North Marches: With thanks.

[Spearmint]

Marullus we should say "Thank you," for the dedication to the game and inspiring an open world of adventure and character.

For myself I was happy to play and primarily as Amistad, play some average warrior of peasant stock trying to carve out a career in world building and cross-cultural frontiersmanship. Limited martial success culminated in critically beheading two young dragons and securing a fragile peace with an ogre stronghold leading to establishing a thriving settlement. Pushing the frontier boundary and his luck, bad decisions lead to four deaths and from him, a spiral into post-exped PTSD on the Orc Trek.

Idriss came to town as a failed illusionist from a notorious circus. He found some faith in templar calling and during spell research burned the library and mirrored the objects of a spell. He still waits to cast Fireball.

Red Eric, waits on the rallying cry of a dwarven Call to Arms.

Thank you to fellow adventurers, I enjoyed the brief DM creating and reading others adventures.

[Marullus]

Thanks Kris! It has been a joy and an honor. You've been a great group of players.

As I am in favor of reminiscing, I will highlight and encourage use of the Best Moments thread. I will probably sticky that in the shutdown.

[hedgeknight]

Thanks Marullus for your patience (with me) and passion for this game.
Some day...when I have time ... I will likely update some of Casper's activities. This will probably be done on a free day at home after I've had a glass or two of bourbon.
Happy 2020 and good gaming to all!

~ Hedge (Gary)

[Marullus]

Casper is the one who brought a new religion to the dwarves. Thank you for the unexpected.

[Zhym]

Well, poop. This is a bummer. This has been my favorite game on here in the past few years. I'm sorry it has to end. It would have been nice to have gotten some "wrap-up" posts in the current expeditions, but I get that this game just takes too much time (although, 6-8 hours per update? Yikes! There has to be some way that could have been cut down!). Thanks for taking the time you did, and I'm sorry that the sub-DM experiment didn't work out.

Is there any chance we could get (short!) summaries of what was going on in some of the expeditions? Questions. I have questions. For example:

• What's the deal with the effigy in Foxy's expedition?
• In Fingers's expedition, what was the deal with that mad elf, anyway?
• Back in the tomb with the ghostly trial, what was buried in that sarcophagus we decided against opening?
• In the mandala room in the demon pit, what the heck was going on there? Was there some way we were supposed to be able to stop that from bleeding and filling up the room?

And that's just the questions I can think of at the moment.

Real life, man. If we could somehow avoid it, gaming would be a lot better.

[Spearmint]

I will give a think to it. I run the Pirates CND and need to update the Vietnam 'Tour of Duty', but could be free after the winter horse racing season (Feb- March), to possibly look at running an 'Eastern Marches' if there was interest.

[Zhym]

I will give a think to it. I run the Pirates CND and need to update the Vietnam 'Tour of Duty', but could be free after the winter horse racing season (Feb- March), to possibly look at running an 'Eastern Marches' if there was interest.

Yes!

Having a third iteration of the Sprawlingest Sandbox Ever would be kind of awesome.

[Bluetongue]

Oh. Well thank you for the opportunity, I guess my late entrance to the game and months waiting for expeditions to form, disappear, reform and then eventually head off myself , gave me only a brief taste of adventure here. I do however appreciate the effort and input, creating maps and even unused encounters in the depths of Chasms or swamp recesses and haunted citadels of lost empires, Zhint or Yoldessi and the mountain in the Orc lands.

Fairfax and Golgarth and Roybarb will at least live to adventure elsewhere, perhaps in the Lab Lord East Marches when another game facilitator takes up the mantle.

Thank you again, I enjoyed what brief challenges I met, at least Fairfax leaves with a 100% critical attack achievement, not bad for a hobbit rogue whose first introduction was to initially fail to escape from his handcuffs at the Fall festival.

[Jernau35]

Thank you Marullus! I've enjoyed every moment here and really appreciate all the effort you've put into it. It really felt as if I was adventuring in a strange, ancient, and unexplored land.

I'd never played in a "West Marches"-style game before signing up here. It certainly lived up to everything I'd heard about that style. I really liked the idea of having a drawback to getting clerical healing, and being able to spend xp to create magical items. I also had a blast coming up with songs for the bard to sing

Thanks again!

[Marullus]

That's an interesting list of burning questions; risk aversion has played a big role.

What's the deal with the effigy in Foxy's expedition?

The main theme for the Order of Monoc is questioning the moral order, and if they're good or bad. Many wizard PCs were told that they were a small group known in the south, who are willing to do the unorthodox to seek knowledge. It was said elsewhere that the Gods don't speak of what came before the Cataclysm, but that devil's and demons had no such compunction. So it would be discovered that these were neutral to good mages who thought they could "handle it."

The PCs would've found the red robed mages arrayed and performing a suspicious ritual around the effigy at midnight. It was a situation rife for misunderstanding and bad assumptions and much depended on the PC approach.

Otherwise, it was landmark marking the place to turn southwest and find the old monastery the mages were occupying and was halfway between there and the potent summoning henge to the northeast. Devilish forces were trying to break the effigy and PCs more cautious would have found the mages were reinforcing it's binding. Or, started relations with mage murder.

It was prelude and red herring. The real adventure would've been in how you approached the high level mages and their apprentices and what resulted. There were several things to discover there.

Either way, they would have gladly told you about the Archduke, and I expected Foxy to get there MUCH sooner. Archduke Gaul was actually a cast-out from their number because his own magical research was iffy. It wasn't coincidental that he found the secret knowledge allowing him to come North and built his city on the ruined foundations of the third Dreadlord... If the game hit high levels (11+), the fall of Gaul from the map was a future plot point.

In Fingers's expedition, what was the deal with that mad elf, anyway?

He was an elf turned into a Drider, and bound to the place. (Dreadlord Nystoreth was a jerk who liked binding souls.) He was actually a main threat, especially after you neutralised the Swordwraiths and consequently let them keep their treasure. You had effectively defeated him - he had used up his spells and retreated - which is the best time to kill a wizard. Had you continued on, you would have been able to deal with him and take his treasure (raiding wizard homes is how you get new spells, after all). Had you made nice, a ritual solution could be found in the Wizard Tower and you'd have a restored elf ally.

It was actually a pre-made module that adapted well.

Back in the tomb with the ghostly trial, what was buried in that sarcophagus we decided against opening?

Just treasure. You got the story of Kudul-Haddoth from several sources, but he was beheaded by Nystoreth and buried there behind the protections so nobody would ressurect him. It had his bones and his Staff of Wizardry.

The adjacent door, which you didn't open, was his sealed Chambers. Wizard locked and Fire Trapped, it was then guarded by shadows and had all his magic research, spell books, and soul tomes. It also had a soul gem containing another apprentice who would have possessed a new owner (which was a favorite moment from Keehnelf's game).

In the mandala room in the demon pit, what the heck was going on there? Was there some way we were supposed to be able to stop that from bleeding and filling up the room?

That was actually decorative. It was in balance when you found it. You guys broke it to steal the silver components, and so flooding the room and disabling passage through it was a fitting but ad-hoc consequence.

[Dram]

Thank You Marullus. This has been a fun game. Hopefully Someone will pick up the game. It has been fun playing Lab Lord it is the first time I ventured away from the D&D arena.

[Stirling]

The Order of Monoc had history with the ArchDuke in the south," he hedges, "beyond knowing that, his affairs are his own. As for their names, they are here without permission of the Lord - I would expect them to conceal evidence of their identities and presence. Words will be dismissed as rumors and suppositions. Proof of any of the leaders of the Order here can result in pressure from the Southlands against their illicit actions. Such a blow would rectify things here and also in the South."

Yes this was shared but to Clay after Foxy left. I read too that Wilhelm the sage I think mentioned Gaul was built over the supposed resting place of an ancient white dragon.

I can't think Foxy would ever reconcile the mages of Monoc to be 'good' aligned.

I think her personal game highlights would have to be the insult and rebuffs traded with Sir Albrecht, the Duke & Bro' Mylo and her being extravagant with blagging her expedition tales. Surviving the goblin halls (thanks to Clay and Mr Farrow), the goblin hole (thanks Idriss), and facing Scatha twice (thanks to all the magic buffs). She charged the dragon twice! the second time thinking it was a suicide charge but she spurred on anyway.

Never did get to kiss or kill Dirk.

Tried to play my cleric characters as zealots, one died of wounds sustained by gargoyle (plus being helped on his way by Bremen), another brained by a goblin chamber pot. Issachar's last act to cast 'Silence 15' radius' so folk didn't have to hear him scream, torn limb from limb and eaten.

Thanks for the long lasting and challenging game.

[GreyWolfVT]

I should look around a lot more. In my brief time here in this game/realm. I have quite enjoyed myself. Granted I was not here overly long, I attempted to dive in head first with 2 characters finding myself a bit lost doing so I retired a fun character concept for the more (used to) one in Galmit. I love the concept of a multi DM game it has been great fun and I appreciate the time you took running the game Marullus. I am just sorry I didn't have a ton to contribute to the game. (i.e. coming up with new locations, offering to help DM, things of that nature.)

[Zhym]

Thanks, Marullus. Lots of interesting stuff there, and I'm continually amazed at the Tolkienesque level of mythology behind the game.

It sounds like risk-aversion generally worked in our favor. Shame that we missed out on that Staff of Wizardry, but not opening the trapped door was probably a good move!

What was the module the Drider was in, if you don't mind me asking?

Oh, and just how big of an effect did you plan on Vassar Clements's seed having?

I know there are a whole bunch of other questions I should be asking. Like maybe whether there's anything really cool we missed in the area where the kobolds and the cockatrice were. Or just what the heck was going on with all those hybrid creatures—was someone still actively making them?

Oh, oh! And Captain Bremen was totally possessed, right? What other characters had big secrets that can now be told?

[onlyme]

Damn... I leave for a long weekend and come back to this.
Thanks Marullus for a wonderful game. (and thanks to all the other sub DMs and players too, who all turned this into an amazingly detailed adventure.)

[Zhym]

It is possible a new incarnation of the game will open in a couple of months, pending time commitmens from a new moderator and interest. Perhaps Stirling or Zhym might consider taking the idea forward?

Alas, as much as I'd love to join another iteration of the <Direction> Marches, I so don't have time run it. Multiple expeditions at once in a great big sprawling sandbox? I'm amazed that Keehnelf and Marullus found the time to do it at all, and downright gobsmacked that they managed to keep some flavor of the game going for over five years (Keehnelf's game kicked off around October 2014). I suspect that the format would burn out any DM who attempted it. There's just too much to keep track of, even without Marullus's level of backstory detail.

Oh, and many thanks to Marullus for announcing that the game would be closing instead of just abandoning it. So many DMs just burn out and disappear. As much time as some of us have devoted to this game, the chance to make wrap-up posts, resolve mysteries, and otherwise get a sense of closure means a lot.

[onlyme]

It is possible a new incarnation of the game will open in a couple of months, pending time commitmens from a new moderator and interest. Perhaps Stirling or Zhym might consider taking the idea forward?

Alas, as much as I'd love to join another iteration of the <Direction> Marches, I so don't have time run it. Multiple expeditions at once in a great big sprawling sandbox? I'm amazed that Keehnelf and Marullus found the time to do it at all, and downright gobsmacked that they managed to keep some flavor of the game going for over five years (Keehnelf's game kicked off around October 2014). I suspect that the format would burn out any DM who attempted it. There's just too much to keep track of, even without Marullus's level of backstory detail.

Oh, and many thanks to Marullus for announcing that the game would be closing instead of just abandoning it. So many DMs just burn out and disappear. As much time as some of us have devoted to this game, the chance to make wrap-up posts, resolve mysteries, and otherwise get a sense of closure means a lot.

Totally agree. I didnt join until Marullus' started, but it was amazing to see how long it was able to last. I do wonder if players should have been kept at the 2 PC limit originally discussed to prevent the sprawl to overwhelm. I knew I couldnt keep up with more than 2 as a player. I have no idea how the DM could...

[Zhym]

Maybe someone could try a version of this game someday that still has the big sandbox but has a limit of one PC per player and one expedition going on at a time. That still wouldn't be me, at least in the foreseeable future, but it wouldn't be as much of a strain on the DM.

[Marullus]

I don't hold the number of characters responsible - I encouraged them. While we had 37 players over the course of four years, only Zhym remained active that entire time. Our number of concurrent players was normally more modest - and that's okay. I encouraged multiple PCs so that our active playerbase was comfortable making additional PCs to fill in the gaps in other expeditions (which normally involved getting a new player involved).

The main limiter is the number of concurrent expeditions, each one requiring time as if it is a separate game - developing maps, encounters, logical story, and imagination. Running a single expedition at a time is the norm; the sandbox allowing more avenues of creativity was new and exciting for me here and I am glad to have done it. At our peak I ran 6+ at a time. When I am struggling to do 3, I knew it was time to change. I appreciate you all coming along with me and I am glad you had fun.

[Zhym]

At our peak I ran 6+ at a time. When I am struggling to do 3, I knew it was time to change. I appreciate you all coming along with me and I am glad you had fun.

That's basically like running 3-6 games at the same time. I don't know if any DM has successfully run three games at once on the Unseen Servant for very long. The closest anyone's come as far as I'm aware is Inferno, who has managed to keep two games going with thrice-weekly updates. So "struggling" to do 3 isn't at all surprising.