OOC Thread

[NJWilliam]

There are a few options I can recommend for you guys. (No particular order)

Travel back to Malforten, patch up. Possibly talk to more townsfolk to see if there's a healer there or something.
Camp for a while. (Risk random encounters with night watches)
Keep going. (Risk random and planned encounters)


What do you guys want to do? Discuss in OOC Thread.


Arot is down 7 hit points, so his current total is 7. He also has an injured arm.
He's fine with pressing on, however.
Probably the most prudent is returning for a night, heal up naturally a bit and see about a healer.
Maybe the crocodile steaks have some value while fresh.
Where does everyone else stand with HP and spells?

[Mondego]

No issues with any of the choices. If we decide to camp let’s find someplace out of the way but where we can still see monitor the crossing in case Griznak and his men decide to head to town.

Hp: 8/11

[max_vale]

I'm cool with any of the options; note: I can memorize 3 cure spells for the following day if needed; but I really don't much care to do this....I prefer to have a bit more variety in my spells; but will do so if that's what's called for.

[mithrandir138]

I'm cool with any of the options; note: I can memorize 3 cure spells for the following day if needed; but I really don't much care to do this....I prefer to have a bit more variety in my spells; but will do so if that's what's called for.

Just for clarification -- Your "healing" capacity is: you can only memorize/pray for 3 "First Aid" spells (because they are level 0), and only 1 "Cure Light Wounds" (level 1).

First Aid doesn't technically "cure", it only stops further damage (stabilizes):

When the caster lays hands upon a living creature, this minor healing spell magically bandages any wound on the creature’s body, preventing further loss of hit points from bleeding. It prevents infection, but cures no damage. No saving throw is needed when the spell is cast by a cleric or druid.

[mithrandir138]

Please let me know what you guys want, I want to move us forward. Tomorrow will mark a week without any real movement.

[jdluna]

I say we go back and get everyone patched up.

[Vargr1105]

Alias would pretty much like to get patched up before continuing too.

[max_vale]

I meant to type "two" spells.....due to WIS 16; Vax can memorize 2 first level spells....doh!

[moorcrys]

We can go back - we may need to. It will probably allow the gnolls, if there is a spy in the town, to cross the river and have knowledge of us. If we don't have the healing, however, I don't see how we can do anything but go back. An evening encounter while we rest here would be tricky with a couple of us down.

[jdluna]

Yea the healthy ones are the mages and they are one hit away when at full health.


Also, was Luna able to get to the crocs tooth?

[Blazeguard]

It seems that going back to town would be the most prudent course of action right now. (This coming from the cleric who only has 2 hp left. )
We need to get patched up before we do anything else and rolling the dice on random encounters is not a good idea IMHO.

[NJWilliam]

We have a rope across the fording point.
Do you want Arot to cross again and fetch it, or leave it up?

[Blazeguard]

Now that the crocs are taken care of there hopefully shouldn't be any other immediate dangers. I don't think it would be a good idea to leave the rope up. There's a chance of it going missing and on the off chance that the spies haven't figured out where we're going yet that is just another thing to mark where we're going.

[mithrandir138]

I meant to type "two" spells.....due to WIS 16; Vax can memorize 2 first level spells....doh!

OK, so we are both wrong. I *ALWAYS* forget the bonuses. You guys have to watch me and keep me honest. If you see me making a mistake, please say something. I don't mind someone rules lawyering when I have my head in my ass.

Heres the rule:

High wisdom indicates a greater divine connection. Clerics with a high wisdom gain bonus spells. If they have a wisdom of 13-15, they receive an extra 1st level spell. If the wisdom score is 16 or 17, they receive an extra 2nd level spell and if 18 or 19, an extra 3rd level spell. Bonus spells can only be acquired if the cleric is at a high enough level to cast them. Bonus spells are cumulative.

Because you have a WIS of 16, here's what you can "pray for" at 1st level:

3x - 0 level spells
2x - 1st level spells

You don't get the extra 2nd level spell yet because you aren't at the sufficient level right now to get it, but you will when you are.

[mithrandir138]

Also, was Luna able to get to the crocs tooth?

Oh, yeah -- sorry. Yes, you can retrieve a tooth from the croc, his corpse was trying to float downstream, but it got stuck on a rock.

[Dogma]

as much as I hate the idea of limping back into town to lick our wounds, it may be the most prudent course of action.

[mithrandir138]

Alright -- I feel this game needs a shot in the arm. We have hit a lull, and I am not going to let this game die, as long as you guys still want to play.

I am going to be honest:
Here's a big problem I have seen with the group -- we don't spend enough time talking to one another. I have seen an effort from some of you to do more strategizing recently, and that's good. But, to be honest, I don't think we feel like a gaming group. I feel like we are just a bunch of people (somewhat anonymously) posting on a forum. That just doesn't float my boat as a GM.

I wouldn't mind, and actually I prefer, that we setup something like a Facebook or Google+ group to keep in touch, get to know each other more, and chat about the game. I don't think the OOC thread is cutting it. Speaking frankly, if this turns you off, maybe you're in the wrong game. I want us to "feel" and be as close to a gaming group as possible. I care a lot about this game and have put some time into developing more than what is just prescribed in the published module. I am anxious to see what happens with your characters.

I envisioned this game being the start of a long-running campaign. I have lots of material (10+ modules worth) to keep us adventuring for a long time. I want to put that to good use.

Thoughts?

[Vargr1105]

I am going to be honest: Here's a big problem I have seen with the group -- we don't spend enough time talking to one another.

Speaking only for myself, I can dispense with inter-party dialogues when they are not necessary for the adventure. I feel those just drag the game down. In groups that average 6 people there is no need for everyone to say a line at every scene, much less among themselves unless something really relevant is being discussed.

But, to be honest, I don't think we feel like a gaming group. I feel like we are just a bunch of people (somewhat anonymously) posting on a forum. That just doesn't float my boat as a GM.

It feels that way because it is precisely what we are doing. We are a bunch of anonymous people posting on a forum. I think it is a mistake to engage in PbPs expecting something similar to a tabletop roleplaying experience. It simply cannot be done, what IRL is a quick quip between party members may need over a week to unfold in PbP, so my opinion is if it ain't moving the action or narrative forward, don't waste time with it.

I wouldn't mind, and actually I prefer, that we setup something like a Facebook or Google+ group to keep in touch, get to know each other more, and chat about the game. I don't think the OOC thread is cutting it.

I don't do social networks, I don't know about the rest of the players. And talking about the game will require an extra time commitment that some people may not be able to make. Lots of us do PbP precisely because of limited time and availability. And what is there to discuss about the game so far? The entire gameplay could be described in one sentence: "Got hired to help village, found magical bones that made people dance, got smacked down by crocs and helped by magical dogs."

Speaking frankly, if this turns you off, maybe you're in the wrong game.

Let us hope not.

I envisioned this game being the start of a long-running campaign. I have lots of material (10+ modules worth) to keep us adventuring for a long time. I want to put that to good use.

That is a mistake IMHO. My limited experience with PbP tells me the smaller and more zen the better. I am running 2 games, one is an introductory 1st level TSR module the other a magazine adventure that is only 6 pages long; they have been going on for months now. The later is an adventure that could be done in one night of IRL play. A campaign in PbP, I think, will happen organically if it happens. The main factor is people keeping interested and the GM working as a "prod" of sorts to keep things moving. And there will be lulls, when holidays come about, etc, but that don't mean the game will be over. Be prepared for loosing players through no fault of their own (family issues, etc) and for the odd one that just vanishes without a word.

So concentrate on getting through A0, then we can worry about A1. If fact, if we end A0 it will be only the second module that was finished on these forums.

[mithrandir138]

It feels that way because it is precisely what we are doing. We are a bunch of anonymous people posting on a forum. I think it is a mistake to engage in PbPs expecting something similar to a tabletop roleplaying experience. It simply cannot be done, what IRL is a quick quip between party members may need over a week to unfold in PbP, so my opinion is if it ain't moving the action or narrative forward, don't waste time with it.

I respect your opinion, but I don't necessarily agree. Setting aside your point regarding the (wasted) time it would take to do a non-critical action (because I mostly agree with that) -- Why would I not want this experience to emulate what a IRL gaming group would be as much as possible? Why would I purposefully try to cheapen the experience if it can be enhanced? I concede that it's likely never going to be a direct analog, but why would I give up on trying to emulate the experience where I could? Tabletop RPGs are social things that you play with other people -- the human interaction is part of the experience. I didn't get into PbP because I wanted a better AI than what a video game could provide. I don't always have the time to game with people because of my/their schedules. I don't mind talking with other people and socializing, it's not a bad thing in my book.

I also suck at on the spot improvisation -- PbP gives me the time I need to be a better GM and hopefully sharpen my skills so that I can be a better GM overall.

I don't do social networks, I don't know about the rest of the players. And talking about the game will require an extra time commitment that some people may not be able to make. Lots of us do PbP precisely because of limited time and availability. And what is there to discuss about the game so far? The entire gameplay could be described in one sentence: "Got hired to help village, found magical bones that made people dance, got smacked down by crocs and helped by magical dogs."

I totally understand where you are coming from about social networks. I was a hold out for a long time. However, an account (with your character's name, and with no real personal info) could be made to interact with the group if that's what we decided to do. To abstain from doing at least that IF the rest of the group wanted to use Facebook/Google+ to socialize/communicate/srategize would just be absurd. If you are one of the people that despise social networks (kinda like me), you could justify it as adding garbage to their user base to pollute their revenue stream I doubt Alias would play FarmVille or click ads for Kentucky Fried Chicken (I don't think Malforten has a local franchise).

I agree that most of us are here because we don't have a lot of time, one of the goals was to integrate the game into people's daily lives of checking social media (if they do such a thing.) The added benefit could be to get to know the people that you are playing with, if they chose to.

My comment about "not being in the right game" was more addressed to a person that wouldn't want to at least get to know the people they are gaming with, at least to the extent to enhance the game, if for nothing else. I am not sure why someone would even want to game with other humans if they were that much of a misanthrope (speaking as someone who battles quite a bit of misanthropy in themselves.) I don't think any of us are in that boat, but I wanted to hit that base, just in case.

My goal was to make the game more accessible to people, and not just be "yet another PbP game" that they care little about because of the limitations. I want to move past any limitations that we can. The goal of this whole game is to have fun.

Regarding what to discuss: How about next actions? Strategy? Dare I say: METAGAMING? I have seen us waste a lot of time being paralyzed by not deciding what to do, or with responses like "I am cool with whatever" (being flexible is a good thing, but unfortunately it doesn't help me resolve actions). My thoughts are that you guys are in the driver's seat -- I am not going to railroad you if it's not necessary. I am here to adjudicate and run the world, not tell you what to do. I can't move the story forward without a plan. That comes with communication within the group -- that's what's lacking. You guys have the freedom to drive where the story goes, and no one's hitting the "go button". I feel like we missed some opportunities to move things along. As we mentioned: we are all playing this format because of a lack of free time. If a scan the posts when I have free time and don't see any clear or definite next actions to adjudicate or resolve, I move on and the game doesn't move. That's a shame. I want to remedy that.

That is a mistake IMHO. My limited experience with PbP tells me the smaller and more zen the better. .....

Granted, my experience with PbP is limited, as well -- however, I still want this to be a long-running campaign. I want the players to have the satisfaction of "growing" their character and participating in a "story" instead of a meaningless "boss battle" that has no real meaning other than to pass time. This may be misguided and a mistake, but I think I at least mentioned this goal when we started, didn't I?

Please don't misunderstand me, I value your perspective and opinions -- my responses may seem passionate because I "give a shit" about this game. Probably more than I should, but I want this to be a memorable experience for the people in the game. If I am going too much out of my way and doing things that just aren't necessary let me know. I will scale stuff back and reset my expectations and change the gears on this game and make it more of a "dungeon crawl". That's not meant as a derogatory statement, I don't hate dungeon crawls at all -- they are fun, I was just trying to make this game "something more".

[NJWilliam]

I'm somewhere in between the two viewpoints. I will say that the pbp I've been in that had strong connections between the characters took weeks if not months of dialogue with very little action to develop that. I am really enjoying this so far, and am impressed with what I've seen of the system in work, so my intention is to be in it for the long haul.

On to other things: Arot figures that he will be more rested by not being stuck in the Inn due to his barbarian upbringing. He's not telling others where to sleep, though all are welcome at his fire.