The OOC Tavern

[Pulpatoon]

My $0.02: I often like to play arrogant characters with the express intention of wringing comedy out of their inevitable failures. And since I've played with .mb before, that may be why his mind went in that direction.

An aside: The thing about games is that failure is a big part of what we look for in them. There is hard data on how much failure needs to be represented in a game to create a sense of challenge and allow the rewarding sense of relief when you overcome an obstacle.

It strikes me that creating characters with their reaction to failure in the forefront of one's mind is probably a pretty efficient way to connect to a character—perhaps more so than elaborate back-story systems and personality attributes, and so on. Hmm... something to think on.

[Kanye Westeros]

One way that I've seen the failure resolve work out in other pbps, is a sort of reverse "tell them the risks, and ask" from player to GM. I've seen it called Tell the GM the stakes, and wait.
At the table I could blow my Defy Danger to dodge the charging minotaur, and the GM is right there to make it hurt. The nature of pbp requires a bit more leeway in some areas, and tighter controls in others.
Example:
Rules as Written in a pbp it might be, 'I dodge the minotaur (rolls and fails)' and that's the end of my post until the GM tells me how bad I get nailed.

This alternative that I've seen work well is to have the player start the description of their failure or complication (as pulpatoon says: their reaction to failure) and leave it as hooks for the gm.

I try to dodge the minotaur (rolls/fails) and (tell the gm the stakes and wait):

• A. I slip on a banana peel as my tabard flips up to cover my eyes...
• B. The minotaur corrects his charge and is still barrelling at me...

Now of course this looks on the surface like "Players taking away the GM's fun/turn/time to impact the story" plus "Too easy to abuse for the folks who never want anything bad to happen to their character" and so there's two addendums:
1. The GM at any time is free to add additional complications on top of what you've introduced and
2. If it appears to the group that a player is "going too easy" on themselves, it should be brought to attention (say, in the OOC thread)

So what do y'all think?

[mb.]

It's been more than 3 days since Bedwyr posted anything, which is odd. I'm just checking with him and I'll let you know...

[mb.]

So now it's been 4 days since Bedwyr posted, and he's not answering my PM. Do you know any other way to contact him KingOfCowards, or have you heard anything from him?

Let's give it another 2 days and see if he shows up.

[Kanye Westeros]

Hope he's ok.

[mb.]

Yup, me too. That's what I PMed him yesterday, but no reply so far...

[Spartakos]

Sorry, everybody...some personal stuff. I'm okay, just haven't been online as much. Didn't mean to hold up the game.

[mb.]

No worries Spartakos! I was firstly worried something unpleasant might have happened in your life, and secondly wondering if you'd lost interest. Glad you're back! By the way, we're still on damage from your first attack, so I'll take the 2 for that, and take the 9 roll as your second attack, so go ahead and give me a damage roll for that, then we're caught up on rolls.

I'm a bit busy today, and there's a lot of action in our story, so I'll get a post up this afternoon.

[mb.]

Ah! Silly me. I see you did already roll everything you were supposed to Spartakos. Just catching up with my posts now.

[Kanye Westeros]

Bump?

[mb.]

Sorry for the lack of warning just before Bedwyr's about to get eaten at such a dramatic high point, but I was away on the weekend and expected to have wifi, but didn't. I'll get a post up in the next couple hours.

[Spartakos]

Okay...assuming this guy doesn't just decide to eat us (which I'm not ruling out), I actually doubt he's going to let us pass. So it's going to be fish or cut bait soon.

The best idea I have right now (and it's still a mad one) is to try and cut the chain off the dragon, in the hopes that doing so will in some way free it or cause it to view us in a more positive light. Thoughts?

Another thought is that music box we picked up, though it's a very long shot.

[Kanye Westeros]

Or possibly Oelle, as our wizard can do a quick Ritual (this whole place is swimming in power, it's gotta count as a place of power) with the small silver chains Boggs grabbed off the other Gnolls I'm making a huge assumption that whoever controls the dragon was/is also controlling the gnolls.

maybe set up some kind of sympathetic connection between them, and use that connection to shatter the dragon's chain?

[KingOfCowards]

We'll see what favor she asks for and then make a decision. If it comes down to taking a shot at the chain, I could try to have Boggs distract her, while Bedwyr goes in.

[Pulpatoon]

Can someone explain the Ritual move to me?

[Kanye Westeros]

Can someone explain the Ritual move to me?

It's potentially the most powerful move a wizard has.

You stand in a place of power (however you would describe that) and declare what you want to have happen. Anything you want to have happen.
The GM gives you between one and four of the complications listed that have to be met before your ritual is complete.

Following the fiction; really powerful effects are gonna have really hard complications, or take a really long time, or might be the subject or even the quest of an entire campaign.

Or, a Ritual could be a smaller off the cuff bit of improvised magic that doesn't fit one of your spells.

[Pulpatoon]

Huh. Might be call for that sooner than later. Thanks for the summary!

[mb.]

Guys, I'm traveling again, and therefore a bit slow. I'll try my best to get a reply up tonight or tomorrow.

[Spartakos]

Sorry guys, I'm sick and so are all of my kids...plus I'm still trying to do work from home. And my brain isn't braining right.

I'll try to post later or tomorrow. One thing I did want to say, is that if Grezz has his back to us, I'd say it's a good time for Boggs or me to put a blade there. That old bastard is trouble we can do without.

[Kanye Westeros]

100% agree.
Grezz needs to die right quick. Or as they say in Shadowrun: "Geek the Mage".

Also hope you all feel better soon!