GM: I'm sorry you're still not feeling good.
Do you know what is going on with the Co-GM?
I'm hoping she's okay; she normally posts frequently and I thought she was going to post last Friday, but I haven't heard from her and I was wondering if she was okay.
If we don't hear from her tomorrow, I will bot her character, though I'm hoping she's doing okay.
Flynn, you do not need to bot Rain. If I require botting, I'll ask for it. Thanks.
Congrats on baby #4, Immortal. I wish your lovely wife all the best for the remainder of her pregnancy and for the delivery.
Just a bit of game business: Due to time zone disparity and my life becoming exponentially busier - with very little down/free time, I'm going to step down as co-GM and free the role up for someone with more time to take on the dual role of player and back up GM. I'll continue playing Rain. Thanks, guys.
I'll make a post as Rain later in my evening as I'm at work and this is my only brief break for the rest of the day.
Work day became much longer than I anticipated. It's 1am here and I'm done in. I'll post in my morning. Good night from this side.
Thanks for all your help Rain! I totally understand the need to tone down a bit. I will take you in whatever way I can...that came out wrong lol
Haha. Too funny. ;)
Tons of congrats, Immortal! That is awesome. Hope and pray the wife and baby all do well. :)
And I gotta say, I've never been part of a game with a Co-GM. RL or boards. That's definitely something new for me. I found it kinda strange to be honest. Only because I've never experienced it before though.
And I gotta say, I've never been part of a game with a Co-GM. RL or boards. That's definitely something new for me. I found it kinda strange to be honest. Only because I've never experienced it before though.
First time I saw it was on Table-Top games - but that was when the GM had about eight PC's to deal with... so the Co-GM would assist in combat as there was a lot more numbers to keep track of (remember, too; back then we only had hard copies of books, so you'd be in the middle of a fight and then 10 people would literally have to flip through maybe only 4 copies of books until we could find the rule you're looking for while everyone waits for the ruling :)
Also, sometimes the big party would try doing multiple things while we're waiting. So maybe we'd go to a town and the Bard and Cleric would want to gather information and buy healing potions. Meantime, the barbarian and the rogue would want to go find loot in some back-alley. Finally, the fighter, wizard and the other wizard would want to meet with the person “in charge” to find out what would further the plot.
So generally the "Co-GM" would take someone like the Barbarian and Rogue to do a little pick-pocket or banditry on the side for a fun combat while the GM would do the important plot stuff with the rest of the party, which was pretty fun and kept the game flowing when we had a big group.
In PbP's I've seen the same thing; some players like to write and do Social RP, others don't like that and just want to go to combat mode. Both styles are cool, but I think initially the Co-GM would be able to do some Social Interaction between us and NPC's...
Personally, I think that was a great strategy in our game.
Here, the GM knows how he wants Plot Combats to go, and while the GM's writing style is great, I really, really think that the Co-GM is a great writer and does a lot of great creative dialogue.
Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if the Co-GM was playing out someone like Tessa Fairwind when Horatio interacted with her, or even the Master of Gales when Horatio met him (to be honest; both I and Horatio are kind of glad the Co-GM didn't RP the Master of Gales; I got a hunch she would have smacked Horatio down HARD for his shenanigans ;) - the point is; the Co-GM is a very creative writer, she works very hard to make sure her NPC's feel very believable and realistic and I really love her dialogue.
Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the Co-GM eventually had to do more to help with combat (and I'm not sure, but I think she likes doing Social RP more than Combat); but I have a feeling this was happening even as Social RP was more complicated for her to try (like; how could she be expected to write Social RP between her and her grandfather, for example? The fun of her NPC Grandfather was finding out stuff from the GM about him; if she wrote it herself, would it be as fun? I don't know...) not to mention having to check with the GM for how to RP out other NPC's...
But with that said, while I love how the GM handles combat, I really loved the Co-Gm's style of writing - it's one of the main Out-of-Game reasons I was excited that Amen-set could latch on to Rain; it gave me a chance to RP with Rain with a character who was built/designed more to be able to chat with Rain - again; this wasn't meant to slow the game down, I like to RP and post and I've known Rain's writing style and I like to game with her, but I love to see her writing, and sometimes I like to interact with other PC's without having it be all about "plot". That's also why I had Amen-set develop a crush on Dhaavan; I've gamed with Dhaavan before and thought it would be fun to have a chance to do extra Social RP with him if he had the time.
I also tweaked Horatio's backstory on Level 2 a bit to make one of his instructors was named Matsudaira-noh-Uraga (an example of him can be found here so me and Jiro might have more to talk about In-Game.
I also initially had attempted a "love triangle" between Variel, Horatio and Rain - but when Variel won Rain, I had Horatio acting pretty sulky around him. Actually, I was really excited to look back over how the Social RP with me and Variel has developed.
Right now I feel like Horatio has not only a huge amount of respect for Variel, but he genuinely really likes Variel, seeing him as one of his favorite people on the ship. This was awesome for me because I honestly didn't plan for that to happen; it was an organic thing with character development over years of gaming and I really am glad it happened that way - by the way; Variel, if you're reading this, I'm glad things happened that way in RL, too :)
Of course, things change over time and as of now I think the GM has pretty much cut back on a lot of the Social RP for reasons, and at this point I think I'm still practicing habits that are causing un-intentionally causing issues, unfortunately.
So, for example; I used to RP with both Dhaavan and Rain and I remember clearly one night between the three of us we had over 25 posts on the board - just us three, back and forth without even a GM. But they were all just our characters having fun Social RP with each other; no plot stuff, just fun RP. The next day when other players came back to the board they were overwhelmed with the amount of posts and with all the back-and-forth we did (one reason that a Social Thread was created).
In fact, back in the day, Social RP was so important that the GM used to give us "boons" for making a certain amount of Social RP posts... He also created a mandate which insisted that we make at least one post a day (barring weekends) and if we'd be AFK for more than 24 hours to just let him know with a post on the Discussion Thread.
Again, that's also changed, but it's still a habit that I have via Horatio and I'm sorry for any frustration that may be causing.
Arguably all that recent stuff between Horatio and Amen-set in the past several posts should be on a Social Thread as it distracts from the game stuff. But since we don't have a Social Thread anymore (and to be honest, it's not like those two posts "cluttered" the board from the "Game Posts") I figured it would be okay to have them here.
That may be my issue, though. I like to write is the thing; my writing may not be the best, but I actually really, really enjoy it and I was excited to have a forum to use Creative Writing while at the same time gaming.
Again, this is an old habit and I'm still trying to balance out my style with what the game has changed to.
So, for example, when we made the NPC Engineer, I literally spent over 3 hours of real life coming up with backstory, philosophies via "Good/Evil" vs. how someone with certain Special Needs or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder would act - oh, and also, the name (name's take me forever).
When it was all done I was informed that this work was not something meant for this style of game and it kind of threw me.
Unfortunately, my desire to do Social RP or writing seems to be more of a problem lately, and for that I apologize. I've been told that my posts are either "Too Long" or "Too Frequent" and that generally they don't have to do with "Forwarding the plot" (so, for example; when Horatio asked repeatedly for NPC's to guard our longboat when we were on shore, that's because I thought that was a good tactical move; heck, even Star Trek had NPC's for their Away Teams).
What I didn't realize is that by making a post to explain the tactical thing I was just upsetting people as it was taking up space on the boards for things that have nothing to do with forwarding the plot (to be fair, I don't have the game book for this adventure; I did manage to find a link to the last game book toward the end of that Race at some point, but after the GM discovered this, it was indicated to me that I shouldn't be looking at the game books, so deleted the link and I didn't even bother to look for this book).
In any case, I'm doing my best to wing it here, and try to think of all the tactics/strategies I'd use to solve these challenges - some of those strategies are a waste of time, because the vibe I'm getting is that (for example) - although this island may be filled with dangerous monsters - no dangerous monsters will try to damage our longboat on the shore, so stop making posts about guarding it, you know? But it’s all good :)
In that same vein, all the things that Horatio suggested to Amen-set lately are things that she should have done if I was using those strategies; but they're not only not necessary, but completely counter-productive.
If I had done all the stuff Horatio thought was a good plan then the GM would have to make responses to all Survival Checks for Tracks in the dust/jungle mold which might have been growing on the ancient and abandoned tower floor; and Perception Checks for the various stages of the tower that we ascended as Amen-set and Rain circled it; not to mention the Spellcraft Checks, the potential Disable Device Checks and Stealth Checks for traps and possible enemies – and that's a lot of work that would just bog down the game and waste time since (very likely) I'm making this way too complicated with all that stuff.
Anyway, that's kind of a bit on my style of gaming and again - I know my style isn't everyone's style and I'm really sorry if how I've been doing things is compromising anyone's fun for the game, that honestly wasn't my intention at all.
That said; I'm now thinking that the stuff Horatio has been doing is not moving things forward and I think my RP is actually causing the game to drag a bit, and I'm sorry for that.
I'll do what I can to fix that soon - and again; sorry to everyone for if the extra RP or posts are causing issues... I promise I'll do my best to try to fix that in the future!
Cool – hope this response didn't come off as "too long" (I've been told some of my posts can be long), but I just wanted to try to explain my gaming strategy a bit, as well as my motivations In-Character. By the way, if I’m ever doing anything on the boards that bug you, please send me a PM and let me know and I’ll try to fix it!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Flynn, I'm not aware of any current issue that you're referencing via your post above (about compromising fun in game or wasting your time with tactics). Just wanted to preface my reply with that.
As to what could be on the island and what needs protecting, the party only knows as much as they've been told before coming to the island. And everyone's in the same boat (no pun intended). There's nothing wrong with making some speculation via narrative. If posts are on the long side, I find spoilers are good as the bulk of narrative can been tucked away, uncluttering the game play thread. If you want to address things with certain characters, then they too can be spoilered, titled to said character, as really, one on one conversations or quietly spoken ones aren't for general hearing anyway. This also helps people keep track of who is saying what and to which character.
The discussion board is great for asking things or a FYI, even for in character stuff to save time, especially if action has moved forward. One of my pet peeves are long (and multiple) OOC postings on the game thread. This isn't just directed at this game but any game I play in. The discussion thread is where the bulk of OOC conversation should go.
So, you can strategise here in quick, point form at any given time in game and ask the other players what they think. It saves time, negates the need for multiple long postings and is probably a quicker way to get an answer from other players.
As to the NPC Engineer, your work on that was appreciated, however, we also mentioned up front, the two NPCs would only be background characters to work for the group and were not to be played out in game. That aside, your time and work on the Engineer was not a waste.
I know that you enjoy writing and that is great. Just have fun with your characters. Some strategies work and some don't - it's the nature of things and not a bad thing. If the group doesn't agree with them or certain strategies come to naught, just move forward, no harm no foul.
Good stuff, Rain. Totally agree.
Flynn, I'm not aware of any current issue that you're referencing via your post above (about compromising fun in game or wasting your time with tactics). Just wanted to preface my reply with that.
I sincerely appreciate your response :)
As to the NPC Engineer, your work on that was appreciated, however, we also mentioned up front, the two NPCs would only be background characters to work for the group and were not to be played out in game. That aside, your time and work on the Engineer was not a waste.
To clarify what I meant by that; what I thought was a waste was taking the time to come up with things like a Backstory, hair color, eye color, weight, height, age, quirks, personal habits and even a name as it seems those variables weren't necessary.
In any case, thanks for your words about the NPC.
I will be making a post on the Discussion Thread specifically about tactics in a moment and again, I'm sorry if any of my RP has caused issues.
PS: It's good to see you back, Co-GM :)
Regarding Tactics
At this time I have deliberately left Amen-set behind as I understood Rain was intending to talk to her and wanted to leave her available for that opportunity.
Jiro - you made a post suggesting your opinions on Horatio's desire to not wait for the trapfinder, which is you.
A small recommendation; if you have an issue with any of Horatio's actions (or any other player) it's just a suggestion, but I'd recommend that you use "In-Game" speaking/language, rather than thoughts/italics and narrative exposition. As of now, as Players we all know you have an issue with Horatio's action, but as Characters Horatio cannot respond to it without RP to create the opportunity.
Also, given that you feel it to be tactically unsound for the Trapfinder to not be on point, during your next post if you could indicate you're moving forward to the front of the party to aid the party by being on point searching for traps then that would be very helpful. Horatio would have asked you to take point In-Character but he does not want to tell people what to do when they're able to volunteer their services.
Finally, there has been no marching order established.
That being the case, I don't think the GM will update things on his end until we choose to do something specifically that requires him to make a response. That being the case, I'm going to do what I can to make sure that when the GM looks at the board next he will hopefully have something to respond to - hence Horatio's intention to continue to move forward.
Cool! Well, I hope that everyone's okay with Horatio's actions and I'm eager to see what happens next!
Entering the large building to the west, you see that it is a mess hall. Broken crockery litters the dirty floor. The wooden tables and benches seem fairly well preserved. Moving around the room it looks as if it was used at least within the past year by something or someone based upon there being less dust and dirt in certain areas.
I'm probably confused... i thought you said you went right, which is east... seijiro just checked to the immediate left to make sure nothing would come from that direction, then joined you to the east... i think there was too much confusion and now I'm not sure which direction we all went, but the intent was to go east with you all... if we all went west, that's fine too, but let's be clear about it. Imm, which way did we all go? lol... I'm so confuzzled.
Anyway - his statement about the place being haunted still stands.
I'm probably confused... i thought you said you went right, which is east... seijiro just checked to the immediate left to make sure nothing would come from that direction, then joined you to the east... i think there was too much confusion and now I'm not sure which direction we all went, but the intent was to go east with you all... if we all went west, that's fine too, but let's be clear about it. Imm, which way did we all go? lol... I'm so confuzzled.
Anyway - his statement about the place being haunted still stands.
No - you were correct :)
My initial intention was to pick a side then move from room to room making sure each room was safe. I picked the east side because that would lead us to the main gate sooner.
Generally I would have either moved my icon on the map, or mentioned the coordinates on the map, but for some reason I could not move my character so that's where I think the confusion was.
As it stands, we're now in the room to the west of the tower.
We know that the door to the immediate east of the tower was empty - but we don't know about any of the other rooms beyond that.
For ease it seems like a good plan is to just keep going in a clockwise position for the rest of the chambers, but I guess we'll see what happens next.
Possible Ideas:
At this time I don’t know what to do, but here are some ideas/suggestions we might try as tactics –
Right now the party is hearing voices, but for the exception of Rain and Variel, who are both Elves.
This could mean that if the GM (who has incorporated some ideas from Cthulhu Mythos before in earlier subplots of the game) could be using the idea that the ruins we’re in (which are close to the jungle) could be possessed by a dark power or spirits that are slowly driving the party insane.
I’m not sure if that is true, but I’ve assumed that such dark, cyclopean walls and features on some brooding, mysterious island could be effecting our mental stability via how Horatio has been acting lately. In which case, the cause would be a Medical Condition and might require a Heal Check to learn more.
It may also be a naturally occurring disease on the island – we did just walk into a room which was supposed to be a Mess Hall; that means that the remains of rotted food, coupled with potential Jungle viruses could be affecting the party via an illness. This could also mean that the reason Variel and Rain are not affected is because they’re Elves and maybe Elves are immune to a disease from naturally occurring stuff in nature – or at least resistant to it? Again – that’s a Heal Check to reveal more.
Doing a Heal Check might reveal more?
The place may be a means to trick us via Enchantment?
This would explain why the Elves in the party (who have a special resistance to Enchantment spells typically) don’t notice the affects?
However, the Detect Magic Spell should have picked up an Enchantment and it didn’t. Maybe someone with a better Spellcraft ability could learn more?
Have someone use Spellcraft to learn more via what we’ve found out so far about the lack of Magical Auras?
The other possibility is that the place might honestly be haunted. If that is the case then it would mean we have a ghost in this place. The fact that Variel and Rain don’t notice might also have to do with the fact that they’re Elves, and maybe Elves are resistant to the problems from Undead voices?
However, it is also possible something else is going on. If it is an Undead than I think that if Rajah used “Channel Positive Energy” it would affect a Ghost, even if we don’t see it? I don’t have that power, so I don’t know – but if someone with that ability has it, it could help find out more.
If it’s a “Nice Undead” like some kind of fairy tale story ghost, we’d need to learn more about the Ghost’s intentions. Most mythology teaches us that Ghosts can’t “rest” until they completed some task or something important needs to happen. If it is a Ghost then it seems like it’s mentioning a Stone and probably the one in the Tower, given its magical properties.
So far we don’t know more because we’ve not heard answers from the GM – but if it is a Ghost (the way Fairy Tales depict) then trying to talk to it is good, but it would be a lot better (I think) if someone used Diplomacy on it?
Other ideas for Diplomacy with the Ghost from Myth include –
1. Greeks/Romans would burn candles or incense for the dead to honor their passing – this showed respect and it symbolized the carrying of prayers to the heavens via the fire and smoke. We could offer it money or show some respect for it via burning a candle or something nice? If we do, Horatio would recommend burning things outside the room as he doesn't want it to suddenly go up like a spark in a grain silo.
2. Celts/Native Americans/Egyptians would offer gifts of food and drink for the dead, to ease the spirit in the Afterlife. I’ve been playing Amen-set as quasi-Egyptian so I debated if she would try offering it some sort of Food/Drink, but that seemed stupid as we’re literally in a Mess Hall and I’m pretty sure the Ghost didn’t need food for his final place of rest.
3. Norse/Egyptians would sometimes offer money or weapons for the dead in the Afterlife; typically those offerings were weapons used by a the fallen or money earned by the fallen. Maybe this guy wants a weapon or treasure he lost before he died? In which case, we might have to ask more follow-up questions to learn more before finding something for it?
Right, so this all assumes this thing is a ghost/spirit – it may not be; we might be insane, or diseased with some jungle plague. For now I’m “Holding Action” to see how the GM will respond via our initial questions, though; but then do follow-up questions (potentially) using Diplomacy Checks if we need to.
Best advice Horatio is not to worry about it here in the discussion thread. I have a good idea what it is from a meta game stand point from years of playing. If I am right then just let it unfold organically and you will appreciate it more in the end.
It's all good. To be fair, at this point I honestly don't know what to do, but since we can't do anything In-Game until we get more details I figured I'd try brainstorming a bit is all :)
GM: I fully intend to have Amen-set do something on her turn but I really, really felt it would be better to do that after the others have acted/left the room. However, I haven't forgotten her action, but for now I'm waiting to see what the others will do first.
Well, don't hold your breath to see what Rajah will do or you might be waiting a while. He's had a long day and has decided to call it a night, m-kay?
So let's not disturb the poor guy, thanks. :)
Well, don't hold your breath to see what Rajah will do or you might be waiting a while. He's had a long day and has decided to call it a night, m-kay?
So let's not disturb the poor guy, thanks. :)
Nice, very nice :)
To be fair, I thought it might be a sleep spell, too; but at this point I don't think so. Based on what Variel hinted at, I honestly think it's more likely we've been possessed via some Cthulhu-like monster or demon.. that being the case, if we want to purge a body of demons the old ways suggest fire...
Lots and lots of fire :D
Meantime, for unrelated reasons I don't know what else to have Amen-set do yet, but I guess I can wait a little longer for other people to post :)
GM: So - what happens now?
I was waiting on Amen-set to go but I'll move on.
Anyone heard from Dhaavan? He alright?
imm - in case you haven't noticed, site is not showing new posts on the campaigns tab... so might be slow getting responses... they said they'd be working on it today, but not sure when/if that might happen
sorry, yeah, i had a post eaten that became irrelavant by the time I saw it didn't submit, and the voices stopped talking to dhaavan.
I've also been pretty swamped, pulling as many hours as i can, and working on the final prep stuff for the wedding.
and if i hadn't mentioned here, i'm getting married a week from saturday, so it's just gonna be mad hectic.
No problem man. Also...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Hey guys!
Sorry for any confusion on my end; for some reason the site hasn't been updating properly and the only posts I've seen since my last Discussion Post on 11 PM.
However, it looks like when I actually clicked on either the Gameplay or the Discussion Thread directly I'm able to see that there's been new posts.
That said, I apologize again for any confusion!
And Dhaavan, congratulations!
CONGRATS, Dhaavan!!! That's so awesome... hope the wedding is amazing and the marriage too!
The site isn't updating for anyone, Horatio... they did a site update yesterday and something they did caused a glitch in the caching system... they are supposedly working on it today, but obviously it's not fixed yet.
CONGRATS, Dhaavan!!! That's so awesome... hope the wedding is amazing and the marriage too!
The site isn't updating for anyone, Horatio... they did a site update yesterday and something they did caused a glitch in the caching system... they are supposedly working on it today, but obviously it's not fixed yet.
Thanks, Seijiro!
I've had problems with Paizo before, but I've never had this issue - mostly it's just that their site crashes. I'll definitely keep an eye out the old fashioned way in the meantime, though :)
Congratulations and best of luck to you and your future bride, Dhaavan.
I recently noticed the boards weren't updating. I hope they fix the issue soon.
I have guests this weekend. I'll make a post much later in my evening. Sorry for the hold up.
Just putting this here to keep it off the Campaign Thread -
It's x5 if you have the run feat. Also, he's not going to see much while fleeing for his life lol.
Immortal, we can't move our tokens on the map as it's 'view only' (even logged in). Was that on purpose? Or can you adjust the settings? Thanks.
It's x5 if you have the run feat. Also, he's not going to see much while fleeing for his life lol.
To be honest, I don't know what he'd see. I was just hoping it would allow him to do something as opposed to just waiting :)
That said; where does he end up?
Spoke with Immortal. Dhaavan's still invisible as he shakes Amen-set awake, so she can't gaze up at him (Immoral momentarily forgot about the invisibility). Just thought I'd clear that up before Amen posted any following RP.
And Variel, I meant if your guy could say something next round. So, no worries.
Spoke with Immortal. Dhaavan's still invisible as he shakes Amen-set awake, so she can't gaze up at him (Immoral momentarily forgot about the invisibility). Just thought I'd clear that up before Amen posted any following RP.
And Variel, I meant if your guy could say something next round. So, no worries.
Thanks, Rain!
Meantime, if Amen-set is allowed to wake up, she'll be very happy to take some actions no matter who she's looking at :)
I'm assuming that since Amen is awake now she can take her action? Then it's the horrors' turn before we go again? Correct, Immortal?
I'm assuming that since Amen is awake now she can take her action? Then it's the horrors' turn before we go again? Correct, Immortal?
Rain; I'm totally good to go with that if I can. At this point it makes sense that Amen-set could act, but I honestly wasn't sure because it's a magical spell and I didn't know if I was able to wake up unless some kind of magical thing was done first.
If the GM lets me wake up, I'll have her take an action ASAP - also, thanks again for helping her :)
Immortal, we can't move our tokens on the map as it's 'view only' (even logged in). Was that on purpose? Or can you adjust the settings? Thanks.
Sorry that was in error, it's fixed so you can move around now.
Also Flynn, Amen is definitely awake based upon my saying "Dhaavan shakes Amen-set awake, her eyes flutter open, looking up at you from the floor where she lays prone." ;-P
Also Flynn, Amen is definitely awake based upon my saying "Dhaavan shakes Amen-set awake, her eyes flutter open, looking up at you from the floor where she lays prone." ;-P
Hey guys, my apologies for the mistake.
Between the car accident last week, the fire yesterday and working 32 hours since Sunday morning I've been a bit distracted. I must have missed that post, but I'll have something up soon, though.
On the bonus, during my second job I'm able to have internet access from time to time, so on the plus side, I may be able to post something else tomorrow afternoon, too.
No problem Flynn
Also I need to know what spell Amen is casting. Even if it doesn't go off this round I need to know what it is.
May not matter much, what with Seijiro running in terror for so many rounds, but....
Just a heads up. I will be leaving Thursday morning for a 4-day retreat at the beach that lasts til Sunday afternoon, then I have a Sunday night concert to attend. I will take my computer with me, but I may not be able to post much til after I get home. Please feel free to bot me if I delay the game at all.
On Monday, my dog goes into surgery and when he returns home on Tuesday, I will be on a full-time home care regimen with him. He needs to be walked with a belly band whenever he needs to relieve himself or get up to get a drink or eat, so it will be a busy time. (He's an almost 100 lb st. bernard puppy, so he can't be carried for these things).
I'll be able to post regularly again starting Monday, but perhaps not as frequently as usual for a while.... Anyway, sorry in advance for any lack of posting on my part. I will do the best I can.
No problem, just makes things easier going forward to separate the rolls you know. All good man ;-)