailed sorceress is definitely possible and the rulebook even suggests you can play as a dragon! (see page 87). BUT, this is only my 2nd time playing this game and my 1st tiime running it so I would be very grateful if you would play something a bit more "core Pathfinder" and less exotic :)

Alright then. Well, I don't know what you need from candidates, but I was looking at the player's guide for inspiration, and like the young reformer background/trait.

That is an excellent point. I think making a character for this game is definityly an exercise in collaboration between player and GM, if nothing else because the GM has to understand what each tag means, and how/when it does and does not come into play.

Characters in this game are defined by four Themes. Each Theme is a power Tag in itself, and it has two additional power Tags and one negative Tag.

Power Tags help you to do actions, they add +1 to your dice roll for each Tag you rely on. Negative Tags are a -1 on your dice roll, but the GM can also use them to create complications you have to deal with (my PC had a drawback of "old enemies" and the GM used that to create bad blood between me and and NPC we encountered).

Using negative Tags is how you get XP in this game: you mark 1 XP for each time a negative Tag is used against you. Getting 3 XP allows you to add another power Tag to that Theme.

In addtion to the Tags, each Theme needs a Quest to go with it. Your Quest doesn't necessarily have to be a goal like "to seek the Holy Grail" - it can be a belief your character has, or a code. So your Quest could be "Never give in to darkness or despair" or it might be "I do what I must to survive"

Either way, at suitable points in the adventure you get to consider wheter you have lived up to that Quest - e.g. did you give in to darkness/despair, or not? If you can identify a clear moment when you chose one way or the other, you get to mark Abandon (if you went against the Quest) or Milestone (if you went along with the Quest). For example, if you had the Quest "I do what I must to survive" but you then showed mercy to an enemy and let them go, you might decide that isn't going along with the Quest becuase you put their survival ahead of yours. In which case, you would mark Abandon on that Theme.

(for those of you who love DRAMA - and you know who you are - the Abandon/Milestone mechanic just oozes roleplay potential)

If you mark 3 Abandon or 3 Milestone on a Theme, it changes, and you write a new Theme based on the change. You also gain Promise, which lets you do other stuff. But that's quite a way into the game and I don't want to overwhelm the reader so I will leave it there for now :)

My suggestion is that you put together some suggested Themes and Tags for your character and I will ask quesitons to get more detail. Hopefully between us we can get there!

EDIT: If if would help to see some sample characters, you can click here or here or here. The last one in particular has some wonderfully evocative language!

I think there's now enough interest to make this an official recruitment thread :)

I'm pleased to see this level of interest, I was a bit worried there'd be almost nothing but crickets!

@Apemantus - I like the detailed background and I'm curious what themes you decide to go with. My only question for right now is how that character ties into War for the Crown as opposed to any ohter AP. Although we aren't using the campaign traits, they're a useful guide as to how your character finds a 'hook' into the game - what campaign trait do you think your character would have taken if this was a Pathfinder game?

@Darkness - that sounds fine to me. If you're looking for other ideas, you could go with a former Pathfinder agent, but former crusader works for me. Although my question to Apemantus applies here, too - it would be helpful if you have a hook into this particular AP.

@NotEspi - I'm still a beginnier at this game too, although I was part of one that looks like it has just died. I'm happy to help you learn it but it would be ideal if you have a copy of the rulebook for yourself.