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Hi all!
I'm a player in a Curse of the Crimson Throne game that got past the first adventure in the Old Fishery and a few days of the city being wracked with riots and other upheaval. Unfortunately our GM has bowed out and our party finds itself adrift in Castle Korvosa in possession of a valuable brooch.
Audria Human Paladin of Shelyn played by AdamWarnock
Pippip Ooray Halfling Bard played by Chainmail
Dalmano "Dal" Imperiosus Human Urban Witch played by Chapel36
Lania 'Shrike' Fordyce Half-Elf Vigilante played by Cinnabar
Abella Tribastarion Half-Elf Shaman played by Hrothdane
I think we have a fairly good dynamic going between the players. If you want to know more, please feel free to ask away.
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Hi, I'm one of the players and just wanted to confirm what Cinnabar said. We've got some fun things going on between characters and we're more than happy to work with a GM to help however we can.
Also, since I'm aware that I've got a lot going on with my character, I'm happy to rework things to make it easier on anyone wanting to take over.
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Hello everyone.
I saw this thread last night before going to bed, and immediately got excited after skimming through the character profiles. Curse of the Crimson Throne is one of my favourite APs and it looks like you all put in a lot of effort to tie your characters to the AP's setting. Haven't read the gameplay thread yet, but I did read through the last few pages of the Discussion thread, so I wanted to do a quick fit check with you all before anything else.
I am not the most experienced of GMs. I ran the first book of CotCT for an in-person group, converted to D&D 5E rules because that's what they were most familiar with. I currently run two other APs on here, War for the Crown, approaching the end of the second book, and Kingmaker 2E. I started an Age of Ashes game a while back, but I had to bow out as a GM - partly for RL reasons and partly because I had lost my enjoyment and motivation in continuing.
So, here are a few things about my style of GM'ing, as well as a couple of things I'm not so good at.
- I approach TTRPGs as collaborative storytelling. I get excited about RP, character arcs, NPCs, inhabiting an interesting setting and weaving individual strands into the main story.
- Combat-lite. As a player, I tend to create more support-oriented characters. As a GM, there will almost always be non-violent solutions to encounters, if players want to pursue those. Some combat will be unavoidable, but even then the opponents might surrender, or try to flee. I struggle with incorporating PCs built around combat.
- PCs Are Precious And I'm A Softie. I avoid killing PCs in my games. As a player, I find it extremely demotivating when my character dies, and I don't have the heart to inflict that on others. Unless, of course, that is what the player wants.
- Not a rules lawyer. I admit that my grasp of the technicalities and minutiae of both 1E and 2E rules is not amazing, so I'm always happy for more knowledgeable people to step in and correct me, or to make suggestions. I prefer RaI (rule as intended) over RaW, and I'm quite liberal with granting permission for exceptions and tweaks in character builds as long as we discuss it in advance.
- I usually tinker with the AP as written and steal add bits from elsewhere. I make Miro boards and spreadsheets to keep track of my ideas. For my IRL CotCT game I made a bi-weekly newspaper, the Korvosan Times.
Where I draw the line:
- Inter-player conflict. I've been a manager for 12 years in my line of work, and mediating conflicts before team members has been invariably an awful experience for me. I am not looking to do that in my hobby as well. If two players are in conflict OOC that is for them to sort out (or not).
- Graphic depictions of torture and SA. If we end up playing together I will ask everyone what their lines and veils are, but these are my hard lines. I am also uncomfortable with character backgrounds or RP that leans heavily on in-world racism and other forms of discrimination, especially when parallels are drawn with real-world populations by either the Paizo writers or the players. I think this last part is important to mention, since Varisia is a little fraught in that regard.
- Related to the above - OOC discrimination of any kind, either aimed at myself, at another player, or in general.
Feel free to look at my profile and my other games, I'll be happy to answer any questions you have.
Hey! Thanks for posting and expressing your interest. I think the others will be excited to see that someone's willing to take us in. :)
I plan on taking a look at the games you've been running, but don't know if I'll get around to it today. Hopefully the others will chime in and let you know what they think, but as for me, I don't have a problem with anything I've seen so far.
Again, thanks for offering to step in. We really do appreciate it.
Yes, thank you for considering us, Kittenmancer. I'll be able to offer more thoughts later tonight or tomorrow, but just looking at this, I'd certainly be happy to have you on board!
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Glad to see someone step up to take over.
I’ve been spending most of the day going over both the in-game and discussion thread, and from what I’ve seen this group deserve another chance to keep the game rolling.
I came very close to convincing myself that I have the time and energy needed to GM a PbP AP, in spite of my better judgement. Really hope third GM’s the charm for this campaign.
The newspaper is extremely cool and I'm very impressed by what I've read in the War for the Crown and Kingmaker 2e gameplay threads. Most of the items about your GMing style and lines sound absolutely fine as well, Kittenmancer. There are only two things that I anticipate could be pressure points at all.
First, we are just coming off an issue with some of the players feeling like we were moving too slowly with the plot/lingering too long on RP and side story stuff that wasn't relevant to everyone. As a player I plan to be more mindful of my contributions to this in the future, but I do want to be sure you are aware that as a group, we'll probably be kind of chomping at the bit to progress the plot right now.
Second is a personal note. I like RP... and I also like rules. I like rules so much that I usually play wizards and gishes, not melee characters like Shrike. I don't like houserules that are not clearly defined from the start. It's really important to me for the game to feel fair and not like Calvinball. I will not ask to retcon something that has already happened in a combat or argue with GM rulings on the many questions with no clear answer, but if I notice that something has gone down in a way that is definitely not congruent with the ruleset, I will point it out for the future. I know you say you are happy for corrections and suggestions, which is also my ethos as a GM. But I only want to be constructive and collaborative. If I end up doing this too much and annoying you, please tell me. I won't be offended. Also I don't mean this to say that I never make mistakes with the rules - I do sometimes, of course, and I also want them pointed out to me.
That's all I can think of. I'd be really happy to have you as a GM.
Same here, even if I'm probably the main culprit for side-quest-itis in this game.
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Thank you for the feedback, Cinnabar et all, here's what I am thinking of to address your points.
I haven't read the full gameplay thread yet, I'm on page 6 now and planning to finish reading by the end of this week.
Plot moving too slowly
- For now: move straight into the main plot again and try to aim the party in the same direction with some clear goals.
- For the future: trim fluff as needed and try to keep momentum. An example would be cutting combat encounters that are there just for the XP budget (not an issue if we do milestone leveling as I believe you have been doing). RP that involves only 1 or 2 PCs can be kept in spoilers alongside the main action track. Present optional content and flavour encounters, but don't push it if people don't want to engage with it.
Rules!
I don't have really have house rules, beyond "I don't like to kill PCs", and I am willing to bend that if it makes for cool RP/character arcs. I just wanted folks to know that I will do my utmost to keep their characters alive, unless otherwise instructed.
Understood on the retcon part, or changing rules on the fly. I don't change the rules beyond making a call on "should this be possible, the rules are fuzzy" situations. I will also try not to retcon and just roll with non-critical mistakes when they happen.
When it comes to mechanically complex characters, I view it as the player's responsibility to know their character's mechanics and how they might interact with other rules, so if you tell me this is how your character works and this is what they do, I will trust you. I might occasionally ask for a double-check on something if it's not clear to me, and for the rest let people play their PCs how they like, provided that their fun is not interfering with anyone else's fun.
While waiting to hear from the other players, I'd like to share a bit about myself. I was born and raised in Eastern Europe, so English is not my native language and I also lack familiarity with a lot of North-American culture and media (that Calvinball reference went right over my head until I googled it :D). I was an avid reader since I was 5 years old, and once I got through the school-mandated reading lists I dived into sci-fi (and later, fantasy) with great enthusiasm. (Also, I finally figured out the Abella-Cainabeth reference!) I got into TTRPGs through friends, back when THAC0 was still a thing, and played on and off ever since. As a fun fact, I used to work for the company that merged with White Wolf in 2006, so I got introduced to Exalted and Vampire the Masquerade pretty much by the people who wrote those.
I currently live in Portugal (GMT+1) with my partner and two cats. We both work in video game development and are huge nerds. Right now we're on a quest to eat food from as many different cuisines as we can, and explore this exciting country.
Hello, dear! Always a pleasure to see you, Kittenmancer!
My questions were the same as Cinnabar’s, who I think managed to communicate them well. I appreciate the thoughtful answers, and I think this can work :D
That all sounds wonderful, Kittenmancer. I also appreciate you taking the time and taking those questions seriously. I definitely don't mind the not-killing-PCs preference. And it's good to know you're not North American, so I can append links to my obscure cultural references in the future. :)
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@Abella: likewise! I've been greatly enjoying what I've been reading of your character so far (and it made me want to pick up The Locked Tomb series again).
@Cinnabar: thank you for that, I really loved your inclusion of obscure slang in the RP, but even more your appended translations. :D
I believe that we have 4 affirmative votes out of 5? I would like to have a consensus before moving forward.
I'm going on a short trip this week and I plan to continue reading through the Gameplay and Discussion threads. I will also be available to answer any further questions. If we do end up playing together, I will have some questions for you as well - you can have a think on them.
- How familiar are each of you with the general story of the AP? If you have played through (parts of) it before, or know the story, would you like me to try to make it fresh by adding some tweaks and twists? Nothing dramatic, as I doubt that I can improve on the original. :)
- Many of you have NPCs tied to your background - do you prefer being their voice yourself, would you like the GM to embody them, or a mix of both?
- What are your lines and veils? Lines being topics that should never come up, and veils being topics that can come up, but we gloss over them ('fade to black'). These can absolutely change during play as things come up, so never hesitate to bring up something that makes you uncomfortable. This AP touches on a few things that draw parallels to real life that some can find too close for comfort.
- Are there any storylines or elements tied to your characters that were discussed in private with previous GMs and you would like to keep or continue?
- Do you have any plans for your characters' future growth, mechanically and otherwise?
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(Dal's player here)
-I know nothing beyond the canon ending of the AP. I try to avoid reading AP's that I intend to run and I have never had the inkling to run this one.
-I think most of us would land on a mix of both.
-I think Paizo's guidelines are a good, uh, guideline.
-Nope.
-Normally, I like to plan my character out but, with PbP games, I've learned that anything beyond a general outline often leads to wasted time. I have an idea of what Hexes I want to take (specifically avoiding slumber because I've developed a hatred for that hex over the years) and I was hoping to pick up Improved Familiar at level 7 for a Silvanshee.
I've sent Chainmail a text. I had supper with him the other night and meant to bring this up with him, but never got around to it. He's busy with a work thing in my neck of the woods. I think he'd be okay with it, but I don't want to speak for him without knowing for sure.
I'll get some answers for you later tonight, GM.
- How familiar are each of you with the general story of the AP? If you have played through (parts of) it before, or know the story, would you like me to try to make it fresh by adding some tweaks and twists? Nothing dramatic, as I doubt that I can improve on the original. :)
I have both the original and Anniversary Edition of the AP. I have read the original through, but not the AE version. I remember most of the major plot points, but I'm fuzzy on a lot of the details. I have played through the first couple of parts of the first book at least twice and most of the second book once, but those were years ago, before the Anniversary Edition was released. I've also tried to run the original version once.
- Many of you have NPCs tied to your background - do you prefer being their voice yourself, would you like the GM to embody them, or a mix of both?
Honestly, I'd rather it be one or the other, and I'd feel more comfortable with the GM running them based on the description. I'm happy to answer questions or clarify things, but I'm always worried that I'm going to cause the GM issues if I run the NPC unless there's some pretty clear boundaries in place. I see them mainly as tools for the GM to use to tell the story they have in mind.
Okay, there is Talanaliel, but she's a class feature so she doesn't count! :P
- What are your lines and veils? Lines being topics that should never come up, and veils being topics that can come up, but we gloss over them ('fade to black'). These can absolutely change during play as things come up, so never hesitate to bring up something that makes you uncomfortable. This AP touches on a few things that draw parallels to real life that some can find too close for comfort.
I'm pretty much okay with whatever the Paizo Guidelines allow. I'm not comfortable with gratuitous violence and explicitly sexual scenes. Those I'd rather fade to black on, but I've found that I've got a fairly large comfort range. Just as an example, I've had to deal with a close family member committing suicide most of my life and have had my own suicidal thoughts crop up. I'm in a much better place, by the way, so no need to worry about me. Anyway, I had a character that tried to commit suicide herself when she found out about some of the things she did when part of a cult that she didn't remember. It didn't bother me, but it did bother some of the other players. I had to eat some crow that day.
So TL;DR: If sexy times are to be had fade to black, try not to be too gratuitous with the violence, and if Paizo is cool with it, I probably am as well.
- Are there any storylines or elements tied to your characters that were discussed in private with previous GMs and you would like to keep or continue?
So, remember when I said that I was the main culprit for the Side Quest-itis this game is suffering from? Yeah, there's a reason for that. There are a few things that we'd discussed before the previous GM departed.
Audria's best friends are Eliana and Trinia (AP NPC, that got okayed by the two previous GMs) One of the things we talked about was how to tie Eliana into the narrative of the AP, and it boiled down to Audria trying to save her best friend, Eliana, from Queen Illeosa. They were supposed to meet during this gala/remembrance thing. I think you already know how Trinia plays into all of this.
I'd included a previous run in with Devargo Barvasi in Audria's backstory that I thought would make for an interesting addition to that encounter, at least before I read more of Cinnabar's stuff for Shrike.
Similarly, I thought it'd be interesting to have Halvara be the madame of the brothel Audria's mother worked at during the first few years of her life. Halvara was the one that turned Audria out onto the streets after her mother died.
The last thing I'd definitely like to have is the relationship and talks between Audria and Brother Theolan and Audria and Bartholomew and Olga Holdt.
There's more that's more "I think this would be cool" and "I think it'd make a nice story" that I'll try to compile into a google doc or something. I think this is most of the important stuff.
- Do you have any plans for your characters' future growth, mechanically and otherwise?
Do I? Oh boy, you bet I do!
My whole concept around Audria is growing into a role that you feel you aren't ready for and don't deserve. There's been a little bit of that, but there's a lot more left in the tank. Knowing what's ahead, this AP is going to put Audria through the wringer. I'm hoping that comes out the other side a strong, capable young woman, and perhaps she winds up forging a new path for Korvosa, though that's a long ways off, if it even happens.
Mechanically, I guess besides continuing to be the party tank, I wanted to get improved familiar. My head canon for Talanaliel is that she's a celestial (Angel or Agathion or Azata that is NG instead of CG) that had most of her power stripped from her when she crossed over to the mortal realms. As time goes on and the connection between her and Audria grows, she'd get some of that power back. Completely up to you what you use this for, though I will point out there's a connection to a certain paladin's deity's brother and leave it at that.
Just heard back from Chainmail, he says he's good with Kittenmancer as our new GM. So that should be five of five, right? :)
Questions & Answers
The second thing is both mechanical and story-related. I have been laying the groundwork for Shrike to not only keep her vigilante identity after the immediate reason for it has been removed, but to take the Renown social talent at level 3. This post, this post (and its related conversation), this whole scene, and this post are related to that. These 'extracurricular' vigilante activities have taken place without involving the other PCs, and I intended to keep them secret, at least for a while, but eventually they will have to come out. I guess they're also related to question 3, above, because of her intended targets and mindset. While as a player I don't mind these things being touched on, Shrike as a character does not always have modern views on certain topics, and she doesn't care what the law says about anything. (Korvosan law is a bit horrifyingly harsh compared to modern sensibilities anyway, going by the crimes and punishments described in the Guide to Korvosa.) She will be quick to jump to violence against people she identifies as predators doing harm to the vulnerable, and has an in-character long-term goal to kill Pilts Swastel and Devargo Barvasi specifically for their abuses against women and girls.
I want to be very clear: she currently intends to track down these men, murder them in cold blood, and publicly display their bodies. If that makes her alignment change, that's okay with me. If, as Audria implies, we're going to meet the King of Spiders as a group at some point, she would have to be convinced to do anything like negotiation with him. If there's any reason that any piece of this doesn't work or would make anyone uncomfortable, we should discuss it beforehand and perhaps tone it down.
One obvious long-term possibility for Shrike's arc is for her to become the next Blackjack. I'm still not sure if that's a good outcome for her, though. Right now, her vigilantism is coming from a place of rage and helplessness. She has growing to do before ending up as a vigilante long-term could possibly be healthy for her; it could easily instead lead her down a dark path, toward being a serial killer, essentially.
I have a very busy next few days, so I will be thinking about my answers to these questions but will have to find time to squeeze them in. I appreciate your patience!
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Thank you everyone for the responses so far! I haven't managed to do much reading during my trip, but I'm back now, and tomorrow I'll ump directly to where the previous GM left off to try and get an idea of what needs to happen to push the main narrative forward.
Will make a GM alias at that time as well. Thank you for your trust, I will try my best to do justice to all your awesome characters and NPCs.
Is recruitment over?
And, just to make sure, this is still PF1e, right?
Yes and yes. Sorry, I guess we should have posted to make that more clear.