Hey Luke, is your aversion to Neutral Ground based on the new location or the old one? Assuming it's finished and available now, the East side location is much nicer than the West side one.
As for characters, I'd say pre-gens make sense for a one-shot if all the characters are supposed to have some shared background (I think Luke mentioned that idea). If the characters can come from "all around", then I suppose all we need is a starting point/region/ theme.
Next Sunday's no good (Dan, Ralph & I have a Metro meeting on Jan. 20), but I think Saturday's okay.
My aversion to NG is mostly just a mild distaste for impersonal environments and screaming adolescents. I'm sure it's just because I'm accustomed to playing in private homes and college dorms. I'll do some research with NG and Complete Strategist and work out the place.
I'll whip up a few pregens, but I encourage those who like to make their own characters to do so. If you do make your own character, I encourage you to post them here so everyone has a general sense of what others are capable of and we can begin with a bit of camraderie. I'll post my pregens here as well.
Your characters live in a place called Circular City; the surrounding world is called Weird World. As internationally recognized twentieth level characters, people come to you with all sorts of problems...
Alright I just statted up four pregens for our upcoming game. If more than four people sign up for this one-shot I can make more but again, everyone should feel free to make their own.
Kitiara, Mistress Padfoot
Caramon, Iron Heart Master
Dalmasca, Archmage
Urza, Hierophant
Sorry it's taken so long for me to get back to you guys. I've done a little research; the Compleat Strategist (btw, why is it spelled wrong?) is only open until 6 except on Thursdays for some reason. Neutral Ground has tables in the basement that can be rented for $2 per person for an entire day. This weekend is the next time I have available to game but unfortunately they have some kind of event going on then. So basically our options are: use a restaurant, wait until another weekend (the next I'll be available will be Feb 9) or use my apartment. I'd personally like to use a restaurant or my apartment; as Mandisa and Freehold are the only two who seem to be ready to attend I'm also going to have part of my regular group attend. Let me know what you think.
TS
Y'all interested in getting together next weekend to play & plan? Saturday or Sunday doesn't matter much to me, but my location preference is still Neutral Ground (it's central/easily accessible, and available next weekend). I've got a couple of character ideas I'd like to tool around with, either in a free-form one-shot, or better yet, in a Golarion/Pathfinder-based campaign. We can set up some dates down the line, and get some setting/character/setup ideas hashed-out, too, hopefully.
I'm good for Saturday at Neutral Ground. If you've got
character ideas, I'd love to iron them out over email
that so we can get right to playing on Saturday but if
you want to wait and hope that Icon shows up that's
alright. Though I doubt Nick will show anytime soon,
as he is working on about four different projects.
TS
Hey TS I know I was not able to show the few times we discussed possibly getting together over the past year because of my rehab/outpatient rehab, but I NEED to get back into gaming is there anyway I could get in on one of these NYC Paizo get togethers? If so email me at gsturchin@yahoo.com.
Well we're meeting up this weekend on Saturday, though it looks like it'll just be a planning meet. In any case, you're welcome to come.
TS
Well we're meeting up this weekend on Saturday, though it looks like it'll just be a planning meet. In any case, you're welcome to come.
TS
When and where?
When and where?Well we're meeting up this weekend on Saturday, though it looks like it'll just be a planning meet. In any case, you're welcome to come.
TS
SUM, welcome to the group! Last time we met up at Maui Tacos in Midtown, and the new digs for Neutral Ground was also a possibility.
For me though, I'm coming off a nigh-demonic cold-fevery-thingy, so I'm gonna stay home tomorrow and slurp hot citrus beverages. Haven't heard from any of the others, either, though, not sure if they too were beseiged by RL or they're just not free this weekend.
I'm kinda wondering if given our time schedules, if it might not be better to just reestablish chat for now, rather than focus exclusively on in-person meetups. While game-playing is fun, I'd rather swap stories online than have this nigh-endless spiral of scheduling.
[
SUM, welcome to the group! Last time we met up at Maui Tacos in Midtown, and the new digs for Neutral Ground was also a possibility.For me though, I'm coming off a nigh-demonic cold-fevery-thingy, so I'm gonna stay home tomorrow and slurp hot citrus beverages. Haven't heard from any of the others, either, though, not sure if they too were beseiged by RL or they're just not free this weekend.
I'm kinda wondering if given our time schedules, if it might not be better to just reestablish chat for now, rather than focus exclusively on in-person meetups. While game-playing is fun, I'd rather swap stories online than have this nigh-endless spiral of scheduling.
Thank you for the welcome. I look forward to meeting everyone whenever the chance arrives.
For me though, I'm coming off a nigh-demonic cold-fevery-thingy, so I'm gonna stay home tomorrow and slurp hot citrus beverages. Haven't heard from any of the others, either, though, not sure if they too were beseiged by RL or they're just not free this weekend.I'm kinda wondering if given our time schedules, if it might not be better to just reestablish chat for now, rather than focus exclusively on in-person meetups. While game-playing is fun, I'd rather swap stories online than have this nigh-endless spiral of scheduling.
I think that's a good idea. It's a shame that most of us have gone AWOL without a word, but life calls I suppose.
TS
It occurs to me that if it's so hard for us to get together to play, it'd be fun to get an online game going. If Icon or Nick is still up for DMing a galorian game, I for one would love to play.
It occurs to me that if it's so hard for us to get together to play, it'd be fun to get an online game going. If Icon or Nick is still up for DMing a galorian game, I for one would love to play.
We've been suffering from what I call cat-herding, which is a futile attempt to schedule. In a small group the loss of just one member is very damaging. It is by far the thing I hate most about face-to-face gaming, which is why I've dropped out of this thread for a while.
In recent years I've gamed mostly online, via virtual tabletop programs like OpenRPG, Klooge, and most recently MapTool. There are pros and cons to this style of play. On the downside, and this is huge, it obviously is less personal and interactive than face-to-face (FtF).
On the upside, players tend to focus more on the game, are less easily sidetracked, don't have to shlep a lot of game books around, and, most relevantly here, if there are no-shows and a quorum can't be established, nobody has wasted commuting time or humped through the rain or snow to attend a game that isn't going to happen. If the game falls through you can grab a beer from the fridge and watch a DVD in the comfort of your own home; no harm, no foul.
I've been thinking of DMing a new online campaign using my last homebrew world via MapTool and Skype (both of which are free downloads). If you guys want, I could just as easily do a Golarion-based game.
There are definite upsides to online games. The only problem I've had with them in the past is that because pbp/email action moves so slowly, it's easy to forget what's going on and to lose that sense of advancement, both in terms of leveling up and in-game social/fame advancement. But maybe with an experienced online DM like you it would be easier.
TS
There are definite upsides to online games. The only problem I've had with them in the past is that because pbp/email action moves so slowly, it's easy to forget what's going on and to lose that sense of advancement, both in terms of leveling up and in-game social/fame advancement. But maybe with an experienced online DM like you it would be easier.
TS
I don't do play-by-post, just virtual tabletop gaming.
Is that like playing over IM?
Personally, I would like to try out the new Golarion-AP, Curse of the Crimson Throne, but while the online options might be handy as a supplement, I'd prefer to game in-person. The social aspect of tabletop gaming is pretty much the #1 advantage it has over cRPGs. I think that there are more distractions at home than at the local gaming store, but YMMV.
I think the scheduling problems we're having wouldn't necessarily ease up by switching to an online format, but I'm willing to try it out, perhaps for a one-shot at first to get the hang of things.
TS, I believe Vexer's talking about stuff like this: http://rptools.net/doku.php or http://www.fantasygrounds.com/. If I understand correctly, the GM presents maps (w/ markers & appropriately obscured areas) and the players can communicate with each other & the GM either publicly or individually over chat (like IM) or with voice-over-IP (with headsets/microphones, I'd assume).
From past experience with trying to work over IM or conference calls, it's kind of hard to manage more than one conversational thread, which is sometimes necessary (or just happens) in a game. But if we mixed online play with face-to-face, I could be cool with that.
Personally, I would like to try out the new Golarion-AP, Curse of the Crimson Throne, but while the online options might be handy as a supplement, I'd prefer to game in-person. The social aspect of tabletop gaming is pretty much the #1 advantage it has over cRPGs. I think that there are more distractions at home than at the local gaming store, but YMMV.
I think the scheduling problems we're having wouldn't necessarily ease up by switching to an online format, but I'm willing to try it out, perhaps for a one-shot at first to get the hang of things.
TS, I believe Vexer's talking about stuff like this: http://rptools.net/doku.php or http://www.fantasygrounds.com/. If I understand correctly, the GM presents maps (w/ markers & appropriately obscured areas) and the players can communicate with each other & the GM either publicly or individually over chat (like IM) or with voice-over-IP (with headsets/microphones, I'd assume).
From past experience with trying to work over IM or conference calls, it's kind of hard to manage more than one conversational thread, which is sometimes necessary (or just happens) in a game. But if we mixed online play with face-to-face, I could be cool with that.
Disa's description of virtual tabletop gaming is accurate.
Virtual tabletop won't be any easier to schedule than face-to-face with respect to prior engagements and the like, but its a godsend in inclement weather. In the face-to-face group Disa and I have been in, I can think of three occasions in the last year when I humped my game gear to our game space in heavy rains only for an insufficient number of players to show due to the rain. My Spell Compendium got water damage in this way, and it sucks 31 flavors of a$$ to slog through a storm with a heavy bag of gear only to wait around for two hours for people who never show up, then slog through the rain again to go home. Bleah.
If people decide at the last minute that they are too tired or have to work overtime, as happens often, everybody else is at home anyway and they can relax at home without wasted commuting.
When I have work the next day, I can play an hour longer from my Brooklyn apartment than I could from a central Manhattan meeting place, because I don't have to factor commute time home.
As for Curse of the Crimson Throne...
The problem is that, being Paizonians, many if not most of us will be inclined to read the adventures as they are published, and thus will be privy to the things that are supposed to be surprises. Running published adventures is a lot less work for the DM, but reduces his creative input and opens the possibility for "cheating". I prefer to cannibalize published adventures to incorporate into my own stuff. That said, our face-to-face group still isn't finished playing "Crown of the Kobold King," which aside from transplanting it to a jungle setting I'm running straight out of the can.
As for Curse of the Crimson Throne...
The problem is that, being Paizonians, many if not most of us will be inclined to read the adventures as they are published, and thus will be privy to the things that are supposed to be surprises.
I hear ya, but I think it depends who GMs and whether they're "mixin' it up a little" or "playing it straight". I recall at the in-person meetup that there was talk of playing a campaign based in Golarion, but not necessarily following the published adventure path(s). We could play a homebrew adventure that just incorporates some of the info/concepts/locales/locals but uses a different plot (hell, it could even come from some other published AP).
Sorry about your SC book, btw. I recall traveling needlessly on at least one of those "big-soaker" days. To be fair though, it was *because* of the crazy-hard rain that our compatriots had to cancel abruptly (their apt. got flooded, IIRC). But yeah, online play would help us reclaim some otherwise "lost" playtime. I just wouldn't want to exclude the possibility of gaming in-person when it's possible, by setting up a game with distant players.
::wrestles away from the multi-armed wedding beast::
I'm in. Just wanted to confirm that. Golarion ahoy, whether it's IRL or VOIP or whatever. Dice at the ready. Perhaps wifey-poo will join in.
::sucked back into wedding void::
Disa's description of virtual tabletop gaming is accurate.
That sounds alright; only one step away from face to face gaming.
Virtual tabletop won't be any easier to schedule than face-to-face with respect to prior engagements and the like, but its a godsend in inclement weather. In the face-to-face group Disa and I have been in, I can think of three occasions in the last year when I humped my game gear to our game space in heavy rains only for an insufficient number of players to show due to the rain. My Spell Compendium got water damage in this way, and it sucks 31 flavors of a$$ to slog through a storm with a heavy bag of gear only to wait around for two hours for people who never show up, then slog through the rain again to go home. Bleah.
Yeah that sucks. In college I got sick of players just not showing up and not telling anyone, so I finally said "If you don't show and don't tell anyone that you're not showing, I drop an anvil on your character's head." I only had to do it once (well it wasn't an anvil, but that character was very dead) and after that nobody skipped a session without somehow letting me know again.
As to the problem of having read adventures before we start, I personally don't know anything about Galorian except a bit from the player's guide. But I also am not partial to that AP/setting, so whatever the DM wants is cool with me.
TS
So Vexer, are you cool with running the Galorian AP (that seems to be the consensus)? I think we should get some characters made up, start playing online and maybe have live sessions if we can ever get our schedules together to do so. I have a character idea that I'm just itching to play--I played him in a campaign once before but he died before he got to develop.
Is there room for a happy go lucky Mezzodude like myself?
So Vexer, are you cool with running the Galorian AP (that seems to be the consensus)? I think we should get some characters made up, start playing online and maybe have live sessions if we can ever get our schedules together to do so. I have a character idea that I'm just itching to play--I played him in a campaign once before but he died before he got to develop.
I'm up for it, depending on how the others feel, since I was planning to start a new online campaign anyway. Might not make it limited to NYCers only, though.
And yes, secretturchinman, you can play if your good with my schedule and house rules.
Let me adapt my homebrew notes to a Golarion basis; I'll work on it in the next week. Don't create your character until you see my guidelines.
I'm pretty sure things will start out with 1st level characters and play will begin in the city of Magnimar, in Varisia.
Sweet, I'll be doing some Galorian Player's Guide reading then.
And yes, secretturchinman, you can play if your good with my schedule and house rules.
I never have a problem with houserules. What is your schedule?
Fire. Except no substitute.
Woot! Just post a link to startup info when you're all set. Q: Is there a city map of Magnimar? The 2 Pathfinder players' guides just have maps of Sandpoint, Korvosa, and the greater Varisian continent. All I can tell from reading those is that the city's on a river bank, and there's a big-ass bridge (in RL, that could equally describe NYC or St. Louis *grin*).
Woot! Just post a link to startup info when you're all set. Q: Is there a city map of Magnimar? The 2 Pathfinder players' guides just have maps of Sandpoint, Korvosa, and the greater Varisian continent. All I can tell from reading those is that the city's on a river bank, and there's a big-ass bridge (in RL, that could equally describe NYC or St. Louis *grin*).
There is indeed a map; you can access it via this link.
There is also a ten-page guide to Magnimar as a backup article in Pathfinder 2.
As a brief description, Magnimar is known as the "City of Monuments." It was built on the site of the collapsed ruins of an absurdly huge ancient Thassilonian bridge, the Irespan, by a bunch of Chelaxian expatriates from Korvosa. It subsequently rose to become Korvosa's main rival. The Magnimarians take pride in decorating the city with monuments, dozens of which are scattered around the city. Magnimar is ruled by an oligarchical "Council of Ushers" with a corrupt Lord-Mayor acting as chief executive. It is a great seaport and is located at the edge of the vast swampland known as the Mushfens.
I'm starting with Magnimar because its an interesting setting with enough published support to give the players the flavor without so much that I feel boxed in by canon. I'm not sure at this point if the city is just a starting place or will remain the center of activity as the game progresses (assuming it does).
I'm working on a campaign "players' guide" now (well, really just character creation guidelines and a description of house rules), should have it ready for next week.
YAY! We are wed! YAY!
I can't wait to get started on this game- I just hope it doesn't collide with my other monthly game, but schedules can be rearranged. I'm really looking forward to this.
YAY! We are wed! YAY!
I can't wait to get started on this game- I just hope it doesn't collide with my other monthly game, but schedules can be rearranged. I'm really looking forward to this.
Ah, scheduling. How I do hate it. Its the reason we haven't started yet.
Okay, lets keep simple and draconian.
The game will run WEEKLY, from 8pm to 11pm (possibly going to midnight if its a bad time to break).
It will be on one of the following: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. New York City Paizonians wishing to play, post to this thread and state which among those four you cannot commit to on a weekly basis. Deadline to do so is midnight on Saturday, 3/8/08. The following day I'll post the player's guide and a decision regarding which night of the week we will play on.
IMPORTANT HOUSE RULE NOTICE:
Every player begins with three uses per session of a +1 luck bonus to any attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, announced before the roll is made. Every session the player misses or appears more than a half hour late costs one use/session of this bonus. Appearing on time for *two consecutive* sessions recovers one use/session, to the maximum of three. If at any point the player has *no* uses/session left (not including using up all your uses for that particular session), he or she is expelled from the game. At any point a player may notify me that he or she needs to drop out temporarily (meaning two or more sessions) and will receive favorable consideration for returning if/when the player wishes to do so.
Replacement players will be recruited online; I likely will accept non-NYCers for online play (I might do this at start if fewer than four NYC Paizonians can commit.)
I, as DM, might have to miss a session here or there due to my own scheduling problems, without penalty. If you feel I abuse the privilege, leave the game and/or set up your own.
Cool, I'm game, and so's Danny. My preference (not set in stone) is for Mondays, his preference is for Mondays or Tuesdays. I'm thinking of playing a Varisian character, so the article on Varisian culture in Pathfinder #7 interests me, but I can hold off on reading the issue(s) if they're marked as off-limits for the campaign duration. (I'll just add it to the stuff in my to-read-sometime-later pile...)
Thanks for the heads-up on the info/map on Magnimar. Vexer, you'll include game sign-up/initialization info in the players' startup guide? Like how to set up whatever software you want to use?
(PS: Congrats Freehold! *grin*)
Danny here.
I'm in as Mandisa stated. I got a chance to look over the Pathfinder material. Instead of a nomad druid, can I play a Spirit Shaman instead? I think that it would work nicely into the nomad's backgounds.
Much as I hate to say it, I really can't commit to playing every week on a single day. My work schedule is just too variable and I always work at night, so I will resign myself to checking in with the group every so often to see how the game is going.
TS
I will include all relevant software links. All the necessary software is free.
Spirit shaman is an acceptable class option; in fact, I'm rather fond of the class. However, as with every campaign I strongly encourage the players to consult with each other about what they wish to play before calling "dibs" on any particular character concept. Remember that party member with complementary abilities are more effective than random combinations!
Much as I hate to say it, I really can't commit to playing every week on a single day. My work schedule is just too variable and I always work at night, so I will resign myself to checking in with the group every so often to see how the game is going.
TS
Sorry to hear it, especially since you've been the most gung ho about playing, but I've suspected something like this would happen. This is the reason I hate cat herding.
Still haven't heard from Freehold or Secreturchin. Do you guys want in?
Still haven't heard from Freehold or Secreturchin. Do you guys want in?
Maybe they have no day preference? Alternatively, we could open it up to the "seeking players" forum...
Hey, sorry I took so long to get back to you on this, but we are still enjoying our week-long-still-in-shock 'honeymoon' (Read: sleeping until 2 pm EVERY DAY). I'm afraid I'm also in the same boat as Tequila, my schedule cannot allow for another weekly game. However, I do LOVE your point system for missing games, and I think I can make infrequent but regular appearances every other week(mainly if it's a week I get paid). Still keep me in, but know that my character will have to run on autopilot every now and again. I would happily work with the DM to create a round-by-round synopsis of what my character would do if I am not there in the flesh for my game, however.
I have to admit, this outcome is pretty much what I expected; I concluded a while back that the NYC contingent simply had too incompatible schedules to make campaign play likely. I was willing to give it a shot.
Sorry Freehold, it just doesn't sound like your schedule will afford you a new campaign; the maybe-every-other-session thing doesn't work. Let me know if you can make a serious go of a weekly commitment.
I'd recommend that the NYC Paizonians abandon any thought of regular campaigning. Maybe an occasional one-off combat scenario
would be doable, but thats more miniatures playing than actual RPGing. But by all means, lets hang together occasionally.
My online Golarion campaign will go forward, but just as that; I'll open it up to non-NYC players. Really the biggest advantage of online play is that the removal of commute considerations allows one to draw from a much larger pool of potential players.
Disa, I know you prefer face-to-face, so if the inclusion of remote players puts you off, feel free to withdraw. I hope you don't; you are a hella good roleplayer. When/if Bri and Marilyn get their schedule straightened out I plan to resume the Wednesday gamem face-to-face.
Yah, Dan & I are still in. Never tried actually playing on an online tabletop system, but we're both game to try. Depending how long the campaign runs though, I'll probably have to adjust my schedule come September 'cause I got into grad school (yeah!). *grin*
As for Freehold & TS, is the problem the weekday-night schedule? Maybe we could still try hanging out and doing occasional one-shot gaming on Sat. afternoons. Y'all are cool folks, and it'd be a shame to be cut off because of erratic work schedules.
Yah, Dan & I are still in. Never tried actually playing on an online tabletop system, but we're both game to try. Depending how long the campaign runs though, I'll probably have to adjust my schedule come September 'cause I got into grad school (yeah!). *grin*
As for Freehold & TS, is the problem the weekday-night schedule? Maybe we could still try hanging out and doing occasional one-shot gaming on Sat. afternoons. Y'all are cool folks, and it'd be a shame to be cut off because of erratic work schedules.
Congrats!
Just curious to see who's still around, assuming anyone notices this thread has been resurrected.
I'm still here, running darklight sisterhood games and kingmaker on a monthly basis, and joining ppl in manhattan when I can. Representing BROOKLYN!!
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Just curious to see who's still around, assuming anyone notices this thread has been resurrected.I'm still here, running darklight sisterhood games and kingmaker on a monthly basis, and joining ppl in manhattan when I can. Representing BROOKLYN!!
Monthly Kingmaker? Good God, that must be taking forever. I was supposed to start running Kingmaker for some of the kids at school this coming year, but with as busy as things should be the only way I'm doing a second campaign of anything is if it strictly involves adults (I'd love to start a CoC game, but I'm not holding my breath).
