The role playing in this game is great. I very much enjoy seeing the personality of ya'lls characters come out. Thank you Arctaris for taking the initiative on the "better safe than sorry" route. A game is only fun if everybody is having a good time.
Agreed on all counts!
Hey guys... sorry for my absence from the boards! I won't be able to post until Sunday evening... sorry for the inconvenience! DM, feel free to move things along without me!
Have we explored this entire sub level yet?
There's a couple of rooms left, but y'all are pretty close to done with this sub level.
Np. I think it's awesome! Rend doesn't understand half your insults anyway :)
Okay, cool.
There's a couple of rooms left, but y'all are pretty close to done with this sub level.
Yay, let's go piss some ancient tomb wardens off;)
Just wanted to pop in and say that it's a real treat to read what you guys have been up to.
I'd also like to say to ManPig that he can rest assured that I won't suddenly come back and snatch Kharid away from him. ;-)
I've decided that he's all yours, even though my schedule seems to clear up a bit in the near future. I've instead put my bid in with Lilith's upcoming Curse of the Crimson Throne PbP and hopefully I'll be lucky enough to be part of that (since Sean probably won't start a third PbP ;-)).
I'll still be reading this game, though, as all the characters are truly interesting and I love the RP'ing being done!
Hey guys,
I'm going to be starting a campaign IRL and was wondering if anyone could help me choose an adventure path.
The only one I've read is Shackled City, and I like it enough to want to run it, with the assumption that many of the later adventures will have to be rewritten, modified, or skipped depending on pc actions and motivations. It was the first AP, though, and I've heard that the others do a better job of foreshadowing and introducing major foes early enough that the PCs care about defeating them.
My preference would be to run Shackled City because I've already started the prep, but I would consider running Savage Tide or Rise of the Runelords if either of them get rave reviews from you guys. Age of Worms is out of the question since I won't enjoy playing it as much if I read the adventures.
Any comments or tips for running any of these APs in a live game would be great. Thanks!
Out of all the APs, the only one I haven't read is Shackled City, so I can't offer any guidance on that one, but I give high marks to both Savage Tide and Rise of the Runelords. In most ways, I think RotRL is the Paizo team's best AP to date, though both APs (or all of them so far, really) get somewhat weaker toward the end. Primarily because they have so much more to do at the higher levels, and the word counts on the stat blocks are so high, the details become sketchier, and the DM needs to do a little more work to fill in the blanks.
Sean, I thought I'd reply to the quesion you asked in the in-game thread over here...
With the exception of the posting rate, I'm very happy with this PbP. The roleplaying is great, and your descriptions also are quite evocative, Sean.
I'd like to see the game move a little faster, though. As you mentioned in the other thread, some people seem to have dropped off the face of the earth. I think you should NPC them until they can return or, barring that, until they "pass away" or the party has reason to go separate ways. I don't think you should be afraid to NPC characters to keep things moving along... your Rise of the Runelords seems to be progressing much faster than this one, and I'd like to see a similar rate of progress here.
I like the dungeon exploration thus far... but I don't think we'll ever get far into this AP if we do every adventure in full, down to the last dungeon room. I'm hoping for alot of non-dungeoneering stuff in between adventures.
Thanks for checking in! I really hope the game won't come to an end! The build-up so far has been great, as has the adventure backdrop...
Sean, I thought I'd reply to the quesion you asked in the in-game thread over here...
Good choice!
With the exception of the posting rate, I'm very happy with this PbP. The roleplaying is great, and your descriptions also are quite evocative, Sean.
Thanks. Yeah, I'd like to pick up the pace, too.
I'd like to see the game move a little faster, though. As you mentioned in the other thread, some people seem to have dropped off the face of the earth. I think you should NPC them until they can return or, barring that, until they "pass away" or the party has reason to go separate ways. I don't think you should be afraid to NPC characters to keep things moving along... your Rise of the Runelords seems to be progressing much faster than this one, and I'd like to see a similar rate of progress here.
Indeed. I'm very pleased with how that game is progressing. And I'm quite happy with everything about this one so far except for the pace.
I like the dungeon exploration thus far... but I don't think we'll ever get far into this AP if we do every adventure in full, down to the last dungeon room. I'm hoping for alot of non-dungeoneering stuff in between adventures.
Yeah, I've been thinking about that. The AP is pretty dungeon heavy. I'm working out a way to streamline the AP for better PbP play. I'm getting a better feel for it with the success of the Runelords game. I have better ideas for speeding things up for the latter parts of the AP, as when I ran it in my RL game, I started with the 4th level adventure and went from there. That being said, this is exactly where my thoughts for adjusting the game are focused right now.
Thanks for checking in! I really hope the game won't come to an end! The build-up so far has been great, as has the adventure backdrop...
No problem. I'd rather fix the game than end it, too. I have faith we'll be able to get it moving.
I'd like to pick up the posting rate too. This is a fun adventure run by a great DM with a great group so I'd like to see it move along. Has anyone seen Dalzig's player around recently? His last post in game was a while ago. I'm usually online two or three times a day, so I can post more frequently when there's something for me to respond too.
Apart from the slow posting rate, I'm happy with how the adventure's going so far and certainly don't want to stop. I'm glad you're changing things around a little; dungeons are challenging to run and play in at the best of times but they can be a pain in PbP format.
My only complaint about this game is the pace. It's the only PbP I'm in and I usually log in once a day. It's always disappointing when there have been no new posts over a 24-hour period.
I had already decided that I'm willing to keep playing at a slower pace because I'm enjoying the game but, since you asked, I would much rather speed it up.
My ideal scenario would be for the DM to post roughly once every 24-hours, or as needed, with any required descriptions, answers to questions, etc. I don't think it's absolutely necessary for all PCs to post as frequently. Plot can carry on with three PCs fairly well. In situations like with the figurines (or in combat) where everyone is waiting on one character's action, I'd like to see the DM NPC whoever's MIA after 24-36 hours of inactivity. It would be helpful if people can give a head's up when they won't be able to post for a few days, but it's a PbP and these things happen.
I don't have any problem with "uneventful" dungeon explorations. If the posting pace is fast, an empty room won't take us more than 3-4 days to investigate. A description and a bunch of search checks would probably suffice. But feel free to modify the scenarios if others feel differently. Rend just wants to kill some gobbos and learn to read.
It might also speed things up if players anticipate skill checks and provide the results right away. In certain situations, they could even provide 5-10 checks for the most commonly used skills (e.g., spot, listen, search, etc.), which the DM could then use as situations require them without needing to wait for the players to roll.
Just a suggestion...
And for the record, I'm with Rend... if someone hasn't posted in 24-36 hours (or as long as 48, if over a weekend), then the DM should move things along. Whenever possible, advance notice for absences (specifying anticipated duration of absence) would also be the courteous thing to do...
It might also speed things up if players anticipate skill checks and provide the results right away. In certain situations, they could even provide 5-10 checks for the most commonly used skills (e.g., spot, listen, search, etc.), which the DM could then use as situations require them without needing to wait for the players to roll.
Just a suggestion...
I try to include some rolls if I expect checks to be made. But I don't really want to make a bunch of rolls every time just in case something unexpected happens. I am fine with Sean occasionally making rolls for me in order to speed things up.
I'm cool with Sean rolling something that I forgot about if it speeds up the game.
Okay, good discussion, peeps. I'm a little busy today, but I'll hopefully update at some point today, and try and get this thing moving again.
Hey guys,
First of all let me apologize. I know I am one of the slow posters. I will do better in the future. If I could add one suggestion it would be for the DM to do some checks automatically. Karid is going to a battery of knowledge checks every time we see something new and interesting. In some of my post I have just been putting all his knowledge checks out there and letting you figure out which ones are applicable. I see Karid’s role as something akin to Daniel Jackson’s from the Stargate movie and series. He is going to try to help the others by shedding light on any situation he can. On the other hand, if that approach is slowing down play I can dispense with the knowledge checks. It is kind of frustrating because what can be done around a table with 20 seconds of talk and dice rolls can take up an entire day of posting.
Let me end by saying that I am very glad to be a part of this game and I hope that we can all continue to enjoy it together and an extra thank you to Sean. Being a DM is a time consuming job and I appreciate your willingness to do it.
PS I just remember this. Lilith is starting a PbP game. In her game all the combat will take place over at the Paizo chatroom on Saturday night at a specific time. If some one can’t make it she will NPC them. I wonder if we are all close enough together (time zone wise) that we might be able to try that? Not that the combat is slowing us down; just a thought.
Hey guys,
First of all let me apologize. I know I am one of the slow posters. I will do better in the future.... It is kind of frustrating because what can be done around a table with 20 seconds of talk and dice rolls can take up an entire day of posting.
No worries, Karid... and I hear you!
PS I just remember this. Lilith is starting a PbP game. In her game all the combat will take place over at the Paizo chatroom on Saturday night at a specific time. If some one can’t make it she will NPC them. I wonder if we are all close enough together (time zone wise) that we might be able to try that? Not that the combat is slowing us down; just a thought.
Sounds like an interesting approach, but unfortunately, I doubt that I could commit to a fixed chatroom schedule...
No worries Karid.
I'm afraid I won't be able to manage online chats for combat either. I usually post from work or whenever I happen to get home, which varies significanly from day to day. It might be possible every once in awhile for key combats, but I'll have to see on a case-by-case basis. Personally, though, I like the idea of playing without having to work around scheduling conflicts.
To be honest, I don't feel that the game is slow because of knowledge checks, combat, or other logistics. The single most determining factor is simply how frequently players and dm log on to post.
I find it a bit of a pain to make a whole bunch of checks in anticipation when most of them won't be used. Maybe what would work better is for Sean to post extra information in Spoilers like:
DC 18 Spot:
DC 20 Knowledge (Nature):
If it's helpful during combat, I'll volunteer to post round-by-round updates of initiative order, PC and NPC locations, and reminders of magical effects. It's something I like to do anyway, and if it helps Sean focus on descriptions and PCs keep track of what's going on, so much the better.
I think the skill results in spoilers is a good idea.
I couldn't commit to a regular chat session either, so that wouldn't really work for me.
I agree with Rend's observations/suggestions.
Hey guys, I might not be able to post until Sunday... thanks for your patience!
Hey gang!
Okay, so...
I signed up a while back to play in a Conquest of the Bloodsworn Vale PbP, but unfortunately, our DM up and vanished, never to return (second time that's happened to me as a PbP player).
After some discussion, I have agreed to take up the mantle of DM over there. I can't handle running another AP, but a single module is doable.
BUT... I haven't read Conquest of the Bloodsworn Vale, so I have instead decided to run Entombed With the Pharaohs.
Which brings me to the reason I am posting over here. I'm recruiting more players, and the members of my other PbP games get first pass. If enough people show interest, I will run multiple parties through the adventure simultaneously, as teams competing for the goal of the adventure. The module is uniquely suited for that. I haven't entirely worked out the mechanics of how I'll set up play threads yet, but I'm working on that.
If you're at all interested, go here
Sean thanks for the offer but I think I am in enough PbP right now. RL is getting busier and busier. I will be “lurking” the game so be expecting a visit from the Eye of ManPig. ;)
Sean thanks for the offer but I think I am in enough PbP right now. RL is getting busier and busier. I will be “lurking” the game so be expecting a visit from the Eye of ManPig. ;)
I'm also gonna pass but thanks for the offer. I'm gonna stick to playing in one PbP for now since I'm planning to run a game irl and don't want to be pulled in too many directions...
Its tempting but I'm in too many already, otherwise I'd join. Good luck with it though.
No worries everyone. And I'll post on the moss fire before bed.
I've been afraid to watch ...
excellent seperation of player knowledge and character knowledge though people!
Yeah, this is going to get ugly... in a fun way. :-D
Hey guys, it seems we survived the “brown mold” but we’ve taken some pretty serious nonlethal damage. Maybe a strategic withdrawal to Diamond Lake is in order.
Sean, Minister of KtSP, is it possible for you to NPC Dalzig long enough for us to get some healing? That is assuming he has some healing spells to give.
Maybe we can do some research in Diamond Lake on how to get rid of brown mold.
Being a bit of a coward at heart (and, at best, not much of a risk taker), Harlon could easily be convinced to return to Diamond Lake.
Shamus would definitely be in favor of returning to Diamond Lake. If he was concious, that is.
Rend would not generally ask for healing, though he does kind of need it. Although he would prefer to continue, provided they can get Shamus back on his feet, he might be convinced to return to Diamond Lake. Depends on how the suggestion is phrased. He's never retreated from something that wasn't chasing him...
I will be out of town from Monday, March 17, until Sunday, March 22. I might be able to post a few times during that time. Please feel free to NPC me as necessary.
Hey guys, just a quick note to let you know that I'll be out of town until Monday, and unable to post (going to spend a few nights sleeping in the snow... quite literally...).
Well everyone, I don't know what to say. As mentioned previously, I really enjoy my PC and the RPing with the other characters in the party, but it's disappointing to see that no one has posted to the in0game thread in the past week. Evidently, we all have busy lives, and we can't be faulted (quite the contrary) for giving higher priority to work, family, significant others, etc., than to a PbP game.
That having been said, although I do not particularly want to drop out, I am seriously considering doing so because of the painfully slow pace of the game. The following comments may seem unduly harsh and aimed at a particular individual, and I don't mean for them to be hurtful or accusatory (problem with text-based on-line media, where tone and body language cannot be conveyed)...
Given the slow pace of the game, I must admit that I am somewhat concerned that our DM is trying to run three PbP games at the same time, even though posting regularly to any one game seems to be a major challenge. To be honest, I only expect the posting frequency to decline in the future, despite assurances to the contrary. So I really don't know what to do... quit and move on? Try to work out some other kind of compromise (I really love the character I'm playing and would love to see him grow and accomplish great deeds, but...)? I apologize again if this post seems harsh, that isn't the intention... but I must admit that I am becoming quite frustrated with the situation... Believe it or not, I'm very busy too (with work and preparing for a possible promotion in the very near future, with my significant other, with home renovation projects, etc.), so it's not like I can't relate. But I do believe that we must be honest with each other, and if some of us have got too much on our plates, then something's got to give... and if that happens to be this PbP, then so be it... but making a firm decision and being able to stand by it is a necessity, if only for the sake of being respectful towards the others involved in the game.
I DO appreciate that the DM has given us a wonderful game thus far... I DO appreciate the effort that my fellow players have made to bring this game to life... I DO appreciate that other things in life are far more important than a PbP... so please tell me... am I the only one who feels this way? Am I over-reacting?
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration...
No, you're not overreacting (unless we both are, which is possible). I've been feeling the same way about this game. I like the game alot; I like the DM, I like my character, and I like the interactions he has with the other characters but its a little frustrating when I have to keep waiting to find out what happens next. I try to check the thread regularly but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere and if that's partially my fault I apologize. I'd love to continue the campaign but I don't want to keep going at such a slow pace.
I felt like we were quickly approaching the point where someone would have to say something. I have to admit that it is frustrating to log in every day and see the same number of posts in the game thread. I really want the game to continue, but I also want to be in a game that updates daily, or close to it. I'm reluctant to join another game and have been filling my PbP time by posting on the messageboards. I even started a 4E debate thread, which makes me thing that there really is a problem.
My ideal situation would be for Sean to continue running the game and to decide that he can and wants to commit to more regular updates. Failing that, I think we need to know what frequency of updates we can expect and how often long absences of a week or more are likely to occur.
Sean, if you are still interested in running the game, but know that there will frequently be periods of a week or two where you won't be able to post, maybe you could find a second DM to fill in or share the workload? I don't know if that's a reasonable option or not, or even something that you'd want to do. But it might be better than throwing in the towel.
I guess the other options would be to look for a new game or for the players to try and find a new DM to step in. These seem like drastic measures so I would like hear what Sean has to say before jumping to any conclusions.
I guess the other options would be to look for a new game or for the players to try and find a new DM to step in. These seem like drastic measures so I would like hear what Sean has to say before jumping to any conclusions.
Thanks for your replies, Arctaris and Rend. Glad to see it isn't just me feeling this way (as a matter of fact, I just checked out Sean's Rise of the Runelords discussion thread, and there are some pretty disenchanted folks there as well... especially since it seems that our DM has made quite a few lengthy posts on non-PbP related threads in the past few weeks, yet no in-game contributions to his PbPs).
But I agree with Rend... it would be great to hear from Sean before jumping to any conclusions. Sean, I sincerely hope that you're okay (healthwise, personally, etc.).
Hey guys. No hurt feelings on my part. I understand. I really do.
Since I don't have time for RL games very much any more, this has been my primary source of gaming lately.
Anyway, I need everybody from my various PbPs in one place. Please all go here:
Due to a confluence of work, personal and health reasons, I'm afraid all my games are now indefinitely suspended. Which really means they are over, I think.
I'm sorry. You guys have every right to be mad at me for both the constant broken promises and the abrupt end. It's okay, I understand. I'd be upset too.
I really liked all the characters in all my games, and liked how the play was going. I think you're all great roleplayers, and the has been some of the best gaming I've ever played. I was really looking forward to where each of these campaigns was going.
I've got nothing else to offer, except my sincere apologies.
Please, everybody take care, be well, and good gaming. Each and every one of you brings a superior level of play to any game you play in. There's no hard feelings on my part, and I accept and understand if that's not necessarily the case in return.
I'm not leaving the boards or anything, but I doubt I'll be posting very much for a while.
Sorry gang. I'm really sorry.
It sucks and I'll miss the game a lot; you're a great DM and I love the group, but no hard feelings. RL concerns take precendence and sometime you just run out of time for other stuff.
No worries, Sean, and thanks for your understanding and for having given us a great game while it lasted. Deciding to throw the towel in can be pretty tough, but sometimes, that's the best decision to make. No hard feelings at all, just happy that we have closure on this. Best wishes to you -- I hope that your life (and health) eventually resume the course you want them to -- and who knows? -- perhaps we'll cross paths again someday...