OOC IX

[Atlictoatl]

It's been a problem since before you joined. We've lost out on stuff before because nobody bothered to write it down. There have been numerous occasions when I've tried to get people to split up the treasure and got no response. I get that everybody is busy sometimes, but if it takes over two days for ANYONE to say "Okay, my dude is carrying those jewels" then we have got some kind of problem.

Ah, I didn't realize that. Thanks for the background. Since half the group is brand spankin' new, I'm glad this developed into more of a conversation.

If you personally are at work and/or traveling then that's no problem, but you definitely found enough time to complain about my tone. So either you would rather bitch at me than play, or I guess you have time after all.

Point taken. Yesterday I had both my extremely vocal Siamese cat and my boss yelling at me for much of the day, often both at the same time, and I kinda snapped when I perceived myself as being yelled at in my game, and so took time I didn't really have to bite back.

I'm glad this got talked through and that it will hopefully disappear as a stressor in the game.

So, there is a stickied thread titled "PC tasks" where I had initially hoped folks would volunteer for bookkeeping jobs, such as mapmaking, notetaking, keeping track of treasure, etc.

When I started with the game, I read back into the story and recorded what I'd read in the Table of Contents, thinking that might be something I would keep up with. It's proven difficult for me, and I don't even know that it has that much value (certainly not as much as mapmaking, treasure-keeping, and notetaking). Anyway, that might be another thing someone could do if they were so inclined. Do you think it's of value, TK?

When keeping track of treasure, whether one person's job or something we share, I'd recommend including a URL link to the post, so that any of us including TK can go back and check on it for context. I had a working format going there for a bit.

If you don't really want to keep the treasure books, Wyzard, I'm happy to be the treasure recorder if we want one person to do it; it was something I was able to maintain for two months. I'm entirely open to letting someone else do it, if they want the XP bonus. I personally think spellcasters should have first dibs at those bonus tasks, if they're so inclined.

[Wyzard]

I can do it. I don't even mind doing it. It's just that I don't want to do it and then get second-guessed. The frustration really comes when I ask for feedback and don't get any.

All I'm going to ask, at this point, is that people keep their encumbrance from their character's personal stuff updated on their sheet (which we should be doing anyway). It's then really easy for me to assign treasure and keep a running total of each PC's total encumbrance in the treasure thread. That way we know who has what and how fast they're still moving.

Things get moved to people's personal sheets after XP is assigned and treasure split up.

Does that sound okay to everyone? Qui tacet consentit.

[Koren n'Rhys]

Hmm. I suppose for my part, PbP simply isn't something I want to have to devote that much energy to. I barely manage to keep my own character sheet up to date based on what I do personally find, let along try to manage any sort of party record keeping, mapping or actual play reporting. It's a medium that moves at a snails pace - I can shoot off a quick post when I have time and I don't expect to really level up at any meaningful rate, so the XP carrot is irrelevant to me. I'm really not concerned about tracking all that minutia. If I recall that we found something that might be useful, a quick search of the forum will turn it up, and then it's "Oh yeah, Severi did find that." I'm not concerned if it made it to a character sheet or not - we found it, so it's a known thing and someone has it. That point to my own looser style as a DM I guess.

I suppose that's ultimately a rather selfish attitude as it puts the work on someone else if it's a game where other people DO care about longer-term progression. If that's the case, then perhaps I'm not the best fit for the group. For me, PbP is just a light distraction from the daily grind. I run two face to face games and do more than enough work on my gaming already I'm afraid.

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Wyzard, I have no problem if you have the time & interest in doing that. As a general rule, I'm fine with whatever other people suggest. If I have an opinion I'll interject. That said, you certainly deserve the courtesy of a response to a question and some recognition for your efforts, and I'll try to be better about that at least.

[phil285]

I guess I should chime in on this, too. I'm sometimes reluctant to add what might be perceived as "noise"/"me-too" posts, but if it helps, I'll happily shout up more. It's one of those funny cues that gets missed in the translation from tabletop to PbP.

I am grateful that people are prepared to run games (in this instance, thirdkingdom) and that more active players help keep it moving.

Fortunately, I've got a few days' leave, so my excuses of work have to evaporate for a short time.

Wyzard, your suggestion from 5.44pm is fine with me.

[Alethan]

If that's the case, then perhaps I'm not the best fit for the group. For me, PbP is just a light distraction from the daily grind. I run two face to face games and do more than enough work on my gaming already I'm afraid.

No worries. "The Game" is different for everyone, because we're all different people.

The sad part about the bit TK mentioned, about the game almost collapsing earlier because of a certain player dominating the direction, is that none of the people who complained were willing (able?) to speak up until after the fact. My assessment of the situation was that this player kept picking up more and more housekeeping tasks for the game (some necessary and some really just OCD) and they were fine with it. But the more menial tasks he picked up, the more he realized ownership of the group, to some extent.

If you go back and read through all of the posts and OOC entries, I'm pretty sure you could find specific instances where he tried to get other people to shoulder responsibilities. I had one or two things I helped with, but it was mostly just him.

Considering the work he was putting into it, I didn't blame him for the control he was exerting. Like TK said, he was doing a lot of things the right way. If the others were uncomfortable with it, they should have spoken up before it became the issue it apparently was.

[Wyzard]

And then, IIRC, the people complaining about him mostly quit anyway. I'd rather have that guy back.

[Atlictoatl]

I don't want for any single person to be shouldering the burden of the OOC logistics for the game, and am also accommodating of the folks for whom the logistics is not of interest. So I'm happy to contribute, because I do derive some enjoyment from it.

I'm not going to be a good mapmaker and the accounting element tends to be easiest for me, but I could try taking on the task of notetaker. Perhaps I could even combine that in some way with the Table of Contents. I'll think on that.

I'll endeavor to keep my encumbrance better up to date, as well. It's somewhat unwieldy for my character, since he's got a few different loadouts in order to not be too weighty.

[Alethan]

And then, IIRC, the people complaining about him mostly quit anyway. I'd rather have that guy back.

Truth.

Unfortunately, I think he burned himself out.

[Koren n'Rhys]

Fair enough. I guess, unsurprisingly, the interpersonal issues we can see at the table, are just as applicable online. Worse, even, without the non-verbal cues we take for granted in a face to face situation.

I think we're all enjoying what we have here in our own ways, and we have varying amounts of time and energy we can expend on it. As is almost always the case, avoiding trouble comes down to open and honest communication. I'm happy to hear that some of you are willing and interested to handle the bookkeeping tasks for now. If it becomes burdensome, then speak up and we'll all work to remedy the situation and avoid burning anyone else out.

[thirdkingdom]

I don't want for any single person to be shouldering the burden of the OOC logistics for the game, and am also accommodating of the folks for whom the logistics is not of interest. So I'm happy to contribute, because I do derive some enjoyment from it.

I'm not going to be a good mapmaker and the accounting element tends to be easiest for me, but I could try taking on the task of notetaker. Perhaps I could even combine that in some way with the Table of Contents. I'll think on that.

I'll endeavor to keep my encumbrance better up to date, as well. It's somewhat unwieldy for my character, since he's got a few different loadouts in order to not be too weighty.

That would be pretty awesome.

[Wyzard]

OK. I'm on treasure. I suppose I can take over mapping, as well. I'll try to get a map of the current dungeon up today, but be forewarned it's going to be a "sketchy" map rather than a fancy one on a grid with precise measurements.

[phil285]

I'm slightly confused about the mapping right now, but if it helps, I could take over that with a simple sketch.

[phil285]

I've added a post to the maps thread....
viewtopic.php?p=147818#p147818

[Atlictoatl]

I've added a post to the maps thread....
viewtopic.php?p=147818#p147818

That's awesome, Phil! I can't speak to its accuracy, but I like it.

[Koren n'Rhys]

Nice! I'm not a mapper for a reason, but it looks good to me. Likely as accurate as we need it to be.

[thirdkingdom]

phil, that map is pretty dead-nut's on; the scale of the cavern corridors is off (there's greater distance between each "lair"), but as a friend of mine says it's good enough for the girls I go out with.

[Wyzard]

Ah, shit. These are the big ogre-sized ones, not the regular ones. This is about the time we really need a web spell.

Well, we just have to form up the toughest line we can and try to grind them down. Hope their morale breaks after we kill a couple of them, and we might try a targeted Sleep on one if we start getting close.

I think that if we just cut and run, they'll pick off whoever is in the rear too easily.

[MonsterMash]

As Thurgan is one of the slowest moving I approve of standing up to fight unless we can all get away.

[phil285]

Agree. If we can all out-run them, let's leave.

If not, it's a stand-up fight. If it looks like it's getting troublesome, Vanco will expend those hold person spells.

[Wyzard]

If it looks like it's getting troublesome, Vanco will expend those hold person spells.

That's the ticket!