The Unseen Servant forums

Fox says, Dr. Crockett, you mentioned the name of company. Would you like to have the name added to the contract?

Consensus? Andreas had mentioned we form a company. Paladin says this ain’t “my bag, baby!” Don’t see a need for this given the names in the contract.

Thoughts?

**Edit**
To keep the story moving, I'm going to say "nah, sir" to the company name. We can retcon if anybody wants it. Don't see it as important.

Just a couple storyline questions:

Confirm our party’s service with Cummins is finished now, or do we owe him one more night spent at the camp?

Paladin, however, has a one-day personal obligation to Cummins to spend Saturday going to San Marcos for Cummins? Hence, our contract with Wells Fargo (should William sign it) begins Sunday. I’m trying to avoid reading other individual threads in real-time.

I believe Cummins took the PCs off of payroll effective tomorrow (Sunday). So I suppose you owe one more night on guard.

Yes, Paladin indicated that he has a job to do on Sunday. But the contract period starts tomorrow (Sunday). Unless you all want to move it to Monday.

jemmus wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 12:22 am

Today is Friday, June 12, 1873. The afternoon after the shooting contest in Austin. It's another hot, clear skies day, with thin cumulus clouds drifting very slowly and very high through the blue skies overhead. Yesterday was the full moon. Today it will wane just a sliver on its edge toward gibbous.

jemmus wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2024 2:39 am
p) The term period of the contract is the 14 days from 12:00 PM (high noon) from June 14, 1873 to 11:59 AM June 27, 1873.[/i]

Today being Friday the 12th means Sunday would be the 14th, no? So off Cummin's payroll, Saturday morning the 13th? One more night of pay and another night of guard duty at the rail camp? Paladin to San Marcos and back Saturday the 13th, and the rest of us have the day to ourselves on Saturday? So, we have till close of business on Friday (today) to secure an assumption of custody of the kid...or get as much info out of him as possible during a visit today. Assuming weekends are not great times to initiate custody discussions or visit the prison.

DT would like to make a visit to the kid in prison next: to bring the maps and mark locations, as well as to quiz him so we can build a plan to use his information and ,potentially, our custody of him.

Today is Friday if I’ve followed things correctly. We are on the rail job through the rest of this day. You can choose not to, and use Friday afternoon to facilitate paperwork for pick-up of prisoner on Sunday.

After Wells Fargo, Paladin will go back to the rail camp after a stop at the bank.

My Virginia Cummins job is Saturday, taking the 8:54 am train to San Marcos after my final 8:00 am meeting with Cummins. We take a late afternoon train back to Austin. Paladin will share all this in an upcoming IC post.

Optionally, the group can start Saturday and Paladin will catch up with you Saturday night or Sunday.

Grognardsw wrote: ↑Tue Jan 09, 2024 6:41 pm Today is Friday if I’ve followed things correctly. We are on the rail job through the rest of this day. You can choose not to, and use Friday afternoon to facilitate paperwork for pick-up of prisoner on Sunday.

After Wells Fargo, Paladin will go back to the rail camp after a stop at the bank.

My Virginia Cummins job is Saturday, taking the 8:54 am train to San Marcos after my final 8:00 am meeting with Cummins. We take a late afternoon train back to Austin. Paladin will share all this in an upcoming IC post.

Optionally, the group can start Saturday and Paladin will catch up with you Saturday night or Sunday.

After this meeting, I propose we go to the prison to interview Slim and attempt to coordinate the custody release...during morning business hours...give the bureaucrats time to make a decision and do pertinent paperwork.

I’ll let that event determine whether DT goes back to the camp tonight or not, and whether we start the investigation Saturday or wait for Paladin to start Sunday.

I believe securing an assumption of custody will be William's specialty. I plan to have DT go interview Slim while William (and Fox) deals with the Bureaucracy. He'll ask Gidean to attend the interview with DT.

Sorry, that's correct, it's Friday afternoon now. I shouldn't attempt to GM post from my phone. I need access to my documents on my PC at home.

As Thumper said, the contract runs 14 days from Sunday, June 14 at 12:00 PM. It's now around 3:30 PM on Friday June 12.

I shot the sheriff/But I didn't shoot no deputy/Oh no, no
-Darryl McCollum

jemmus wrote: ↑Wed Jan 10, 2024 4:05 pm I shot the sheriff/But I didn't shoot no deputy/Oh no, no
-Darryl McCollum

I almost wrote the whole line in...

Paladin had Initiative for the dumb joke but chose not to pull the trigger.

Austin to the rail camp horse race rules
The road between Austin and Fredericksburg lies along a route that was first best for big herds of cattle, and then later refined for travel by wagon. And then, further refined for travel by swift stage coach. But shuffling herds of four-legged cattle and four-wheeled wooden vehicles aren't comparable to the nimbleness of a four-legged coyote, deer, antelope, or horse. Even a horse with a rider.

If William and DT choose to race from Austin to the rail construction camp, here are the rules.
If you choose to just run with no Riding skill rolls, per the rules it would be a tie. William's horse has Strength 24, and DT's 23. Logically, in a long race, William's horse should edge out DT's. But to stick to the rules as written and not get overly complicated, let's say that William's horse just has the equivalent of an extra HP if it takes damage.

The riders can instead choose to get off of the wagons road and take shortcuts. If they succeed at a riding roll, they shave the listed amount of time off of the total trip. If they fail, they add the listed amount of time to the trip. The figures indicate adding or subtracting to the Riding score. For example, Joe's Riding is 9, and the modifier is -2. He needs a 7 or lower to succeed. The riders can choose to try or skip any of the shortcut opportunities.

There's no chance of injury to the horses or the riders for this race.

Riding check opportunities
1) Leave the wagon road at the bend and jump a little ditch: +/-0 to Skill score. Success, save 1 minute. Fail, add 1 minute.
2) Skip the little wagon bridge and jump a gully 6 feet across: -1. Success, save 3 minutes. Fail, add 2 minutes.
3) Avoid a curve below a rise and go right over it instead: -1. Success, 3 minutes. Fail, 5 minutes. (It takes a while to pick out a good route back to the road on the other side).
4) Jump a wire fence (and trespass): -4. Success, 5 minutes. Fail, 7 minutes.
5) Cross the little stream without watering your horse, push on to the camp: -3. Success, 4 minutes. Fail, 6 minutes.

Since it's PBP, I suppose we should state all five actions and do all rolls at once. But... since the story will move forward in time, no matter what the outcome of this friendly competition is, optionally we can treat it like an ongoing side tactical mini-game. Both players post for 1), then based on the results, post for 2), and so on until you reach the camp. It's up to you guys to do one or the other, or none. Whatever's doable and fun.

Ha Ha!!

DT is always looking to use the skills he's invested in...doctoring or riding (as any good Texas frontier ex-cavalry doc would). Probably won't be the last time he challenges his friends with exceptional horses to a gentleman's race when a sprint is really not needed...gentlemen's bets (pride or beer only) as he knows he's good at this. This is fun for him:

Riding (17): He'll challenge himself to all the obstacles:
1) I'll keep the original 15 roll.
2) Riding (17): [1d20]=16
3) Riding (17): [1d20]=15
4) Riding (17): [1d20]=14
5)Riding (17): [1d20]=9

Failed obstacle roll to see is he gets thrown or not.
Riding [1d20]=5

Stays in the saddle and not injured

Those cartoons are funny.

To help me keep track of things as they get complicated, are these notes right?

Mike Duncan - in prison
Paladin killed one of the brothers in the rustler house shoot out. The other, or someone, was injured riding away and could be dead:
Rick Duncan - brother
Phil Duncan - brother

Mark “Slim” Davidson - in prison
Mort Garrison - accomplice. Do we know where he is from? San Marcos?
Ed Mathers - accomplice. Do we know where he is from? San Marcos?

Colorado River station ranch house, whitewashed, wire fence, sparse longhorn cattle, lopsided windmill. Owners:
Lou - leader. Last name?
Farley - ?

Shepherd Brothers - Stage robbers, murderers. Possibly reside in Llano County. Do we know their names?

Phineas McCurty - Killer, robber, Gideon brother.

Harvey Adler - cattleman, minister, horse rustler buyer. Does business with King Fisher?

William is down for the race. Let’s do this! See you at the finish line! . He doesn’t have the horseback riding, but has a coordination of 18. I’m away from my rule book right now, so that’ll work out as it works out.


Horse race [1d20]=11[1d20]=14[1d20]=12[1d20]=4[1d20]=7

Without the Riding skill, William would need to roll a 1 to succeed in any of those shortcut maneuvers. So Hermes gets him to the camp fast-- but not as fast as DT on his flaxen chestnut Morgan gelding, who managed every shortcut trick except jumping the wire fence.

That was fun! We'll need to do it again in a few months!