Yes, sorry about that, I was getting excited at the prospect of action ;) I edited my post a bit after reading it so Varn's doing something without actually doing anything - even after the orcs have acted he'll still have to pick up a weapon/move etc
No worries, as I'm getting used to this dice roller. It seems to change some rolls intermittently, so we'll need to be careful.
That being said, the results I got might prove...difficult...for Varn....I'm just sayin'.... ;-)
On the subject of maps....I have Dundjinni and am pretty proficient if you would like maps made up.
If the dice roller gets to be too much of a pain we could use Invisible Castle, there was a player in another pbp I was in that used this site.
It's nice, you can do your rolls and compose your post with those results in notepad or simular, then make your post on the forums, it keeps the post troll from devouring your post only to find out he ate your natural 20 along with it. It also keeps a log of all your rolls, searchable by player name ect..
Having just been re-reading the range and distance rules, I gotta say... if one square is a scale inch or 2 real-world yards, then at eighteen feet long those are really serious draft horses. (The canonical "horse length" is eight feet.) Hey, it's a fantasy world.... :-)
I'm having a marvelous time so far; let's go get those orcs, assuming the wagon doesn't run away with us!
Having just been re-reading the range and distance rules, I gotta say... if one square is a scale inch or 2 real-world yards, then at eighteen feet long those are really serious draft horses. (The canonical "horse length" is eight feet.) Hey, it's a fantasy world.... :-)
I'm having a marvelous time so far; let's go get those orcs, assuming the wagon doesn't run away with us!
Um...yeah...that is pretty bad......
I'll fix that the next map.
Anyhoo, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Me too! I just hope Varn can control the horses with one arm!
If the dice roller gets to be too much of a pain we could use Invisible Castle, there was a player in another pbp I was in that used this site.
It's nice, you can do your rolls and compose your post with those results in notepad or simular, then make your post on the forums, it keeps the post troll from devouring your post only to find out he ate your natural 20 along with it. It also keeps a log of all your rolls, searchable by player name ect..
Yeah, I've used it myself, so I'm OK with it. In fact, just choose which roller works best for any of you. I'll be switching myself.
Torillan, what is the temperature? Ferguth's Elementalism rolls will be modified by the temperature.
Also, what is your policy on bennies? Another PBP game I have played in didn't refresh bennies for 1.5 years. :)
Torillan, what is the temperature? Ferguth's Elementalism rolls will be modified by the temperature.
Also, what is your policy on bennies? Another PBP game I have played in didn't refresh bennies for 1.5 years. :)
You asked me that earlier, but it slipped my mind. Sorry!
The temp is about 15 deg. F, so I believe that is a -1 to fire/heat effects.
And for Bennies, I'll make sure everyone has some for each encounter. How I'll do that, I've no idea at this point...
...for now, just tell me when you spend one, and I'll be keeping track to see who "cashes" in more frequently.
Hope that helps!
A couple options we have thrown around in other games that I have played/run are
1) Pulp - at the beginning of every combat, everyone gets a benny. Think this is detailed in Triple Ace Games, "Daring Tales of Adventure.
and
2) Bottomless Bennies detailed on the Savagepedia.
Er... oops. Ah, new rules to learn! -2 from instability plus -1 from encumbrance is a bit much on a d6 Shooting roll. No bonuses for my quick set of sassy couplets? :-)
May I change my action to involve bounding off the back of the wagon (ending up, say, in square G14, near Ferguth), then firing from there at the left-most orc (Q13)? I'll re-roll if requested.
I also thought about casting Boost Trait on Varn's Driving, but the orcs seem a rather pressing concern. Though maybe not, once Ferguth breathes and Rindilnir takes another whack....
Torillan, thanks for the clear and regular map updates!
Serin quickly composes a poem in the style of the Jade Empire across the sea.
Unstable wagons
Get in the way of shooting.
Leap on out instead?
May I change my action to involve bounding off the back of the wagon (ending up, say, in square G14, near Ferguth), then firing from there at the left-most orc (Q13)? I'll re-roll if requested.
I'll say OK, since I'm sorta new to the rules myself (forgot about the stable platform bit!). I'll reflect Serin's new position on the Round 3 map. We'll say he spent his turn scrambling off the wagon (no wasted ammo). I do hope Varn can stop the wagon, tho. He needs Rindilnir's luck with the dice rollers! :)
Torillan, thanks for the clear and regular map updates!
You're welcome! In my regular group, we love battlemaps and mini's, so I wanted to re-produce that the best I could. Thanks again for the tip on the battlemap link...they are awesome!
We'll say he spent his turn scrambling off the wagon (no wasted ammo).
So does that mean Serin does get a move (exiting the wagon) and his normal action (firing at the orc, presumably with dice as rolled)? Just want to be clear before Round 3 begins, and obviously your decision is final.
Thanks again for the tip on the battlemap link...they are awesome!
Glad you're enjoying them as much as we are!
One thought on the current round: Varn (though he's kinda busy already!) and Ferguth might have wanted to see what the orcs were up to before making their own decisions; I presumed the recent silence was them waiting for a report on the orc maneuvers. That's at least one consolation to coming late in the initiative order: that you can react to others' actions, even if you can't drive the agenda as much yourself.
Ferguth's decision on where and how to aim his cone of fire, for example, might depend on where the orcs arrange themselves between him and Rindilnir. Of course, that puts you as GM in the position of posting twice per combat round, once for the initial set-up and map, then again for the opposition if people are waiting on them, which might be more trouble than it's worth. Just thinkin' out loud and considering this new (to me) play-by-post venue.
So does that mean Serin does get a move (exiting the wagon) and his normal action (firing at the orc, presumably with dice as rolled)? Just want to be clear before Round 3 begins, and obviously your decision is final.
One thought on the current round: Varn (though he's kinda busy already!) and Ferguth might have wanted to see what the orcs were up to before making their own decisions; I presumed the recent silence was them waiting for a report on the orc maneuvers. That's at least one consolation to coming late in the initiative order: that you can react to others' actions, even if you can't drive the agenda as much yourself.Ferguth's decision on where and how to aim his cone of fire, for example, might depend on where the orcs arrange themselves between him and Rindilnir. Of course, that puts you as GM in the position of posting twice per combat round, once for the initial set-up and map, then again for the opposition if people are waiting on them, which might be more trouble than it's worth. Just thinkin' out loud and considering this new (to me) play-by-post venue.
I've been posting my actions as Torillan suggested...in spoilers whenever you can, instead of waiting for the order. I try to make the actions vague enough that they can apply, but then again specific enough.
If Ferguth can't get two orcs in his blast, he can't get two in his blast. If we wait for everyone before us to act, it could drag on a while.
Just trying to keep the pace of the game up. If it would be preferred that we post in initiative order, I am fine with that.
I've been posting my actions as Torillan suggested...in spoilers whenever you can, instead of waiting for the order. I try to make the actions vague enough that they can apply, but then again specific enough.
Just trying to keep the pace of the game up. If it would be preferred that we post in initiative order, I am fine with that.
No, go ahead and post when you can, in spoiler mode. I am OK with one or two "If...then..." options listed for actions. So please post when you can, and if you give me an option or two based on what you perceive may happen round to round, it will help speed things up a bit.
Hey guys, sorry for the short notice but I need to go out of town for the weekend. I'm leaving Thursday morning, and I unfortunately won't have any computer access.
I will be back Monday the 27th late, but I can resume posting the next day. Soo let's just put us on "hold" for right now. I will try to get the next round up tomorrow (Wed.), just to get one more round done (we might actually finish the battle!)
Thanks for understanding, and I'm immensely enjoying the poetry.
Are ya back yet, Torillan?
Bump?
Beat me to it! Torillan said he was away til the 27th but there's a post dated the 26th, and another on Tuesday... Didn't seem the type to just disappear, especially given how well the game was going, but that's pbp I guess ;(
I recind my last note....odd that he would post under a different alias on Monday and not here. That kind of tells me he isn't interested in running the game.
Maybe its time I brush off my DM hat.
I recind my last note....odd that he would post under a different alias on Monday and not here. That kind of tells me he isn't interested in running the game.
You are correct...I did lose interest. I'm a little burned out.
Its been a hectic past couple of weeks, and I'll admit that some days I didn't feel up to posting. That and time was in short supply some days. But the main thing was I wasn't man enough to come out and tell you guys. Well, I'm here to do just that.
So I offer my most humble, heart-felt apologies for stringing the group along. I should have realized exactly how much of a time investment something like this could be, and to let you guys know it was becoming difficult for me to post regularly. I wanted to make the game fun, and that took more time than I could muster some days. Overnight shift work can wear you down fast. I had thought my work schedule would change, and it did very briefly, but we had another person quit and I ended up picking up a few extra shifts. But I didn't let you guys know that, and it ended up hurting the game, and your trust in me. Even though I haven't met you face-to-face, I can't live with knowing that I let someone down. Its just my nature.
I don't really have a good excuse for not posting here once I got back from my trip. I tried for a day or two to re-read what had transpired before and continue, but I lost motivation. I've been in a few PbP games where the GM vanishes completely, with no apologies or "Goodbye, I've had it.." notes. I'm better than that, though, and I want to clear the record so I don't leave any bitterness behind. You guys have been great, and I hope you forgive me for abandoning you. Maybe I'll find another game where I am a player, which isn't quite so time intensive.
Well, I think I've rambled on enough, so I will say I'm sorry once more. Please accept my apology, and know that I have enjoyed your company here. Thank you for sharing it with me.
Well I'm sure I speak for my fellow players in saying that is a real blow. As a veteran of coming up for 1 year of pbp games, I've collected a folder of 'dead games' - sometimes the players drop out, sometimes it's the GM, sometimes games never get beyond character creation, and other times you get a better feeling about games which might last - and this was definitely one of them. I can honestly say I've never had such good fun at the character generation stage and putting the party together as I did here; I still don't know what made me even apply to the thread given I knew nothing about the system or the setting, but while I'm extremely sad to see this game go the way of all flesh, having burnt out myself the only time I tried to run a game, I can sympathise with the 'pressure', and I don't even have a high stakes job to keep me on my toes. Thanks for the game anyway.
If anyone wants to take over, I'm in. If not, then I'll definitely keep my eyes open for the rest of you in future to try and get into a game together again - the Sundered Skies games on MythWeavers has 3 of us and I hope that goes on, but so far it hasn't hit the heights of this one.
I've just started running a game for a couple of friends on ENWorld (my username is the same). I've got a long-term plan (which I will be very surprised it it works!), but as the campaign progresses there will be occasional guest slots available - I'd have any of you gladly if you ever find yourself over there in future.
If others want to continue this game from where we ended, I can pick it up. I'm not in town over the weekend but should be able to pick things back up on Monday if you like.
Torillan, if you want to give it a try from the players end of things, you could play Ferguth, or make up your own character.
I'll be back on Sunday night and will check in to see if others are still interested. I do love my Savage Worlds.
I'm new to play-by-post: this game and the Sundered Skies campaign are my first. But I echo what grufflehead said about the cohesiveness of the party design and the fun of the opening scenes.
Ferguth / Chris, if you want to take over the reins, I'll happily continue playing. My experience with Savage Worlds is less, but I'd also be willing to take a stab at the GM seat if that's necessary. (In terms of time, I find myself unemployed at present, though I'm actively searching. Anybody know a Houston-based outfit that needs a good technical writer / desktop publisher?)
So, yes, I'm definitely "in".
I'd be very happy to continue as stated. This was my first exposure to SW so I'm also getting the benefit of learning the system from people who know it, and I hope (if I ever get a face to face group again) to introduce them to SW.
Ory - coulda fooled me that you are a novice ;) If your professional stuff is as good as your posting, I'm sure it won't be long til someone hires you, so good luck with the job hunting. I briefly considered tech writing once but was too scared to give up my current line to go back to school and try striking out into something else.
Sad to see you go DM Torillan but I totally understand.
If you wanna keep it going Chris, then count me in :)
I love my char and the group dynamic... good stuff!
Then consider it done. Give me a day to get things put together. Torillan, as I said, if you would like to play, you are welcome. Just let me know either way so I know if I need to find a new lorekeeper.
I am going to assume the orcs took no damage from Ferguth's flaming breath. I am also going to assume the orcs are typical orcs from the SWEX book, as I don't have access to the mod currently.
Chris, how do you want to do posting and initiative? Stick to the order of cards drawn, or if we aren't directly affecting other people just post when we have time to speed things up?
post when you have time, in a spoiler. if something changes that may change your action, I'll either use my best judgement to make you act in the spirit in which you posted, or if it is critical, I'll ask.
but yah, go ahead and post your actions in a Spoiler whenever youc an. I'll compile things.
Alrighty, looks like Torilian isn't up to play either. I'll see if I can get interest for another lorekeeper type. I'd rather not have a character and run the game, unless you guys don't mind.
I'll see if I can get interest for another lorekeeper type. I'd rather not have a character and run the game, unless you guys don't mind.
I wouldn't mind you NPCing Ferguth, though I know that running a character who is effective without taking the limelight, and who gets reasonable ideas without benefitting from GM knowledge, can be a tricky balance.
On the other hand, my wife was reading over my shoulder last night and expressed some possible interest in the game. She played an arcanologist in the one-off convention demo where we learned about Hellfrost, back in February. I've sent her the links to the play and OOC threads, so she can see what she thinks about our favorite hard-of-hearing hard-drinking lorekeeper. What would you guys think, if she's interested, in handing off Ferguth to a new player?
i would be very up for that. Don't get me wrong...I love Ferguth. I just hate...as you said...playing an npc who may get limelight.
I'm fine with you NPCing Ferguth, Chris but would shutter at the workload of running a char and DMing. I very much appreciate you picking up the DM mantle. ;)
Oryzarius, I think it would be great if your wife is interested in picking up Ferguth.
Also I must say I like the bennines rules, they seem a good match for the pbp format. Any ideas for handling advancement?
All sounds good to me ;)
There are pretty definite places to hand out experience. Don't worry about that.
Oryzarius, if your wife is really interested, we will have to get her set up with a messageboard login and a profile for Ferguth. I doubt I can just transfer the alias, but it should be easy enough to copy and paste the information.
Weekends are notoriously difficult for me to get online. I'll try to do it, but I can't guarantee it.
Please indicate if there is anything more you wish to investigate or if you would like to move on.
Oryzarius, is there any more word on your wife playing?
I will be out of town Thursday eve through Sunday late afternoon. I will have access to a computer but am unsure how much time I will be spending on it. I'll be back, though!
Alas, the departure of a couple of employees plus the arrival of some new projects means she's been bringing more rather than less work home of late. It looks like the game won't become a family affair, though she asks that I keep her posted on our adventures.
For what it's worth, I like the way Ferguth has been present in spirit but inconspicuous in effect. That's good game-mastering. :-)
Alrighty then, I will use him as a plot point.
Well, drat. I'd half-composed an Army marching song for Wulfric when I noticed that Healing magic, like the skill, has to be applied within the "golden hour" to do any good. And even Boost Trait (Vigor) would only make Wulfric feel better for about eighteen seconds.
I guess it's on you, Varn. Sorry! :-/
Alrighty all, as we are now in town, I am going to give y'all a little experience, Everyone gets 3 experience for getting to Dunross, and for excellent roleplaying. If you can do me a favor and post yout total XP and Bennies in your character section, that would be great.
Thanks!
Hope everyone had a good holiday season. Thanks for sticking around. Shortly I will be creating a new thread to carry on the game. Now that I have a GM profile, I'd like to really make it my game by changing the thread name :)
Shortly I will be creating a new thread to carry on the game. Now that I have a GM profile, I'd like to really make it my game by changing the thread name :)
Sweet!
Great! Will update my profile now.
'Tis done. Thanks for taking on the game so thoroughly as your own!
I presume, since we were given an advance at start of game, that 3 XP takes us to a total of 8. Or was that first advance just a freebie? (It makes a difference for things like stat advances, which can occur only once per rank.)
You are correct that you now have a total of 8xp. Glad you guys have stuck around.
Thanks to you for taking over the game. I've seen 3 or 4 other Hellfrost games on various other boards (but all running the same game so I haven't joined any) and it's a setting I like so I'm pleased that we're still going here. I look forward to playing for a while, and would actually float an idea now with the rest of you (not looking for an answer, just musing) - although I suspect we'll be at this adventure for a while, if Chris wants a rest after this (and go back to playing Ferguth) then how would the rest of you feel about all of us taking a turn at running? This is a great group and I really enjoy gaming with you guys.
The pre-written adventures are easy to get hold of, and I'm contemplating picking up a couple of the books.
I've mentioned this elsewhere but Cubicle7 are having a sale until the 9th, and the Bestiary, Gazetteer and Encounters book are part of it.
I'd be fine with troupe-style GMing; though I've never played the game, Ars Magica has always intrigued me with its rotating GMs in a common universe. And my long-deceased face-to-face GURPS group used to rotate GMs (each with his own episodic campaign or one-shot) every 3-4 weeks, which kept everyone flexible and up on the rules.
I'm thoroughly enjoying both this group and the Sundered Skies campaign over on Myth-Weavers, and I have no doubt it's in large part due to the common player base. By all means let's do what's necessary to keep it together.
I've picked up all the physical Hellfrost books that are available (Player's Guide, Bestiary, Gazetteer, Encounters, and Rassilon Expansion on pre-order), but I'm reluctant to read some too thoroughly (such as Encounters) and shying away from the PDF adventures, because I don't want to spoil possible future events in this campaign.
I love the idea of swapping around the GM duties, though it will require either restraint in purchasing/reading on the part of all involved, or some pre-planning of the order of events, or a willingness to ditch the published materials and whip up an independent concoction. But those are all viable possibilities, to my eye.