With apologies for not having set one up before...
Let me know if I need to break out specific OOC threads when characters are in separate groups

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #1):

Incidentally - can you please let me know what time zone each of you is in? I'll try taking this into account when deciding whether to await further exchanges or just move the clock forward.

I'm in the UK. I can jump into RPOL from work from time to time (like now) and deal with anything quick and easy. More involved stuff will be done in the evenings, UK time.

On the whole, if I have not had player character directions between one evening and another, I'll assume it's OK to move on, unless there's a key feeback, dice roll or whatever I'm waiting on.

I'm in the UK too, so British Summer Time.

Usually US Pacific Standard Time, but at the moment I'm traveling for business, so US Central Time at the moment (until Sunday).

But my posting hours swing crazily from early morning to midday to late at night. At the moment, again, my posting is slowed due to the pretty intense business trip I'm on.

Usually Central Standard, though I can have to travel at relatively short notice.   Therefore if I drop off it is most likely due to unexpected travel.  Either way, I don't mind Simulacrum moving forward if I am the holdup in question in any given instance.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #2):

US Pacific here as well.  I try check a couple times throughout the day.

I'm in Mountain Time, so -7:00. I have access from the office, and will pop in a couple times a day to check on things, so that shouldn't slow us down too much.

That said, my wife is in the midst of opening her own business, so my "off" hours are mostly "on" right now, and that means my evening posting rate has dropped.

Central European here, I can often post in the morning as well as evenings. Afternoons are usually out.

US Pacific time here and I work from home, so I'm practically always available.  If I'm not at the computer I can pull it up from my phone, and refresh a couple times in the evening to see if there's been an update.

The dice are not with me today it would seem.  The field is yours, Sirrah.

A marginal victory, sir. Well debated!

Just received my hardcopy, to go with my pdf, of AoT yesterday.  Now to convert my table-top group to Legend and AoT...

16:55, Today: Iskander Chrysos rolled 40 using 1d100. Education (80).

Ok, who wants to do what?
Iskander will hit the books of course trying to find references to the island.

Which brings up a question, are there actual maps in the setting or are itineraries and travelogues what we have?

If time permits, he'll be happy to go talk with the more well to do captains and travellers who might be less likely to want to pollute themselves by associating with the great unwashed (that's you guys). :)

Specific information would include if anyone has heard of any islands in the general direction where our island is supposed to be. Stories of ships blown off course suddenly finding a sheltered cove on an unknown island somewhere they didn't expect it, things like that.

My concern with hitting the streets and canvasing for knowledge of the island is that it will pretty much mean that Ivanthus and Valsus each, if interested, will know where we are going.  And I would rather avoid that if possible.

Though the trade-off I suppose is having to make do with whatever written intelligence can be found, which is likely less current.

Could someone think of a way to gather such information without it being connected back to us and our being the interested parties?

Nothing except just buying drinks all around and asking sailors and captains to tell their tall tales, hoping something of interest comes of it. Keep the specific questions to a minimum but encourage stories in the general direction of what we're after.

   Rhaskos, due to character, would want to pour over the books.

   Even if he doesn't find anything, he would still enjoy the library.  His education is in the 30s.

Iskander would be surprised at the suggestion if Rhaskos voiced it, but wouldn't mind the company.

I suppose that is possible, though not infallible.  Mmm.  It may be the best we can do, while researching the island etc.

Ah, I take that back.  Reviewing the posts it has already been announced that Solisand is our destination in public.  So investigate away.  There is no damage to be done then.

If people were able to tolerate the wait Sanjar could do research for summoning a Sylph and/or Undine to assist with the sailing.  That could significantly affect our sailing speed and susceptibility to weather.  Not to mention elementals are not so shabby in a fight.

I note that Safra has declared her intentions to  sail 'within the month'.  Would that allow enough time for such?

How detailed are the import/tariff records in Thyrta?  Would one be able to judge the relative impact of on  the business of Valsus by Prishad and his new shipments by checking the records in the temple of Sabateus?  How wealthy and/or well known is Valsus?  How large or small is his home?

Depending on what kind of time delay she's willing to accept, we could make up a whole business venture idea trade with the island nations and try to gather a large amount of information in order to conceal the smaller amount of information we're actually looking for.

That would possibly be very time tedious and still runs the risk of not finding us anything.

I'm sure there's got to be some information back in the capital, but there's the balance between spending the time required to find the information vs. letting the trail run cold(er).

There was some mention of time, and it sounds like the trail is around 6 mo's old at least?

Plus there's the whole Valsus issue.  If he's a conspirator and we figure it out, he can be brought to justice.  If he's a conspirator and we don't figure it out and instead tip our hand, he could send warning (or may just lay low).

I'll hit up the urchins and the sea captains.  The boys that delivered the original message sound like a good place to start, and as a fellow sea captain I may be able to get information from the others without sounding obvious.

In reply to Iskander Chrysos (msg #14):

Maps are rare, although things lkike maps with travel distance, waypoints etc can be found. Travel literature exists, but the best stuff is often wildly out of date, written before the Cataclysm when Korantis ruled the waves. Current data is often a close commercial secret.

I'll report back on your education roll later when i have access to my text.

Meanwhile, places to look:

A key part of the local establishment is the Borissan Syndics, the cult of sabateus who regulate trade and farm taxes. It's influential head is a man called Kortano.

Thyrta has only one resident scholar of note, a man called Medanthros the Educator.

The town's most famous sailor is one Rilados. Kordan at least cannot fail to have heard of him. He doesn't seem to be going anywhere other than back to the bar these days, but he's a local legend.

Those who decide to go and hang out in the stews favoured by the local sailing community, or to hang out down on the harbourside, should specify what direction they are probing for answers, and what kind of folk they seek out - and streetwise, shiphandling, insight, lore or influence rolls will be asked for accordingly.

Excellent info, thanks.


sniff. One scholar of note?  Iskander will naturally head over his way, presumably with Rhaskos in tow, once his own books have been exhausted.

I assume the lady will foot our bills? It's too gauche for Iskander to ask, but will want some sort of compensation, his role is everything but clear in this (so far he's mostly just having fun)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:10, Tue 29 May 2012.

Sanjar, you'd probably tell the lady she will have a bodyguard from now on :)

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg #19):



You would need an appropriate resource for research - Thyrta does not have a library full of esoterica.

Timing right now is to undergo appropriate preparations and await favourable winds. This could take days - but perhaps much longer. In reality the main concern is Safra's patience - but she's no fool. If the best thing to do to ensure success were to wait months, she would consider it, however she cannot maintain ship, crew and hired swords indefinitely while they lay idle not earning their keep.

In reply to Iskander Chrysos (msg #22):

In then end you can of course ask for money, it's just a demeaning thing to have to do. In many cases you will be able to swing 'credit', and direct the bill to Safra when it arrives.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg #20):

OK, so Kordan and Sallantus are heading to the docks to pump sailors for information - Kordan is eliciting urchin support and looking up Rilados along the way. Are these guys working together, or separately?

Sanjar is assumed to be hovering in Safra's orbit unless stated otherwise. Tanek joins him, now as bodyguard (Safra seems comfortable with this, and even speaks a little Taskan). Is this group set with a plan, or waiting to see where Safra leads?

Iskander and Chrysos are heading to see Medanthros the Educator to find out if they can get any more information on Solisand from him.

I don't know what Nikolos is up to. I'll assume he is with Tanek until he pops up with some instructions.

So far all information being sought is specifically about the island, not after Valsus or Haliskome - is that right?

One exception, Kordan is also fishing for information on this 'Valsus' character by trawling for gossip on all the town's merchants without discrimination.

Let me know if this is right.

Unless there are any other instructions:

for now Sallantus can make a Streetwise modified by Boating at a cost of 1 SP in booze.

Kordan can make an easy Influence test at +20 to have the urchins track down Rilados for him. but these boys are no use in providing a summary of Thyrta's merchants! 0.5SP cost in rewards.

We'll move to interaction with the two key NPCs identified so far in discrete threads.

Pending reply from Safra, Sanjar would like to investigate matters with the Syndics/Temple of Sabateus.

And to ward up Tanek.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #26):

I'd say we head off more or less together.  We might take little side ventures, like me with the urchins, but heading in a similar direction and meeting up with each other before heading elsewhere.

Influence roll to track down Rilados using the urchins's help.
19:50, Today: Kordan Mardahar rolled 26 using 1d100. Influence, easy +20 (73) check.

Removed 0.5sp from char sheet.

I wonder which one is the evil twin? :)

Which implies one is not...

Just the sort of subversive rhetoric an evil twin would use!

You have seen through the nefarious and cunning plan, sir! They are both the evil twin.

Hey, I'm going to be unable to post for a bit - life is getting in the way in a major way, between work and other things. Please do not let me stymie any action going forward.

In reply to Nikolos Andrade (msg #32):

That's too bad. Who's going to keep my sling boasting in check?

Hope stuff clears up for you.

In reply to Nikolos Andrade (msg #32):

Sorry to hear that. Let me know if this is a polite 'bow out' or whether you want seat kept warm until you are able to engage with it.

All best

Not feeling very well, so may not post for a few days. Don't wait for me. Sorry

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Woo!

In reply to Iskander Chrysos (msg #35):

Ok, hope you feel better soon. Let me know when you are back in the fray.

Feeling a bit under the weather rather suddenly myself.  I may be slow for a bit, though I will endeavor to not fall out completely.

I'm heading out of town for a work related class tonight and will be back home on Thursday.  I should still be able to catch up daily on my phone, but not likely during evening UK time.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:23, Mon 04 June 2012.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg #40):

Map posted, visible to all (group 0)

A rough sketch of thyrta with some of the locations wncountered so far marked on it. Will add detail as we go along.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #41):

Rhaskos, Iskander, Kordan and Sallantus are now done with their tasks for the day; Tanek and Sanjar are not yet finished.

Feel free to muse here about what you have learned, then when all party members are back together I'll kick off a new story thread.


NB - I'm on a business trip from tomorrow for a few days, will be on Mountain time rather than UK time, but hope to keep things moving as much as I can

NB also - you can now find two sketch maps, one of the region in which Thyrta is situated and which contains basic information on the region garnered from various party members - and one of the city, which currently shows little detail and few features but will be added to as you encounter them.

All best

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #42):

Tanek sighs dejectedly when relaying the details of their outing:
"Well, we didn't really make any progress. Unless its somehow interesting that the Syndic's steward is a slave who's father was a captured Tarsenian soldier or something. Anyway. Supposedly we'll be contacted by messenger when the Syndic will be able to meet with us.  At which point we might be able to gain some more info.  But I'm not going to hold my breath on that one."

"How about you guys?"

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg #43):

"We be done a fair bit better than you, it be sounding.

After spending a long, thirsty day scouring the docks, Sallantus and I tracked down Rilados.  Many hours of story-telling and drinking later, we emerged victorious!  He will show up tomorrow to provide details as to the location of Solisand in exchange for 175 guilder.

Didn't find out no info on Valsus though."

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg #44):

When i get a free moment i'll try fill in gaps on what people report.

Maybe tomorrow morning - mountain time. Jet lag...my head says it's 2am, my schedule says i have a dinner in 20 mins followed by a 'function'.

Yours tiredly...

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #45):

Eww that's rough.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg #45):

Teh suck!  Not to worry.  Hope the dinner was tasty at least.

Sanjar speaks with some mild withdrawness to his manner.  His manner betrays some annoyance about their day it seems.  "We learned that Valsus is not a native of Thyrta.  He is a resident foreigner who has an agreement with the local Syndic Kortano to pay tax in exchange for the right of doing local business.  It begs the question as to the nature of their agreement, and the degree of entrenchment that Valsus may have locally.  Elkanos, the slave we spoke with at the temple, seems... ill at ease to get involved in our matter.  And who could blame a slave for that?  Mmm.  Indeed.  It makes me wonder how far reaching this matter may end up being, depending on the degree of collusion between Valsus and Kortano.  If Kortano is the only local Syndic it would not surprise me if the price of a foreigner aquiring access to local markets would not include a steady stream of incentives to Kortano.  Which would mean that Kortano would also have a vested interest in protecting Valsus' in his affairs... and thus reason to resent the arrival of a new foreigner such as Prashad.  Though this could also all be mere supposition and inaccurate theorising.  Mmm.  I feel there is too much to this situation that is unknown for my comfort."

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg #48):

"Oh yeah, I forgot, Sallantus went on a wildly successful drinking and gaming spree and came out with this little gem:

The strangest thing seen in port is a Jekkarene galley that has no oars that comes by every year with a little cargo that gets unloaded and traded right there on the dockside. And the captain of this ship is a pale-skinned woman with an eye patch. You'll never guess what her name is...?

'Haliskome'

How do you like them apples?"

Right, I'm back from travels, so normal service can be resumed...

Sanjar, Kordan and Tanek all currently posting - please let me know who remains active, there were a couple of people with health, home or work pressures a week or so back.

Here!

I can post, although a lot of what is going on is waaay over Rhaskos' head. He understands it (well, the parts in the language he understands), but it's kinda like reading a book for him. He can see the players and follow the plot, but he's unsure of exactly where to jump in, or how to contribute himself.

I'll post something saying as much. :)

I wasn't posting for Sallantus as he was sat in silence. Obviously that's easier to convey in a tabletop game. You just sit in silence. I'll try to make sure that I make posts to the effect that 'Sallantus picks the dirt from his fingernails with a knife, as the others plan and plot'.

;-)

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 52):

You don't have to - I'm checking who is still playing. I think we have lost Nikolos, and possibly Iskander.

And...my dice rolling luck holds!

Can't buy a successful skill check, but when its time to roll a skill improvement roll, its Crit time!

Sheesh

My apologies for my tardy posting of late.  I've been dealing with a hectic schedule lately.  Switching shifts from days to nights and back to days.  Should steady out now, so I can resume normalish type activity.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 55):

Welcome back, your contributions were missed

So as you know - I'm waiting on Rhaskos - think he's away for a couple of days - if no progress in a day or so from now I'll adjudicate and move on.

I feel kind of like Sanjar is being looked to in order to make a call on this, even though He doesn't really feel 'in charge'... Or perhaps that is me not wanting to step on toes OOCly.  Would people prefer it instead if I had Sanjar be more decisive and simply make decisions in the interest of speed etc?  I feel like we are stuck on things that would take ten seconds around a table in person.

I think it's fine, to some extent, to just make a decision and roll with it.

And to some degree, Sanjar IS in a leadership position due to being present with our lady prior to our hiring. If you say, "this is what we're doing", I don't think there will be any objections unless there's some significant factor needing discussion.

At the very least, someone can say, "hold on here, we should talk more". It'd better than decision by committee with nobody taking the lead.

I'm back!

Posting in a moment.

Yeah, PBP can drag in some paces where face 2 face play is resolved quickly, but conversely, you have A LOT of time to think about what you want to say or how you want to approach problems.

Rhaskos has no problems with Sanjar taking a more decisive leadership role.

In reply to Rhaskos (msg # 60):

It would be helpful to have a designated leader who is 'approved' by the team to make a call on what the party is doing if there is any uncertainty, also to summarise and make a call after debate and discussion.

Worth stating a few pointers on the adventure here:

1) There is a scenario with a clear mission and goal set out, plotted, mapped and written
2) You are not bound by this - it is essentially a 'sandbox' environment. You are at liberty to go off piste when you want to, but if there is no movement to do so I'll advance to the next step of the scenario using the 'patron' (Safra) to drive things forward and set the tempo. To this point I have not moved forward with "7 days later you set sail" type stuff because I am giving you free reign over the extent to which you learn a bit about the environment, back story and problems you may encounter. If you need me to be more railroady, let me know.
3) [my] AoT stuff tends to be complex-plotted. This does not mean you have to go and root out all the various plot threads in play, it does mean that many NPCs you encounter will behave in ways that are hard to fathom, because that have motivations and interests which are obscure or are tangential to the scenario plot. hidden in that are often more adventure and story hooks that may have direct bearing on how you conduct your mission, or simply give you more things to do if you come back from it alive.
4) As you have guessed, character actions may well trigger NPC reactions, and I try to keep the 'world' as live, active and sandboxy as possible. Ideally character actions give me lots to think about on behalf of the NPCs and set the agenda (whether you know it or not).

I am however counting forward time. At this point I have moved the world on 4 days since the hiring.

Very well then, I've no objection to playing Sanjar with more assertiveness.  I just hesitate to offend/bother other players OOCly.  So given the seeming common assent I will proceed.  If anyone later has issue or 'Hold on we need to talk' ... certainly feel free, IC & OOC.

I've got no problem with that. Sallantus might, if it looks like Sanjar is going to get him drowned, but that'll be an in game thing, no a player thing.

Ok.

Easing back into games this week.

I'll try to catch up and post before the end of the week.

So...are any of the baddies still up and about when Rhaskos gets there?  Or have they all been dealt with?  :)

In reply to Rhaskos (msg # 65):

It looks like the only one still up is Orinastron (with a heavily damaged right arm), but Sallantus still has a chance to take care of him before the end of round 4.

Here's this stuff!

11:44, Today: Rhaskos rolled 5 using 1d4+1. Stealth improvement .
11:43, Today: Rhaskos rolled 15 using 1d100+14. Improvement roll (Spears 70).
11:43, Today: Rhaskos rolled 94 using 1d100+14. Improvement roll (Stealth 51).

Congrats on the +5! ;)

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 68):

Thanks!

It seems like we might need that one!

And the spear stat went from 70 to 71....which is way better with this system.

Adjustments made on my sheet...

Sanjar's warding grimoire went from 68 to 72, so another level of spell intensity there. ( Damage Resistance: 8! )

Also Spell Manipulation/Spellcraft from 60 to 64... so another level of manipulation as well.

Pretty nice/significant improvement elements for him.

--

Who all do we have still active?

Tanek, Kordan, Sallantus, Rhaskos, and myself?

Or am I missing anyone?

With his new level of manipulation I'm thinking/considering about how many people I can afford to ward up at once now.  I'm not sure whether I can afford everyone right now and still have anything left over to meaningfully cast anything on the fly.

Until now I'd been casting on myself, Safra, and Tanek ( as the bodybuard figure ).  Any thoughts here?  I can economically now pass a bit more out.

Is it IC, given our current istuation, to pass wards out to everyone?  How do people feel about that as well?  OOCly I think it quite prudent.  I remain unconvinced we have seen the end of the action by any means.  ;P

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 70):

Yeah that sounds like an accurate count of active folks.

18:21, Today: Kordan Mardahar rolled 12,4 using d100+9,d4+1. Influence improvement roll (53).
18:21, Today: Kordan Mardahar rolled 16,4 using d100+9,d4+1. Brawl improvement roll (42).

+1 to Influence and Brawl.

Them be some bad improvement rolls  :(

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 72):

Yeah...

I rolled a one for the spear.  It's crazy how many crits get rolled during IR rolling time. Can't buy one during play tho :)

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 70):

At the point where action is likely to be frequent over an extended period, it will be necessary to get heavy on the book-keeping if maintaining multiple spells with long durations - MPs don't start recovering until expiry of the spell duration - so if immediately renewing there will be points at which Sanjar will have very few magic points - next lot spent, prior lot not yet recovered. Or the sorcerer is not on hand to renew as soon as a spell expires. When you do the casting will become important.

I'll keep a watching eye on this also, to see if the MP recovery time needs to be lengthened as a game balance issue in future, or whether the book-keeping on spell maintenance gets too arduous and fiddly. I'll be looking at what needs tweaking when porting over to RQ6 at some future stage, and this is an area it's important to test out.

For those benefitting from a Damage Resistance spell - WARNING - it stops damage up to that level, but if it is exceeded ALL damage goes through. So if you have a Damage Resist on worth 8 points, and take 9 - you take 9 damage. Also, if Sanjar does not also apply Magnitude, it can be dispelled very easily, but only, of course, if you meet someone with spell-neutralising magic or abilities.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 70):

Given a choice, I'm sure Sallantus would prefer some tough armur than an easily dispelled ward...

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 74):

I picked up RQ6 (and Iron Companion) last week and it includes a lot of nice options for magic. The high magic option of 1 mp / hour corresponds to the default setting for all prior versions, and there's a roughly equivalent to AoT option for Sorcery spell durations. But otherwise it's basically the same with MP not starting to regen until the spell expires.
I particularly like the changes in how shields operate. No more bonus actions for offhand items.

By the way, that encounter was quite fun. I thought we were in for a lot of trouble when it started.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 76):

Yeah I was thinking, ooh wonder how many of us are going to die.  Was NOT feeling confident of starting combat with assassins in no armor, shield or good weapon.

I second the request for a 'cast of characters' thread.

Seconded with the terror and feeling of looming character-death.

Tanek your combat prowess was quite a pleasant surprise.

Sanjar may pester you for some instruction sometime!

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 79):

Heh, seeing my skill with something other than a spear would have been the real suprise.  Reach and superior terrain gets all the credit for my prowess.

(I was just going to post this to Sanjar, but then I figured someone else who hasn't used sorcery much might appreciate it.)



I must admit, RQ has also always been my favorite system, even though I've probably spent at least 10x as much time reading rulebooks as actually getting to play it.

I don't want to do full on char sheet advice, as I like being surprised by what other characters are able to do, but I can give some advice on the magic.  Sorcery was always the most interesting branch, I think.  It has the most flexibility.  Unfortunately that flexibility brings complexity.

You said you're at 72 grimoire, 64 manipulation. The 72 grimoire skill gives you 8 points of intensity.  That's for every spell, and you don't have to divvy that up in any way.  The 7 points of manipulation you get does have to get divvied up to enhance the spell.

For each aspect adjusted with manipulation, regardless of how many points are applied towards that aspect, the spell costs 1 more MP than the base 1 cost.

• You can make the spell sturdier by increasing its Magnitude.  This is solely to use in comparison to the magnitude of another spell.  Sorcery spells start at 1 magnitude and go up 1 per manipulation applied towards that end. At 1 magnitude, any enemy caster who has the right spells will be able to cancel your Damage Resistance, but they'll need to do it to each target.  The same applies for damage spells, a higher magnitude will be needed to punch through defensive wards.
• You can add Range to the spell.  Default range is touch, it goes up very quickly from there.  1xPow, 5xPow, 10xPow, 50xPow, etc.  You still need to have some way of observing the target though.
• You can increase the Duration (tremendously so in Age of Treason.)
• You can add Targets.  You get 1 target per spell for free, each additional takes a point of manipulation.
• You can Combine other spells to cast at the same time.  All spells combined affect all of the targets specified. The benefit of this is that you can conserve MP by casting multiple spells together and they get all the benefits of manipulation spent.  Since this is can be rather powerful, there's a cumulative -10% to the casting test per extra spell combined in.

So, where does that leave us in regards to the Damage Resistance spell?
For 3 targets, you, Safra, Tanek, that requires 1 MP to manipulate Targets, and 2 points of manipulation to add 2. With your 5 remaining manipulation, you can increase the Duration of the spell to 1 day (24 hours).  I'm assuming Simlacrum will use the Game World Time column rather than the abstract time, which would be 2xPow hours.  This adds a 3rd MP to the cost.

So, for 3 MP, you can affect 3 people for the 8 points your intensity provides. As long as one of the targets is yourself, you can easily touch 2 more. Those 3 MP won't start regenerating until the spell's duration ends.

To affect all 5 of us for the same 4 MP, you'd spend 4 manipulation on Targets, spend 1 on Range, and spend the other 2 on Duration.  This would cause the spell to only last 1 hour and everyone would need to be withon Pow range.  Although you could try to say everyone huddles up and grabs on to you, then the touch range is sufficient and you can save an MP and put the manipulation point into duration and have it last for 2 hours.

For 2 MP, you can affect just 1 target, and spend all 7 manipulation on Duration.  This would make the spell last 1 month.  To affect 3 people for that long would be 3 castings for 6 MP, but again, you won't start to regain that MP for a month, which could reduce your flexibility.

If you have another protective or beneficial spell, you could spend 1 manipulation to Combine them, 6 manipulation on Duration, and affect 1 target with both spells for 10 days.  This would cost 3 MP.

If that sounds quite powerful, well, it is.  With the caveat that if you don't spend any manipulation on Magnitude, your spells are easily dismissed by anyone who tries.  If you're a sorcerer in a game with no magical enemies, you may as well be the proverbial fox in the henhouse for how unstoppable you'll feel.

Deciding on how much Magnitude to apply to a spell is the difficult choice then.  Too much, and you'll feel like those manipulation were wasted and could have been spent elsewhere.  To few and your spells will crumple before the first enemy caster who looks at them.  All of 1 MP for a 1 magnitude common magic Countermagic will take down your 1 Magnitude resistance.  For sorcery, it'd be 3 (1 to cast, 1 to add Range, 1 to add Magnitude), but someone with your manipulation could easily push that Neutralize Magic up to 6 Magnitude and just spend 1 on Range. Then you'll have no defenses and you'll probably also have less MP available than said enemy.

I'll try and get some posting done tonight, if the braodband is fixed at home. Haven't had time to properly digest the last few days sneaking time here on my work computer. If necessary, push ahead - Sallantus isn't much of leader, at least not where schemes are concerned.

I AM still here though.

Apologies.

09:31, Today: Sallantus rolled 73 using 1d100+15. Improvement Roll v (Perception: 31).

09:31, Today: Sallantus rolled 2 using 1d4+1. % improvement - Perception.

09:32, Today: Sallantus rolled 16 using 1d100+15. Improvement Roll v (Sidearm&Shield: 67). [What a wonderful roll, at ANY other point in a D100 game!]

So, I've added one point to my Combat Style and two to Perception.

I've also added the short sword that Sallantus picked up in the fight. Is it acceptable in this culture to keep a weapon won/found/stolen in this way?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:35, Mon 13 Aug 2012.

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 83):

Note to Sanjar (but of wide relevance)

Play test experiment:

Add the Enchant Spell to your Grimoire 'The High Art'. You now need to Combine enchant with another spell to achieve the AoT extended Durations, which will be based on game world time ONLY, not on POW multiples. This will increase your manipulation cost by one and your MP cost by one, and the casting time for the ritual will be, for playtest sake, 10 minutes per MP in the spell.

This is to test making long duration spells a little less convenient, and, as Sanjar will guess, to test out this as a fit between the AoT/Legend mods and the RQ6 rules.

The main impact of this will be the extent of Damage Resistence cover available for the party.

I'm back. I'll catch up today and post later.

In reply to Rhaskos (msg # 85):

I'm off on a short vacation (to Rome with my wife)for three days, so not sure if I'll be posting.

While I am away decide if you have any plans to try and force Safra to let you set off after Orinastron's stash, or do anything else in town - or go with the Ebb and Flow as Kordan has said, and assume to set sail on the morrow, in which case we'll dive right in (if you will excuse the pun) to the expedition.

Any additional kit or preparation - you have 50SP reward money between you and probably another 7 SP per head in unspent wages.

You will be at sea - the island you are heading to is assumed wild and uninhabited apart from the pirates said to be hiding out there. You have seen records telling how it was once the hideout for someone 'The Apostate' that it would be reasonable to presume was a wizard (aka bad sorcerer) by those who know about Korantine history of the era concerned - when the Korantine emperor had a penchant for hunting down sorcerers.

My apologies for my absence.  I have recently been undergoing some unpredictability in my schedule at work as well as a promotion and in general a new role in things besides... so, RL has been taking over for a bit.

I am going to attempt to catch up this weekend and stay that way.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 87):

Congratulations on the promotion and welcome back.

Simulacrum - have an awesome time in Rome!

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 87):

Promos are always a good thing, congrats :)

Congrats on the promotion!

I can identify with the bump in RL work stuff. For me it's been: A move, a lot of travel for work, an increase in Work schedule in general, my fiancé starting a masters program...and just general busy-ness. I too will be on it...next week?  Going away for Labor day weekend will probably delay my posting...again.

In reply to Rhaskos (msg # 90):

I'm back, normal service will resume shortly.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 91):

Hope you had a good trip.

Rhaskos, that all sounds busy busy busy!

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 92):

I did thank you - cycled along the Appian Way, went out to the hills to Lake Nemi (not by bike, I should add), explored the Etrusacan necropolis at Cerveteri, wandered the streets of Ostia Antica, and of course swung by the Colosseum, Forum &c. All the while boring my wife with my historical ramblings.

Congrats also to Sanjar on RL promotion!

Re: ritual sacrifice - we've got a couple of prisoners...

Sallantus does NOT say that though. He's a better man than I am!

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 94):

Haha!

Thank you.  And that sounds like a vacation I would enjoy very much.  I'm sure it was quite nice.

--

As this game has as one of the objectives to play-test, I suggest opening up a play-test/mechanics thread for rules discussion.  I have some thoughts I would like to put forth without cluttering up other threads.

Very amusing.

Sanjar would normally have absolutely zero problems or scruples about sacrificing a couple of slaves, much less a couple of slaves who attacked him.  However he 'did' offer them their lives for cooperation, and so far they are holding up their end.  He is not inclined to break his word without good cause.  So he is not inclined to use 'our' two.

He might casually speak about that before all involved though, when the subject of sacrifices comes up.  'Those two would do nicely, yet we have a deal and I won't break it.  Let me know if they try anything while you are gone...'

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 86):

The 50SP reward money and 7SP in unspent wages? We're we to add this (in what fractions) to our character sheets... Sorry for being behind the times here.

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 98):

You must have missed my math failure where I forgot to count myself and split that 50s into 4 portions.

I later changed that to add 17 SP.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 99):

It would be helpful to know who is reading and posting prior to my next post...Rhaskos has been away for a bit, and I'd like to know if he'll be engaged in the next few days, and if unable, any steer on how I or another player can run him. One way or another some sort of confrontation or violent encounter is imminent.

In other news I'm on a business trip to Canada this week (heading to TO tomorrow), this should not affect whether I can post, but it won't be my usual time slots

And if anyone knows a good game store in Toronto, let me know!

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 100):

I'll be around.  Can't help in regards to Toronto, never been. Have a safe trip though!

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 100):

I searched on Board Game Geek and found a thread from a few years ago.
http://boardgamegeek.com/threa...ng-stores-in-toronto

All the stores still look like they're open.

Hope it helps :)

I've been working nights this past week.  I'll be shifting back to days in a few days, and should catch up on anything pertinent to Sanjar then.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 102):

Thanks for that link...really helpful

I'm scared by the feedback on Hairy Tarantula - but I already found 401. Perused the games, very little other than D&D and Pathfinder (no Legend, no RQ!) Being a complete alien to CCGs, amazed by the vast aray of stock, with some individual cards at $200!

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 103):

If I get no response from Rhaskos' player, would you be up for playing him while Sanjar not present rather than me GMPC him?

I presume you can see each others' character sheets?

I would be willing/interested.  I don't 'think' we can see each others' sheets, or if so I don't know how to do so.

My concern would be with making sure I played him to character and I don't know that much really about his background.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 106):

As far as I'm aware we can not see each other's character sheets.  Rhaskos and I's backgrounds are slightly intertwined, I could fill you in on some of the details and probably make an educated guess on some more of it.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 107):

Apologies for not having moved forward guys - combination of trip being busier than expected and jet lag. No word from Rhaskos' player, so will give Sanjar's player some basic character info and ask him to make some basic choices to what to do and make relevant rolls.

Travelling tomorrow overnight, so probably will present next situation some time on Saturday

Not to worry, I'm not going anywhere. Slow down isn't unexpected with your traveling, and if you're waitin on a player who isn't logging in...

Wow! It's been over 3 weeks since Rhaskos logged in.  Doesn't seem like it's been that long.

Do you want me handling Rhaskos in this new encounter?

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 110):

Yes please. I''ll drop a note summarising some key stats and attributes.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 110):

Yes please. I'll drop a note summarising some key stats and attributes.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 110):

Yes please. I'll drop a note summarising some key stats and attributes.

Sallantus has forgotten that he has some useful spells, again. And now his hands are full...

Did we end up being covered by a protection spell?

Yes.  Damage Resistance.

What does a Borissan think of Thennault honour? In particularly a Borissan marine, presumably used to combat lacking in honour, in which outnumbering an enemy is considered a virtue, rather a subject of shame.

In short, how ought Sallantus feel if we were to collectively turn this hillbilly into a pincushion?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:37, Fri 28 Sept 2012.

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 116):

Culturally - indifferent. Back home there are still many thennalts living on the fringes of the Borissan homeland, where they are known as pagans (again, a phrase that equates to hillbilly or hick), or who are used as cheap labour on the farms. You don't tend to see them tooled up in war gear.

Patriotically - isn't this guy a threat to the security of Borissa's colony at Thyrta?

Personally? - up to you.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 117):

Kordan stands ready. He won't be the one to fire the opening shot, but he'll be the second!

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 118):

Sorry guys, back yesterday but still catching up on work and home (and sleep). Promise that I will get progress at the weekend.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 119):

23:03, Today: Orinastron rolled 27 using 1d100. Perception (45).

... do we just copy and paste from the die roller into our messages?

That is what I do.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 121):

Thanks Sanjar

Note re Tanek's Question - What is a Gnome

For the record, a 3 cubic meter gnome has an engulf attack at 100%, D12 damage, and you get trapped within it. Franskum's 'earth surfing' trick was riding the gnome...he then set it up as a mobile pit trap in front of him, then egged on Tanek to come at him who took the bait. Franskum expected Tanek to walk into the trap and then hack at him when helpless in the gnome's grasp...but GM's roll for the gnome attack was 99 (96-00 is auto-fail, no matter what your attack chance)

NB Elemental stats are in MRQ2 core rulebook but did not appear in the Legend Core Rulebook (but the Elemental Summoning spell did!), nor in Monster of Legend. They are detailed with the addition of a Flesh Elemental in the AoT Companion.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 123):

As far as Kordan is concerned, these "gnomes" you speak of really are just a glorified party trick.  Actual combat effectiveness is a big fat zero!

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 123):

Ahh.  So that's what my failed evade check was for!
1d12! I was definitely on the verge of taking over Orinastron then, wasn't I?

:)

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 125):

I'm very glad you made it!

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 125):

Hence the hero point - reckless courage overcomes the odds.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 125):

And since you took his armor, you have a nice spear sized hole in your new breastplate as a trophy!

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 128):

Hah, nope!  I already have nicer chest armor.

Ok, I've suited up in the with the dead guy's armor, all except his chest armor.

I have size 14 soft leather available for all other hit locations if anyone needs.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:00, Sun 21 Oct 2012.

My unit is currently neck-deep in an exercise, so my posting may be slowed until the end of the month.

Hi everyone.  I'm going to be on the road outside of Australia from Friday for a couple of weeks so my posts might be a bit intermittent and at other times of the day to usual.

Hope any of you in NY are doing OK - it looks pretty rough.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:06, Wed 31 Oct 2012.

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 131):

Southern California so no weather worries here, have a good road trip!

This message was deleted by the player at 18:51, Thu 01 Nov 2012.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 132):

Back in Australia so regular service will hopefully be resumed.

Those of you who celebrate it, I hope you had a happy thanksgiving.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 135):

Had Thanksgiving twice (thu and sat) and have had leftovers 4 times :)

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 136):

For info, I'm travelling to Washington DC today until Friday night - should be online reasonably often but may be erratic

And belated happy thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 137):

You sure travel across the Atlantic a lot! :)

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 138):

International man of mystery, that's me.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 139):

For no apparent reason that comment made me think of the song "Secret Agent Man".  When I was a kid I thought the song was "Secret Asian Man", so I thought he was in disguise or something.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 140):

LOL - I remember doing that - and now I see my kids mishear something and stick with their version no matter what.



Anyway, to continue this thread - if everyone wants to stay with the campaign and is up for conversion to RQ6 that would be great for me, as I'd then be running and writing the same system.

I'll put a proper brief together before Christmas. Am liking the 'traits' that go with combat styles, and love the new take on Common/folk magic, fits how I imagine the world much better. apart from checking through the magic systems it really should be fairly seamless conversion. Main points are:

Renewable luck points (a derived attribute), not Hero Points
Action Points not CAs (no +1 for shield, but can passive block)
Combat Styles have a trait, a sort of special feature
Base move is 6m not 8m
Task difficulty - as provided above
Ranged Combat - the actual distance to the target, rather than weapon capability, now important to chance to hit (as is size of target)
Sorcery more or less the same - but some neat additions to the spell list
Divine Magic - some more substantial changes, but we haven't used any of that yet
Common Skills = Standard skills - more or less the same - addition of Deceit, Resilience now called Endurance, Persistence now called Willpower

More on this soon

Am I the only one who's first thought was the Spiderman theme song, just with Asianman? Haha. I couldn't remember how Secret Agent Man went...

Yeah I really like the passive blocking from shields, rather than the bonus CA. Really makes it so you can get by with the historical accuracy of a shield and a helm.
The nice thing about RQ is that all the magic is very modular and self contained. I think there are about 13 magic systems across the various versions and sourcebooks now that could all work together.

Although since you can't permanently increase stats under RQ6 rules, it does make the pact donations from existing divine magic a bit more problematic.

I should reread it, but I got a new windows phone 8 and the only existing PDF reader doesn't seem to like whatever format all the purchased PDFs come in, as it won't render any of the Legend, AoT, or RQ6 files I bought.  Since my boy is 7 momths old now, I find I have a lot less time sitting in front of the desktop machine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iaR3WO71j4
I was going to link the Bruce Willis cover, but he actually enunciates "agent" so it doesn't sound like he's saying "Secret Asian Man" like when Johnny Rivers sings it.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 143):

Don't know if any of you visit the Design Mechanism website - the December News item posted yesterday includes the fact that I'm writing an Age of Treason book for RQ6, working title is Shores of Korantia.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 144):

Oh sweet!  That's good news.

I only go by DM occasionally, as I'm not really a fan of their forum software.

Does RQ6 fix the CA economy, which - to my mind at least - has a weird quirk in that an extra Combat Action in character generation (perhaps just one characteristic point difference) is worth far more when it comes to the crunch than years of %ile training in a Combat Style?

Nonetheless, I'll be getting the book soon enough.

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 146):

No, but it does remove the bonus CA for having something in your offhand. Instead there is passive blocking via ward location free action. Weapons can ward one location while shields can cover of to 5 adjacent ones. The item that's warding can't be used to parry with. Instead, if an attack strikes a warded location, it is automatically parried by the warding object. You could still declare a parry using your weapon in your other hand though.

I certainly look forward to the transition.  Good news.  Glad to hear RQ6 is getting some support/love, glad to see AoT is going to keep going and get the same, and even more glad to see them both together.

Not safe for work content ahead.

Sallantus Rhaskos:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic...8KO2cfZrLX2FfRppvPv0

Gorkas:
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic...7Kx5kpViUbNm2dZlQPyW

Sallantus' Rhaskos's trophy:
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic...P3V9q738G3VpnA2y3k6x

It never occurred to my wife that Natalie Portman would do such a low-brow humor movie like Your Highness.  Hah hah.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:37, Fri 07 Dec 2012.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 149):

LOL - that's pretty good. And a very good Gorkas if you add a couple of feet and another hundred pounds...

I still haven't seen that movie

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 150):

If your sense of humor favors it, then it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.  It's rather in the same category of humor as college co-ed movies like Van Wilder, Road Trip, etc.  So if you find totally unnecessary topless girls, penis jokes, scatological humor, absurd situations, and completely unnecessary swearing all to be rather amusing, then it's an awesome movie.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 151):

My stupid low charisma's really killing me on improvement rolls.  Think I'll start saving to improve that.

I am slightly uncertain how to proceed after your recent update Simulacrum.

A logical, and interesting, flow of events... how much are you looking from us in way of a response as we proceed?

I am left with the feeling of looming events yet to come, though that may not be accurate?

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 153):

One PC left with a private line to respond to - when he does we can move on. I'll chase if nothing in by morning my time.

I put Sallantus' IR into Athletics and Evade (two skills that he used in the last passage of play). +3% in Athletics. Rolled under Evade, so just +1%.

In reply to Sallantus (msg # 155):

The party is now reunited with Sanjar; so now we have to decide whether to lose Rhaskos as a PC - his player clearly not going to show up - or keep him as a back up character (bear in mind some of Safra's crew and also Hebdomar, the captured Archipelagan, can serve this purpose).

Let me know what you think.

A: In this new scene, has Sanjar had time/notice to drop the wardings and recover, or is he still weak as a kitten?

B: I like Rhaskos in some ways but I don't like taking someone else's character really.  I do however feel the advantage of a 'custos' character for my 'Magus' is pretty much a given.  My long-time Ars Magica instincts are showing.  I really found Hebdomar interesting, and so of course so did Sanjar.  Sanjar could attempt to recruit him as a bodyguard/enforcer of his own to serve that 'custos' role rather plausibly I think.

Sorry, for those that my be unfamiliar Ars Magica is a game that focusses on Magi.  But you also make 'companion/custos' characters that are non-magi, one or more for each Mage.  That way when the Mage is busy or indisposed or even just not suitable for a given scene, people can grab a 'Custos' character in the scene and everyone has something fully developed to play.

As an Ars Magica GM I used to have the whole group make their Mages and then also have every player make a different Custos character to go with each other Mage.  So the Magi, while loosely affiliated, had their entourages around them most of the time... but these were all full non-Mage PC characters... so everyone always had somthing to do, and someone to play.  Which I think is a rather brilliant facet of Ars.  My natural instincts are to try and use that process here/now...  but I have to remind myself that I'm not playing Ars.  ;P

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 157):

Heh. Ars was one of the long string of games my brother and I purchased and perused but never got a group to play.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:12, Mon 17 Dec 2012.

Most of my play has been online, though I have had a couple of actual TT games as well.

For many reasons Ars Magica and my brain just 'click', and I've been an avid collector and player of it for quite a few years now.  Indeed my Ars collection stretches to exceeding one bookshelf and bleeds into occupying space on a second one...

And that is with me being about ten or so books behind in purchasing the current edition.  Which I only recently realised.  My wallet fears...  It knows what is coming.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 159):

Ahh, I just have the one 2nd edition book and no supplements.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 160):

Oh hey there's a 5th edition now.

I won't say that I like 'everything' about 5th, but overall I give it two thumbs up for filling in a lot of the mechanical and setting gaps of the previous material.

Ars will never be a perfect system, it has some intrinsic break-points that require the Jedi-Mind-Trick to get people to look elsewhere for their min-maxing... but, overall, the game is both mechanically and setting/story-wise very evocative and interesting to me.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 162):buying new kit - some guidelines for local prices in Sabatine SPs (1 SP = 2 Taskeens)

Arms and Armour
In Thyrta you can acquire any Common or Uncommon item at listed price. Anything Rare at double price, but to find within the 24 hours available requires a Streetwise roll. anything Special Order - can't get it here.

Mace or Battleaxe Uncommon 6SP
Rarely used as military weapons

Shortsword Uncommon 30SP
The standard sidearm, a short leaf or straight-bladed double edge sword

Warsword, Horseman’s sword Rare 50SP
A  longer weapon providing sufficient reach to strike from horseback

Falchion Uncommon 35SP
Usually S rather than M length, with a straight back and curved, single cutting edge

Club Common 5CP
The most basic weapon, but capable of being customised to provide +1 damage for an extra 1SP

Militia shield Common 18SP
A large oval shield with central grip, covers up to 5 locations

Hoplite Shield Uncommon 20SP
Preferred by some militias and patriotic bands

Militia spear Common 3SP

"Kitanian" (composite) bow
Statistics as for recurve bow Special Order 40SP
Most examples in Korantia are imported from Assabia or, more rarely, from Kitan

Hunting (flat) bow Common 2SP

Arrows Common 1CP each

War or specialist Arrows Uncommon 2CP each

Simple quiver Common 1SP

Case and quiver for recurve bow Rare 5SP

Dart Uncommon 1SP
A small javelin, or shorter dart with lead weight

Javelin or hunting spear Common 4SP

Dagger Uncommon 10SP

Stiffened or padded cloth or leather cap, helmet or hood Uncommon 6SP

Simple metal or composite helmet,3 AP 2 ENC Uncommon 12SP
Fancy metal helmwith crest 5 AP, 4 ENC Rare 30SP
Metal helmet, premium, full face  6AP, 5 ENC Rare 50SP

Scale armour, leather or horn 2AP, 2 ENC per location Rare 15SP per Location
Scale armour, composite 3AP, 3 ENC per location Rare 20SPper location
Scale armour, bronze or iron,4 AP, 3 ENC per location Rare 25SP per Location

Padded cloth or leather armour,2AP, 1 ENC per location Uncommon 5SP per location

Laminated linen linothorax cuirass 3AP, 2 ENC per location Rare 24SP per location
A single armour piece protecting chest and abdomen
Some linothoraxarmour incorporates scale into the chest or abdomen area


Half platearmour, bronze or iron 5AP, 4 ENC per location Rare 60SP per location
A Korantine warrior usually only has plate armour on selected locations rather than full body

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 163):

Dear all - conversion to RQ6

I don't think this really needs to hold up play, as the elements are minor - the major changes are likely to only come up if specific circumstances dictate.

Common Skills

Now called Standard Skills

I am restoring Boating, Swim and Ride to the list in order to keep close to RAW. So if you have taken these skills as Legend Advanced Skills, you can now add back the 10% skill point spent to initiate the skill in the first place

Regional Lore is now called Locale
Resilience is now called Endurance
Persistence is now called Willpower
Regional Lore is now Locale
Culture (Own) is called Custom
Language (Own) is now Native Tongue, A Standard Skill. Keep percentage as it is.

Evaluate is gone as a Standard skill - if you have any points allocated to it, spend the first 10 creating a new Commerce professional skill, and add the remainder on top of the basic or use elsewhere on a 'social' skill.

An additional Standard Skill is Deceit (INT +CHA). If anyone has taken Fast Talk as an Advanced skill, add all skill points gained to deceit. If not, feel free to transfer up to 10% of any points allocated to influence if you so choose

Another new one is Conceal (DEX+POW). Simply move points in Sleight, if you have spent any, over to this skill. Sleight is now an Advanced (Professional) skill, so drop it unless you have 'professional' reasons to have acquired it as a skill.

That's it for now - more later in the weekend, moving on to any adjustments to Combat Style and Folk (Common) magic - please ask any questions. Will deal with Divine Magic and Sorcery separately
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:31, Sat 22 Dec 2012.

Merry Christmas all. 91F in Sydney!  Hope you all have a great time however you celebrate.

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 165):

And merry christmas to you all - 10C, grey and damp here!

13c/55f and rainy here.

good friends and good food around though, so it's all good.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 166):

I thought it was "Happy Christmas" on that side of the pond.  :)

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 164):

Ok I've updated Kordan to RQ6 per your post above.  The only differences in the standard skills that we should see now is that Unarmed is replaced by Brawn, and the addition of Rites, yes?

I know we haven't covered Divine Magic yet, but I just want to toss out there that my spell, Ebb and Flow, doesn't appear to be replicated in RQ6.  Not that I've had an opportunity to use it, but I hope to be able to replicate it in some fashion.  The spell is strongly tied to Kordan's identity as a Sea Captain and is (in my mind) what sets a "true" Sea Captain apart from someone who is just a pretender.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 169):

Super

RQ6 is short on nautical spells and I need some...can work with Ebb and Flow for now, and put some thought in

Your combat style trait? Sea Legs might be a good one, reducing any penalty for fighting on a moving deck by one step - otherwise Shield Wall as per the land based city militia of your home town.

Meanwhile captain - via Tempigone or skirt that island and straight to solisand? Weather is, for now, fine!

And on another note - apologies for current hiatus to proper play - christmas nearly done - last family visit round is today - and normal service shall be resumed.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 170):

Oh yeah. Luck points and group luck points.  Since they replenish each session but otherwise behave like hero points, we should remember to use them more frequently.
What size pool should the group pool start at?

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 171):

Oh and as far as Ebb and Flow goes, why not just use the Legend spell? The system is compatible with all prior forms of magic published for RQ and Legend.

I also finished updating Tanek a couple days ago.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 169):

OK - Kordan needs to create a Devotion (Pyrolus) skill (POW+CHA) and an Exhort (Pyrolus) which is INT+CHA. Replace his 2 Pact skills with these. He does not need a Devotion to Orayna of Tysil (this goddess is usually just referred to as 'Tysil'). Instead he gains a Passion, which is Loyalty - Tysil.


The 2 Magic Points/uses of Ebb and Flow dedicated to his 'Pact' are now in his Devotional Pool, and it is assumed he has replenished his personal Magic points

However he is also down one magic point, which is his citizenship oath (Oath in effect a Folk Magic spell cast upon enrolling). but overall his available Magic Points are now 8, not 6.

Heal spell stays as is, but with adjusted description - still cast using Rites.

For info, here is the current cult skills and spells for Pyrolus - hapy to try work in Ebb and Flow (assume keep it for now unless you want to change, since not yet used!):

SKILLS
Boating, Brawn, Combat Style: Marine*, Craft (any relevant, e.g. boat-building, carpentry, netmaking), Devotion, Endurance, Exhort, Locale (Ocean Quarter), Navigate, Seamanship, Survival, Swim
*trait is Sure-Footed – no penalties for fighting on a heaving deck, and marines are even taught to hurl a javelin from a seated position without penalty.

MAGIC
Folk Magic includes Beastcall (marine creature), Breath, Deflect, Dry, Glue, Heal, Might, Preserve, Repair, Sea Legs*, Shove, Vigor

*a cult special; allows the target to get past the worst effects of sea sickness, and reduces a skills difficulty modifier for activity on a heaving deck by one grade

Miracles include Bless Ram*, Call Winds, Consecrate, Extension, Excommunicate, Harmonise, Propitiate (Ocean), Elemental Summoning (Sylph, Undine), Lay to Rest (at Sea)

*Adds a Damage Modifier starting at 1D4 and increasing by 1 dice step per magnitude, when inflicting damage on an enemy vessel by ramming – whether or not the ship is equipped with a structural ram.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 172):

He looks fine - just remember that he no longer gets the additional CA for shield

A: on the mend now - recovering your Healing Rate in MPs per day (per overnight rest in fact)

B: Two approaches possible here: Either generate Hebdomar as an independent PC/player-controlled NPC in his own right, for use particularly if Sanjar provides magical support and then stays in the background - or make him a henchman. In the first instance this is fairly straightforward, and any player whose character is dead or elsewhere could use him as a substitute.

I think if you want to roll up Hebdomar as a Custos/Henchman and have him as an adjunct to Sanjar, you have to treat him as treasure/property and buy him from the party pool. As an unreliable captive 'slave' his value is circa 150-200SP. How you treat him, and the development of Hebdomar's loyalty (Master) passion, would determine how much the GM would interfere in the way you run him.

Chargen notes for islander characters like Hebdomar are already written. Will share if required.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 175):

GROUP LUCK POINTS

In response to an earlier question - not having played with these before I am a little wary.

For now I am going to veto additional Group Luck Points - I will allow characters to pledge one personal luck point each to "group" use.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 176):

OK I think I have successfully converted Orinastron.  I also did his two improvement rolls from the Gorkas fight today - one each in Evade and Archery as those were the skills he used.

Combat Styles I have taken qualified 'Sidearm and Shield' as '1H Sword & Shield'.  I took the Skirmishing trait for Archery - made sense given his skirmishing background but didn't see much that made sense from the list for his 1H Sword & Shield combat style.  Perhaps 'Fancy footwork' but a bit doubtful.

Orinastron had had Sleight so I dropped this and moved the XP to Unarmed.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:51, Thu 03 Jan 2013.

Hi everyone - I'm taking the family up the coast near Port Macquarie (http://maps.google.com.au/maps...South+Wales&z=11) for a couple of weeks summer holiday.

Wifi is out of the question and, to be frank, I'm not even sure I'll have that much access to a 3G signal so I might be out of the loop until 20 Jan.  I've forwarded the RQ6 PC sheet to simulacrum so feel free to play or NPC him as you wish if you don't hear from me.  I'll be back online to pick him up asap.

In the meantime make sure you propitiate the Iron Simulacrum on 5 Jan - it's his birthday... ;-)

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 178):

Well thank you - and have a super time! Summer holidays are sadly a long way off for the rest of us.

Rest assured when you get to Solisand Orinastron will be volunteering to take point.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 179):

Yeah man, that's a good idea! Bishop Orinastron should go first!

LOL, thanks.  Shall I roll my next PC while I'm away?...

Perhaps you can play Orinastron as Hudson now the Foamfollower has crashed...

Well that's great, that's just fuckin' great, man. Now what the fuck are we supposed to do? We're in some real pretty shit now man...

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 181):

"Hudson, look in to my eye."

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 182):

LOL!

Just another day on the farm?

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 183):

That's still my favorite movie of all time.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 184):

It's hard to beat isn't it.

Pleased to report they have 3G in the Boonies...  So will be able to keep Orinastron moving along

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 186):

Here's some information gathered by two characters no longer with us when they visited Medanthros The Educator's scriptorium at Thyrta. This was a way back in the threads now so you may not have it front of mind. But thi is the only description of any kind of Solisand that you have. I shall copy the whole relevant post:


"Solisand! Well, I declare I have never been there, and have never met anyone who has...although I am sure Rilados the Navigator must have passed that way even if he did not know where he was at the time <smiles at his own joke>. And if the Islander folk from across the ocean have been there, which they surely have...well, they don't write books, you see. Now, let me think...it is not a place that anyone writes about you know. At least noone who matters these days, I'm sure. But in the old days perhaps..."

Medanthros seems pleased with the challenge and starts rooting though scroll tubes and codices...

"Ah, now this isn't literature such as men of quality would pay attention to, so it doesn't often get copied, and you tend to just have a few old rags with faded ink... the kind of thing something interesting might be written on the other side...

Now the only reason I have this bit, is because I like the handwriting, and it's about a part of our world that is not irrelevant to our colony. Exciting stuff too. It's archaic, but lovely. Pre-cataclysmic. Barely two generations before the innundation. A vanished world, you know. Haven't looked at it in a while... here, allow me to recite it for you, as you may struggle with the letter forms...

Report of Astangoras, Paladin of Emperor Enkilos II, dated 1014
By the time our fleet reached the apostate's island, we had already lost 2 ships to the ocean's violent temper. So with land in sight we put in at the first available beach, on the north side of the island. We set a camp and sent two parties inland to explore. One returned within a few hours, reporting that they had found the ruins of a village to the West. The other party returned the following day with reports of a forest that stretched as far as they could reckon, forming a barrier between our position and the location of the Apostate's stronghold  - indeed three of their party had already become lost. As a result of this intelligence I decided to send a ship under Captain Ortantos to circumnavigate the island, rather than risk more of my men on a march into the forest. The captain reported back that East and West coasts were both rocky with few landing places; yet at the south, closest to our objective, were many miles of beaches, however made treacherous to approach by the presence of a broad reef.

Ortantos had tested the reef in a small boat and was convinced we could make a landing with some good seamanship and our ships' boats leading the way to find viable passage through. With two thirds of my force we attempted a landing - however as soon as the first boats made it into the lagoon a great sea creature attacked them, and many men were slain. Some struggled to the shore and in its eagerness to pursue the monster beached itself, and thus we were able to set about it with sword, spear and arrow until it was dead. Even in its last moments its tremendous thrashing accounted for more of my men, including the good captain Ortantos.

There you are. Sadly, gentlemen, it provides no clues as to the island's location so utterly useless for your purposes. but as a scholar I am sure you will find it interesting"

I believe this information was relayed to Sanjar at some point, yes?  Though not in the detail that you provide there.  I find the whole story and the like very interesting besides.  A nice bit of writing there.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 188):

Passions - you all should have at least one:

Kordan and Sallantus (you still there, not posted for for a bit?*)

Should have Loyalty (city-state - IIRC that's Tysil and Borissa respectively)
Tanek - should have Loyalty (Emperor) All these at 30+POW+INT

Any others? Sanjar doesn't need a political loyalty, but he may want something to reflect his patient but zealous pursuit of a lady (58%)

Orinastron - as per your own history, come up with something suitable.


*Sallantus give me a shout if you want help on a bit of RQ6 conversion, I know you may not have rules access as yet, but mechanically you won't suffer

Orinastron's improvement roll for Unarmed:

14:46, Today: Orinastron rolled 2 using 1d4+1. Skill increase unarmed.
14:45, Today: Orinastron rolled 78,13 using 1d100+15,1d41. Improvement Unarmed (46).

Ignore the 13, I mistyped 1d4+1 as 1d41...  Orinastron's Unarmed skill increases 2% from his grapple with Bessum and is now 48.

I think Sallantus may be gone. He hasn't logged in since Dec 17th.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 191):

Yes, was suspecting so. Would help if people said they were dropping out, but I undertand it is hard to keep on top of or enthused with an online game, as it does take a looong time to progress.

If that's the case I can:

Ask another player to join, and award Rhaskos or Sallantus to them
Ditto, but get them to roll up one of the shipmates, or Hebdomar
Allow secondary characters from the same sources to the existing players
Press on with 4 PCs - Tanek, Kordan, Sanjar, Orinastron.

Let me know if you players have any preferences. If anyone else is experiencing fatigue/boredom or just inability to keep up to date with it let me know, I can always call a hiatus and reboot the thing or let it drop if no interest or energy to move on. I've enjoyed it so far and I hope you all have, but it's not supposed to be an endurance test!

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 192):

I think Sanjar would be the most appropriate to wield a second char if we go that route.
A new player would be cool too.


I've thoroughly enjoyed this so far. But I would not be opposed to putting this story on pause and rebooting to a full RQ6 playtest with new characters.

I'm not going anywhere. Part of the interest for me IS the slow pace. I can do 10 mins a day with periodic check-ins a heck of a lot easier than I can find the time for a 6 to 8 hour sit down session on a repeating basis.

I'd like to keep exploring Solisand and find Haliskome. Having 5 active players was nice, but I'm game to press on with 4. Pausing to collect a 5th player is fine with me too.

Ditto for me.  Enjoying getting an RPG fix again in a format that isn't time intensive.  I would prefer not to have a second character though.

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 195):

By the way you are not posting from the middle of the New South Wales inferno are you?

Relatively untouched thanks but you realise around here how close some properties are to the forest/bush if not surrounded by it.  Idyllic but at risk of incineration at times like these.  We have had 35C days here this week and Sydney has topped 40C so it's been full on
This message was last edited by the player at 05:54, Fri 11 Jan 2013.

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 197):

OK, we keep rolling then - plenty of bodies about for a new player to inhabit if one turns up in the interim, but I'm not actively looking right now.

SO...I (or rather Safra and Zenduf) await the team's plan.




Re playtest - a very simple thing people can do if any spare time appears is to look at the chargen chapter in conjunction with the chargen chapters in RQ6 and roll up a character, reporting back on:

1) Any gaps, inconsistencies etc?
2) could the process be simpler (are there obvious ways to reduce flicking from one text to the next)?

Suggest you read the intro chapter first if you can, as that pre-warns of the key changes to RAW - which I have kept to a minimum, much less than AoT/Legend.

No pressure to do any of this - but all measured feedback gratefully received

Hey sorry I didn't get around to finishing this earlier.  I'm completing the last updates to RQ6, for Combat Style: Marine, if I swap that in place of Combat Style: Spear and Shield, how does that affect me?  Will I lose the training in using the shield to parry?  Or is that covered under the combat style?

Or perhaps I should be asking, what weapons/shields are covered by Combat Style: Marine? and update accordingly.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 198):

Could we get a separate thread for the playtest feedback?  The existing one doesn't allow replies.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 200):



Done

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 199):

Well, didn't take long to find an inconsistency.

Pick the Korantine Levy Spearman style (spear and shield), and add Sure Footed as an additional trait to Shield Wall

For your Archery skill, and given Kordan's hunting interests, you can replace with one of the two following:

HUNTER
A hunter is one who goes to work with a missile weapon such as a bow and can take the Archery style, but some, particularly those who chase large game for a sport, may opt for spears and javelins, ready to get close or to withstand a charging beast using a set spear.
 Weapon: Javelin and Shortspear, or Bow (any)
 Trait: On the Fly. Reduce ranged attack penalties for fast moving target by one grade


ARCHERY
This Combat Style covers the use of any kind of bow, apart from crossbows. Different arrowheads can be used to produce special effects . The basic bows such as the short bow do not have enough draw strength for the archer to apply a positive Damage Modifier, if any, although a negative modifier will still apply.
 Weapons: Long Bow, Recurve Bow, Short Bow
 Trait: Rapid Fire. The archer can reload and fire prepared ammunition as a single Action up to four times, however each shot is at one grade of difficulty higher than the last (Hard, Formidable, Herculean, Hopeless)

Back home... Having (thankfully) missed a 46C day in Sydney yesterday.  Driving back south could see the clouds of smoke looming over the hills from all the bushfires, and smell them too.  Freaky.  Sounds like UK is at the other end of the temperature spectrum, Simulacrum - you got snow out there in the countryside?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:52, Sat 19 Jan 2013.

My apologies... I'm catching up on the 'At Sea' thread, which I hadn't been following closely until some other things had really settled... and of course now I find there was tons of stuff Sanjar should have been responding to there.  Catching up tonight.

So what's the party status now?  As Sanjar is making landing with us, what does that mean as far as the Rhaskos character is concerned?

I see four active players:
Kordan
Tanek
Sanjar
Orinastrom

One inactive, but possibly still present character:
Rhaskos

And one character that's currently an NPC, but could be available use:
Hebdomar

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 205):

You got it - and although in narrative I have Sallantus gone missing, if someone wanted him as back up or player suddenly resurfaces or you want me to invite someone else to play him, that can be made to happen.

For now the Foamfollower's presence off shore is a useful device - if we need to introduce a new character as reinforcement, that's the spawning point.  Given a choice I would rather the reinforcement came from a character already known to rather than a completely new character retconned in to the story.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 206):

Sorry I've been absent about posting.  I've been really busy.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 207):

No worries and thanks for dropping a note (glad you are still there). So far the team has avoided trying to butcher anyone.

It's fairly evens right now whether the party seeks a fight or just bumps into one...

I'm going to be in California from Sunday morning so out of the loop on a plane during Saturday.  I won't have much free time for the week I am there so expect I will be logging on mid to late evening only or early mornings.  Been over CA several times but never landed - looking forward to seeing a little bit of it.

What part are you coming to?  It's been raining all week in most of the state.

Oh and I heartily recommend liberal usage of hand sanitizer and vitamin C, the cold going around this year is the still-feel-crummy-six-weeks-later kind.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 210):

Yeah, wash your hands like, hourly.

OK well that advice doesn't conform to the romanticised view of California I have from a diet of TV and movies.  Next I suppose you're going to tell me that CHiPs was a work of fiction....   I'm going to Half Moon Bay which is allegedly quite close to San Francisco; I would have liked to see a bit of the City itself but I won't get the chance.  Another time I hope.

Just got over a stomach bug myself.  Was down for the count since about Wed. last week.  Not pleasant.  It seems quite contagious.  People are catching it multiple times.  Have some family friends who have had it go in a circle through their kids and jump back to the start.  And people still aren't acting sane.  Seeing posts online and such of people saying they are having it and still going to 'muscle through' and go to parties and such.  So it is getting spread.  Be careful.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 213):

Everyone very quiet at the moment - let me know if you are up against it or dropping out (Rhaskos player has had personal reasons of late but should be back soon)

And let me know about pacing shoudl that be a problem - if things are happening too slowly (not enough combat opportunities?), or even too fast to be able to throw in your input.

Sim.

I'm still in....  Just not very sure of quite what to do with where we are at...  I'm for getting after Haliskome.  Think the rest of the island is irrelevant to our purpose unless it gets in our way.

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 215):

Indeedy. one of the issues is that this is Sandbox-style, players direct action - the world moves on and reacts if there is player action to react to. This seems to be leaving people with a lot of head-scratching about what to do (and maybe too much work?), exacerbated by the lag between posting times. On the whole I am using the assumption that if people are not commenting, they are happy to go with the directions of those who are.

This does lead to some points that we might perhaps find better ways to handle.

1) I am giving fairly precise but limited descriptions, and people need to ask for more detail if they feel they need it. Now it does happen that a bit of description links back to posts that were made in real world time a long time ago, and people have undertandably simply forgotten, or missed the significance. Is there more GM nudging and direction required?

2) I'm obviously aware of NPC plots, motivations and machinations - they are fleshed out and I'm not making this stuff up on the fly, only reacting to player input on the fly. This means I may need to check exactly what is being said so I can get that reaction right.

Example: In the current situation, where in game terms the party is simply reporting in at the rendez-vous and then getting on with a clear course of action, I do need to know what the ship is going to be doing, and I do need to know if Sanjar endorses Kordan's plan as otherwise Safra may not buy into it. And whether the ship anchors of th West of the island, or heads of to Tempigone for two weeks could have very wide implications.

3) Also note, I do have to keep track of passing time on the island - there is a fixed frequency of encounter checks to do an' all, and in this scenario the encounters are carefully tailored to the dispositions and goings-on of solisand itself.


Anyways, let me know if you have any thoughts.

Catching up now.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 217):

Just arrived in the South of France for a conference, where it isn't sunny, but at least it isn't the everwinter I left at home and promises better things for tomorrow. I'm good for time to catch up with threads this weekend, Monday-Wednesday may be patchy or hiatus.

Incidentally, I feel the need to cover more ground in each post so the whole things maintains some pace and drama, let me know if you think I get to the point where I am galloping ahead without giving people enough space for thought, choices and decisions. Bear in mind a combat round is only 5 seconds, so there's not a great deal of room for debate!

The pace feels good to me.  :)

I'll be out of the country for almost 3 weeks, starting this Monday evening.  Visiting friends in Berlin, Germany.

I should have internet access a fair amount of the time, but may be somewhat distracted.  Please don't wait on my behalf, especially on Mon-Tues 4/29-30 and Thu 5/16, as I'll be flying pretty much the whole day.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 220):

Enjoy Germany.

I'll be heading back to San  Francisco in a couple of weeks and then London for a week so expect to be a bit patchy myself from mid-May for a couple of weeks.

Arrived just in time for the mass party (and scheduled riots) for Labor Day.  Very fun times.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 222):

I like the fact that they are scheduled.

May not be around for a couple days.  Last day in Berlin, so will be out socializing much of it and then on flight home tomorrow morning.

Prost!

I'm off to San Fran again again Sunday so will be out of contact while I go nuts standing in line at LAX :-(

Am likely to be pretty busy next week but will try to keep up.

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 226):

I think I prefer the Berlin airports, where I can bring in an outside bottle of beer that I was drinking on the subway.

Love it!  Provided you get legless in an orderly manner, it's OK.

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 228):

Apologies for the erratic GMing...have completed my business this week so I hope things might now get a bit more normal.

Nevertheless, Sanjar has not posted for quite some time, which may leave us with only three active players and no sorcerer; he has been quite a key character so the loss would be a shame, even apart from the powerful influence of his defensive magic on the party.

By the by the new RQ6 book Shores of Korantia is now heading for editing with a view to publication before year end.

Congratulations on Shores, will be sure to pick it up when released.

I agree, should Sanjar's player drop out, he shall be missed. He brought a good role-playing style that quite impressed me. Don't think I've often seen someone get so into character.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 230):

Good deal on Shores!

And yeah. Seems like we lost Sanjar, which is a bummer.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 231):

Yeah, over a month from last logon, which was over a week after his last post.

Ah well.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 232):

OK let's wrap up this fight and see where we go from there.

The current melee is all but over, the party appear invincible and its a question of whether there is any pursuit any parting shots, and how the fellows on the ground are dealt with - time for coups de grace or compel surrender SEs.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 233):

We seem to be grinding to a halt....

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 234):

It does seem like that. I think Sanjar's semi official role of party leader along with his departure resulted in that since we didn't discuss amongst ourselves a replacement for party decision making. For my last few posts I've started pushing more on courses of action, but probably waited too long to do so.

Kordan, Ori, let's pick a voice amongst us to be decision maker for courses of action so we don't stall out again while we each politely wait for each other. I believe Kordan has been accorded a leader role due to being captain, so we could defer to him. But we're not on a stinking boat any more, so Ori or I could be away team leader just as easily.

So how's this sound? For the sake of progressing, until and unless either of you claim the guiding role, I'll assume it's mine and will make decisions on choices Simulacrum presents based on any entered feedback by you two.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 235):

You're the trained combatant, so in matters of tactical stuff you should claim the leadership role.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 236):

I agree.  Whilst OOC we might all be OK with anyone of us being the 'leader' I'm conscious that, in character, Ori was an adversary and hostage until about 2 weeks ago in game time.  He's done nothing other than be generally useful to elevate himself to be leader.  He's also culturally dissimilar, being a Jekkarane inadvertently on the run.

Ori is happy to be away from his former (press)gang and shouldering amrs with men of worth and honour.  He'll do his bit and follow orders.

My apologies.  I certainly haven't been active.

I would like to plead reassignment/moving distractions/troubles... but I wasn't terribly active before then.

I very much like the game, and the characters ( especially mine own, who is one of my favorites I've ever written actually ).  I think I just go through phases of abundant energy and eagerness, and then burn out with the actual pace of play by post when I can only do and expect a return of so much in a given amount of time.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 238):

Heya Sanjar, how goes?  I have to agree, Sanjar's one of the more interesting characters I've seen someone come up with as well.

Perfectly normal for play-by-post to wane and wax on interest focus. What's your situation like now?  Planning on being more active again? Or just stopping by to say "hi"?

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 238):

Hey, I know that feeling.  I've got a 15 mo old who's teething hard.  :)

How far behind am I?  Sounds like things have stalled a bit?

I'd certainly be willing to try and get things going again.

I apologize for leaving off to start with.

Thank you for the compliments on Sanjar.

I'll start catching up on what I've missed in the IC thread.

I am in the process of being reassigned to a new duty station.  The actual physical move is coming up ... 'some time this month'.  Love the military.  They always want complete compliance/availability from you, and to give you as little forewarning/stability as possible.  ;P  So I have a little less predictability than I should like and upcoming disruptions.  However I do like this game a great deal and would hate to see it fade, so I'll make an effort to update at least once a day at least until I am travelling.  Resume once the new house is in order.

Simulacrum:  Great news with the new book!  I look forward to it a great deal.  The more I read over RQ6  the more I like it, and I can't wait to have AoT stuff made for it.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 241):

We had a fight.  We won.  Kordan talked you up as our invincible sorcerer to the survivors.  You and Rhaskhos are guarding the prisoners while we take one to go get the treasure he said was stashed. We just started out on that so you should be able to catch up to us easily.

Great that you're back Sanjar.  Feels like the band is back together again.

Thank you.  I am caught up now.

I don't however wish to sidetrack the thread with a side reel bit with Sanjar and the prisoners.  I don't see anyone I can control along with you either?

I may be stuck watching the show for a little bit until you guys get back from spelunking.

Of course, the whole reason Sanjar wanted to come to this side of the island was to look for remnants of it's sorcerous past... so he is very much in favor of taking anything/everything from the caves and sorting it all out later.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 244):

OK - fantastic if Sanjar is back on board.

I highly recommend we now have him as part of the party making the excursion, for reasons that will become clear if you get there...

So in the best traditions of GM handwaving, I am going to presume that Rhaskos is taking the other prisoners (two of them), bound and gagged, and withdrawing a little into the dense forest up on the high ground so he has best chance of avoiding detection if their friends come looking for them, and in the worst case scenario will just leave them and make a run for it (or kill them and make a run for it?).

Sanjar, if you can make a quick calc on the MP effect of applying damage resistance before the party sets off - you may simply state, if preferred, you will allow the existing spell to expire in due course and only renew if there is a clear and present danger - your call.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 245):

Heh. Pretty sure I heard a "Dun dun DUN" in there.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 246):

Yeah, the only reason Sanjar and Rhaskos weren't with us before was due to player absence.  Since you're no longer absent there's no reason not to be with us.

On the new duty station front, gotta love the military right?  One of my buddies had been stationed stateside for back-to-back tours and was considering discharging rather than re-upping.  They threw a pretty decent re-signing bonus at him and promised him all sorts of good treatment and whatnot.

So he signed on for another tour, two weeks later they told him that he was getting shipped away from home.  Did I mention he just got married?  So his options were either 1500 miles away from home for 4 years, but still in the US, or 6000 miles away in Japan for 2 years with bonus pay and promise of return to states after the 2 years, but no guarantee of it being actually to home.  He's in Japan now with another year to go.

The kicker is that they have him in Japan doing a career counseling job that he could accomplish from home with email and Google Hangouts.

Kordan:  Sounds about right.

Tanek:  I hear it loud and clear as well.

Simulacrum:  Sanjar will let it run through for now.  He is down multiple points from the recent casting and the spells on Safra.  So for now I think he would rather try and recoup some points unless danger presents itself.  And there should still be some time after we arrive at the site with it in effect?

On The Design Mechanism forums, someone linked to this guy on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/playli...t=PLCA860ECD7F894424

They specifically linked to his dual wielding video, but I find the rest to be quite interesting as well. I linked to the Weapons and Armor category, but he has some other ones also.

The "About Spears" one certainly helps me envision Tathas fighting.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:56, Tue 06 Aug 2013.

In reply to Tanek Sanasin (msg # 249):

I like the links he has on there to some Russian girl's archery fast-shooting style.  She's consistently able to draw and shoot an arrow every 1.5s while standing still.  She's drawing them from a back quiver, so it's not one of those fancy odd grip of a handful of arrows like that Lars Andersen guy.

I could see both of those being specialized style advancements for archery, albeit Lars' method requires some set up time.

The Russian girl's style would be that she's able to draw the arrow as part of the combat action to fire it, and can be maintained consecutively over the rounds.  Her 12 arrows in 18sec pretty closely translates to having 3 CA's in RQ6's 5 sec combat rounds and firing an arrow with each CA.

Lars' style is more of a burst fire method, that probably takes a round or two to set up the fistful of arrows.  Once ready though, his is more like having 3 CA's, and the combat style grants the ability to fire multiple arrows per CA (3 per CA in one segment of the video).

I'm pretty sure that one archer we fought earlier was using the Russian girl's style, heh.


Russian girl - 12 shots in 18sec, continuous firing from quiver.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o9RGnujlkI

Lars Andersen - 10 shots in 5 sec, pre-loading all arrows in hand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zGnxeSbb3g

There's been a couple of guys from my BF3 clan offline recently as were on Talisman Sabre 2013 with some of your compadres.  If your new station was temporarily 'The Top End' of Australia I hope you had fun!

I have been to Australia before, but not recently.

Simulacrum:  how much time is left on the warding after our tromp and rest?

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 252):

The protection spell cast back at message 219 of the Solisand thread, just as the fight with Haliskome's crew began, was not manipulated for Duration, so that's long expired now.

The ruling I made as the party set off for the cliffs, and immediately before you jumped back in, was for a 2 hour charm (just then manipulated for +2 targets and +5 duration at 3MP) to lend assistance to the party, which would have a 72 min duration of which roughly 40 mins would remain at this point - but you made the call not to run with that to try limit MP burn - at least that is how I read it. Presume Sanjar himself is covered by a separate spell? If not he would need one docked from Duration and added to targets - result 60 min duration, with just under half an hour remaining.

Either way - please confirm what your call is (spell cast or not) and what your current MP tally is.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 253):

Oh this "ambush" is turning out to be quite entertaining. Ori's tackle reminds me of the "game" Secret Agent.  When you're out with your friends, stop and place your hand up to your ear like you're getting incoming intel. As your friends notice, they all do the same. When only one person hasn't done that, shout "Get down Mr. President! (change the noun for localization purposes) and everyone tackles that person.

FYI,

My move has started today, house is being packed up as I write.  My posting may be a bit less regular for a bit until we are resettled.  From Louisiana to Canada.  Just in time to miss out on some scorching weather down here.  ;P

Simulacrum:  I believe I misunderstood previously then.  I thought a previously cast effect had some considerable time left.  Now I feel slightly self serving saying 'but of course I would have cast something otherwise!' ... but, given the timing of my question previously, I think it is clear I was concerned about 'coverage' in this area 'before' Sanjar was about to be stabbed/hacked/burned/eaten... whatever.  ;P

I may have been willing to risk the fast-march but feel reasonably sure I would have cast up something before heading into the darkness if I knew there wasn't any protection.

My overall intent would have been for us to attempt to raid/clear this and make off with what we can before we encounter stiffer resistance.  To that end I'd like to propose that after the fast-march, in the hallway/entryway of the cave, Sanjar then would have cast a combined Damage Resistance and Spirit Resistance on the group for as long as he could make it last.  Normally lately it has been only damage resistance, but he worries there might actually be spirits in this locale.

That was the best perception roll ever!

I have to agree, that was quite amusing.

Good luck keeping the Canucks in order, ay

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 258):

Likewise...enjoy Canada. I hope you are heading to a civilised part!

I am being assigned to Winnipeg.  So I believe civilized, yes.

Thank you for the well wishing.

Made it from Louisiana to South Dakota.  A bit more driving yet to go, but so far so good.  ;P

And, Wooo!, natural one on a -money- check.  ;P  I want riches!
This message was last edited by the player at 02:16, Mon 19 Aug 2013.

In Canada.  Not quite settled in yet, but at least we are off the road.

Your thread kind of reminds me of that episode of West Wing in which the NSA liaison at the Whitehouse discovers that the Pentagon has a contingency plan for the invasion of Canada...  I hope the journey from the US into Canada we've been watching in this thread didn't turn out to be you at the head of a column of Abrams tanks and that this is a peaceable mission to Winnipeg!

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 263):

Gm is waiting on instruction about how to proceed, and which way (there are two routes further in to the ruin and one back outside). Also need to know what you are taking with you now and what you will come back and retrieve later.

But apologies have not been pushing things along from my side, had a business trip last week so now catching up on work, home etc.

At last!

Internet at home once again.

Woo!

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 265):

Seems like it took a while to get internet back.  I think my wife would kill me if we went that long without.

It was rather unpleasant for all parties involved, indeed.  ;P

We were living out of bags from the 16th through until 9th.  And now we have the house to assemble.  Joy.

But Winnipeg seems quite nice.

I have been inspired by my recent reviewing of Monster Island.  To that end I've endeavored to do something of a write-up of Sanjar's Sorcerous Cult/leanings in a fashion similar to the Sorcerous Colleges in Monster Island etc.

Critique/Correction/Suggestion all quite welcome.  I haven't had as much time to dwell on this as I would like, so I'd actually rather like it if people picked at it a bit.  Well that and I thought this might give some insight into Sanjar and the role he sees himself in, for the most part.

---

( The Loose Fraternity of Assabian Viziers ) ( A better name escapes me in my current state of fatigue.  Suggestions welcome. )

This is intended to reflect the general/loose fraternity of a class of sorcerous practitioners from Assabia that compose a 'professional class' more than a specifically organised cult in the region.  They tend to study the same body of works, practice the same skills, and consort with one another as peers, yet are not generally a formal organization.  Any organized body would be a local guild or an individual sorcerous lineage.

The 'professional class' represented by this body of knowledge and training is the 'Vizier', a mystical/political/fiscal advisor to the wealthy and/or powerful.  Frequently employed in their various specialties by mercantile endeavors, nobility, rulers, and the military of the various city-states.  Some Viziers have become powers in their own right, and some nobles study the skill-set as well.  Perhaps a 'Sahir' or similar designation would be more apt.

While not a formally composed or organized body, there is a certain recognition of a 'peer' and etiquette to be kept to with another Vizier/Sahir.

Fraternity Skills: ( I am uncertain how many skills is really apt for design purposes.  I have listed those I think really fitting, however could use advice on this from a design perspective. )

Commerce, Bureaucracy, Education: Assabian, Invocation: Fraternity Schools/Grimoires, Influence, Insight, Lore: Arcania/Mundane Arcana, Lore: Spirit World, Lore: The Many Hells, Shaping/Spellcraft, Willpower

Allies: ( Suggestions Welcome! ) - Assabian Nobility/Rulers/Wealthy?

Enemies: ( Suggestions Welcome! ) - ?

- Enchant available to all Schools at 'Mage' level.

---

School 1: Rathmir's Sigils & Bounds: The Ebon Tome Of Rathmir, by Master Rathmir Al'Fraim of Djesmir
- Rathmir was one of the earliest Viziers, and is widely credited as setting the foundation for the profession with the Grimoire that bears his name.  He is thought of as a glyph magus, a strong emphasis in his practice being for symbols and diagrams.  This is the most common first Invocation/Grimoire skill for a Vizier, being seen as the necessary foundation before moving on to others.  Not all follow this progression, yet it is traditional.

Apprentice: Spirit Resistance, Mystic Sight

Adept: Imprison/Withold Ingress, Protective Ward

Mage: Banish, Damage Resistance

Arch Mage: Neutralise Magic, Spell Resistance

Gifts: Invulnerability ( Specific Magical Power/Spell or Spirit/Daemon Type ), X?

Taboos: Must Give Ritual Observance of/to all Wards/Glyphs/Boundaries

---

School 2: The High Art, Mastery of the Spirit World And The Many Hells by Master Pandrias Nar'Foom of Jelhai
- While many Summon & Dominate spells are encompassed by this body of knowledge, they must be learned and/or researched individually for each type of creature to be summoned.  Sorcerous lineages tend to guard knowledge of their collection of creatures quite jealously.

Master Pandrias is a mixed figure in the view of history.  At once a figure of staggering and impressive mastery, having accumulated such a broad and powerful collection of otherworldly servants and allies in his life as to largely be a major power in his own right... his life has also come to be referenced in proverbs and lessons on pride and hubris.  Pandrias met his end in a bid for conquest, seeking to use his power to unite the Sultanates, a bid which failed and then in the degradation of his resources by the many retributive attacks he suffered, kept him from meeting his obligations to his many Daemonic allies.  His exact end is unknown, yet it is assumed he suffers somewhere in the Many Hells for his inadvertent deal-breaking.  Perhaps the right bargain could win his freedom, if his debtors could accurately be determined?

Apprentice: Evoke/Dominate ( Elementals )

Adept: Evoke/Dominate ( Moderate Spirits/Minor Daemons )

Mage: Evoke/Dominate ( Moderate Daemons/Major Spirits )

Arch Mage: Evoke/Dominate ( Major Daemons )

Gifts: Pact, Polyglot

Taboos: All Freely Agreed Upon Bargains Are Sacred

---

School 3: The Soul: For To Read, Work Upon, And Bind by Master Ulvim Tesht of Sharranket
- Master Ulvim's biography is a matter of some contention, with no less than seventeen 'official' scholarly versions in circulation.  The source of this quite varied contradiction is very simple.  Different scholars differ as to which events throughout his life are attributable to his very subtle mystical influence, pure social charisma, or the genuine decisions of others.  Many of the same events, being looked at through a somewhat different interpretation lead one to strikingly different views of his allegiances and actions.  It is difficult to truly determine who his 'real' friends and allies vs. enemies may have been through the lens of so much history.

Viziers who study his works pride themselves not on the raw exercise of power, but on seeking to emulate Ulvim himself, and act with similar subtlety.  Anything less is considered crass and unworthy.  A skilled practitioner would more prefer that no one ever understood that he had acted with these techniques to begin with, if the circumstances permit.

Apprentice: Intuition, Telepathy

Adept: Draw/Repulse: Human, Enhance/Diminish: CHA

Mage: Enhance/Diminish: SOC, Dominate: Human

Arch Mage: Enslave: Human, Switch Body

Gifts: Divination, Insightful

Taboos: Absolute Truth ( Though Not Precluding Misdirection/Omission )
This message was last edited by the player at 05:05, Thu 12 Sept 2013.

Nice write up!

Initially the skill list struck me as long, but then I thought about it.  As it's a general/loose fraternity, you could think about it like a graduate school that's focused in a particular direction.  There's going to be a wide variety of skills from the individual level, but the overall school will primarily showcase an overall set of skills.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 269):

I think this looks great - the 'vizier' premise as the reason or purpose of an order is superb.

for the detail - check the rulebook for rules of thumb or hard rules on typical number of skills/spells/abilities. As you have done, you can increase the norm by having more than one branch or specialisation. But make sure they all stay relevant, or that you give them relevance to the basic purpose of the order by a narrative connection.

An idea occurred to me regarding School 3/The Soul Etc.

Instead of 'Enslave: Human' for an Arch Mage level spell, what would you folks think of 'Phantom Sense: Mental Processes/Perception' ( Or something to that effect. )?  It occurs to me that Enslave: Human isn't all that subtle, and I like this other idea much better besides.  Essentially a Phantom/Illusion spell that modifies the way the target perceives their own mental processes and/or memories.

I would see this primarily being used in two ways, but more could occur to me later.

1.) Combined with other school spells, such as say 'Dominate: Human', altering the perceptions of the target such that suitably believable commands can be layered beneath such mental obscurements to make the target unaware they are being controlled or influenced.

Changing things so that rather than an obvious and blatant command/control to 'Open the door and come outside.', the target could instead be influenced to think they want to go outside and take a leak on their own and have no memory of being influenced.

Or say combined with Telepathy to 'whisper' thoughts into the mind of a target, such that they seem to be thoughts that are occurring naturally to the target.  Etc. etc. etc.

2.) Memory & Emotion modification/suppression.  This would be like any other illusion, though mental in nature, and only last for the duration of the effect.  Magnitude of memory/emotional manipulation/creation/suppression dependent on the skill of the caster.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 271):

Incidentally - probably time people checked/owned up to the current state of their luck points...

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 272):

2 Luck Points, none used so far (I think?)

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 273):

2 luck points.

2 base, gained one from Thyrta, spent one on boulder roll.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 274):

More checking please fellows - I'm not up to the admin of doing player book keeping - but on a quick check Kordan spent another in message 221 to avert a critical hit and there may have been more of that going on. Did Sanjar spend any to reroll spells, for example? I know this is hard as some of these events are hours ago in game time but months ago in real time!

I don't recall spending any on spells.  The only one I clearly remember is one on the magical perception check to find the alarm spell at the base of the slope before the fight.  That should mean he has one left, unless I am forgetting something previous to that. ( 1 of 2 ).

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 275):

Sorry about needing you to spot check me. I don't recall any others, but I'll have a block of time tomorrow I can go through and audit myself.

I take that back.  A quick review and I see Sanjar has also used a point rerolling an Influence check on the enemy soldiery.  ;P  So that leaves him at 0/2.  Joy.  ;P

2 base luck points
Game is afoot
#140 gain

Solisand
#109 gain
#221 spent
#317 spent

So looks like I am at 2 luck points, forgot about one I'd gained, and forgot about one I'd spent.

(Mental note: update char sheet whenever value changes.)

Tanek appears to be at base as well, gaining one and then spending it during Game is Afoot (#277 and #423).  Saw no expenses by Orinastrom, but it sounds like Sanjar has spent some during hidden/private messages so can't really help there.  Though he also did gain one during Solisand #109.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:09, Sun 29 Sept 2013.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 279):

Thanks Kordan.  Looks like I'm about to use them to rescue Sanjar!

LOL.  He definitely needs it, it would seem.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 255):

Referring back to message 255 - Sanjar has Damage and Spirit-resistance covered the party - it is now obviously rather an important point. The casting would have taken place about 15 mins of game time ago. You did state that you would be adding duration. Can you confirm the duration and magnitude (if any), you have already confirmed all party is covered - also your current MP tally - PM that if you prefer.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 282):

I think Simulacrum is away from home on business for the week?

I also read on the Design Mechanism page that Shore of Korantia is aimed at a christmas time release.  He likely is pretty busy with that lately as well.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 284):

Yes - looking forward to seeing that.  As much as I have embraced modern technology (a lot) I still prefer to hold an RPG book in my hands.  No doubt some sort of Pavlovian reaction formed in my teens.

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 285):

What? So you're saying it doesn't count as holding it in your hands when you're reading the PDF on your smartphone?

For shame!

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 283):

I have indeed been away sacrificing liver and brain cells at a trade fair in france. Anyhow - back now, will go see what I need to attend to!

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 287):

That sounds like fun :)

Mmm.  I nominate Sanjar for a new Passion.  Hatred: Spiders.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 289):

Yes... I think Sanjar's ordeal would certainly qualify

Fear would be more entertaining.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 291):

For future consideration regarding negative initiative, the text on p136 has:

* Initiative: The order of who acts when during a Cycle of a Combat Round
* Cycle: The countdown through Initiative values from the highest Strike Rank to the lowest, so that each participant has a chance to take their Turn when their Strike Rank is reached. There can be several cycles per Combat Round
* Turn: Upon each turn, participants perform a Combat Action, which comprises of a declaration, any necessary dice rolls (including reactions) and the resolution of the action

Based on the text for cycle, I don't think that negative initiative values are treated any differently from positive ones. You would just keep counting down into negative values.

At least that's how I would interpret it when it happens again. With our perception scores, it's bound to :)

Any update available on Shores of Korantia?  Eager would-be-customer wants to know!  8D

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 293):

Loz is doing the layout, artwork is in process (first few illos are approved), as are the maps. Text has been done for some time but I still tinker with it as we play through, and Loz will have some comments to incorporate as well.

Any of you who would like a playtester credit let me know!

That would tickle my fancy!

Okay so I'm a little indecisive at the moment.  On the one hand, fumbling while pinned by a giant spider who's rolled a crit sounds like an absolutely fantastic story moment, Kordan also has 2 HP's left and could spend one to reroll his fumble and one to reroll the spider's crit.

I'm kind of tempted to let the story play out, but since it could get me killed I wanted to get some other player feedback first.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 296):

Ostensibly, you attacked and fumbled, monster parried and crit so gets 3 SE.  Accidental injury to make you hit yourself, then 2 more. So you'll be in a bad way, but shouldn't be dead in a blaze of glory since it wasn't the spider attacking you and you fumbling on defense. You may just end up hitting yourself and then being disarmed and blinded temporarily.

That's a good point, there's not QUITE as much harm he can do to me since he was defending and got the crit.  So yeah, I think I'll go with no hero point expenditure and let the moment roll forward.

That'd be mighty generous of you!

Being that Kordan is blinded, which imposes a difficulty grade of Herculean (1/10th), and I'm prone and engaged, so can't use Regain Footing to stand up, what options do I have?

I could go for a crit of some sort to throw off the spider, perhaps using Brawn?  Referencing the Grip entry on p146 it indicates a Brawn or Unarmed roll to break free of the grab.  Is there any other action I can take of a defensive nature?

What would be the status of my shield?  Being that changing the warded locations is normally a free action, is that activity impeded or prevented by my current circumstances?

At the moment, it looks like my only real option is to attempt a Brawn check to break the grip.  I have a d4 damage bonus, so I may possibly be able to avoid too much of a penalty due to size/strength difference.

In any case, I banked a roll which won't do me any good, so I'll probably be struggling against the spider ineffectually.
12:24, Today: Kordan Mardahar rolled 69 using 1d100. Banked brawn check.

The only way I found to proactively get up while engaged was to use Change Range (at a formidable difficulty for being prone) to get out to unengaged in order to use Arise on your next action. In a 1 on 1 fight, you're basically screwed as the enemy can just reengage you, but allies could get in the way or drain actions to allow you time to recover.

But yeah, since you're Gripped, it seems all you can do is try to break free or make feeble attacks.

I'm kind of lost on the action flow for Sanjar just now.  Should he be shooting just yet?

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 302):

Need to count the total actions to retrieve bow and load it. Not in front of rule book right now, but you may be ready some time this round.

Actually waiting on Ori's action - if not in by tomorrow I shall call it.

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 300):

Nothing in the rules situation so far as I can tell is preventing you from changing your warded locations - so I have head, chest, abdomen, left arm
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:19, Mon 23 Dec 2013.

Merry Christmas everybody!

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 305):

Hope everyone's having a happy and safe holiday season.

And to all of you.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 307):

Merry Christmas all - just coming up for air! I hope 2014 will bring you success, happiness and good times.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 308):

Hi everyone.  Hope you all had a good break and a good time.

Happy New Year.

Kordan, practical questions like these ( i.e. 'How' do we do what you want? ) are not the responsibility of the 'Officer-In-Charge' to answer!  lol.  I find this very amusing from a real life perspective...

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 311):

For those who have not seen it on the Design Mechanism forum - lookee here:

http://designmechanism.freefor...sneak-peak-t397.html

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 312):

Now that is a nice cover!

It is effing amazing.

You should consider my money already in your pocket.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 314):

That's an amazing piece of artwork.  Wow.  Is the content any good? ;-)

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 315):

Just for Ref I think Ori's player is away on vacation this week hence not inputting right now.

I will be on EST from this Saturday - Weds at a conference, it may effect my input but probably only for a couple of days

I will be traveling on work through the American Polarvortex, so my posting may slow until Sunday/Monday.

Glad to be back!  :)

In reply to Rhaskos (msg # 317):

Bring some warm jackets!

Yes welcome back  :)

My apologies for my posting delays.  I'm coming off another string of 12s today.  I'll endeavor to catch up tomorrow after I flip back to a daytime schedule today.  Zombie until then.

Welcome back Rhaskos!

As for American polar vortex....

In Winnipeg today it is -40+ish C with the wind chill.

The wife refuses to go outside with me.

The snow in the back yard is taller than both of us.

A belated 'Happy Australia Day' to you all. It's about 29 degrees C here today  :)

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 321):

I am in DC and it is -10 before you account for wind chill...froze my nuts off in the interest of finding a diner this morning, which is something i regard as one of the USAs great contributions to world culture and worth the discomfort. The one thing an englishman can be assured of in n America is a good breakfast.

I'm home now in California...and gorgeous 70 degree weather.

Of course, it's the middle of the winter & we are officially in a drought...but the weather's great!

Yeah, American breakfast beats the pants of the Brits!  There is something to be said about Bangers and mash...but I could never quite wrap my head around beans for breakfast...especially the watery ones...

French breakfast has grown on me, though it is a lot of bread and cheese, which I tend to not digest so well....

...and, now I'm hungry.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:17, Fri 31 Jan 2014.

I'll wait on the map update before posting further.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 324):

Apologies - was knackered/jet lagged when I got home from DC so only just back on the case. Revised map now in as Group 1 Map, this now showing the areas Ori has just scouted and Rhaskos has passed through.

More flopping from shift to shift, as usual here.  My apologies for my posting rate again.

Aside from the 'spooky room' can I get confirmation that the 'dungeon' looking area was thoroughly explored?  Or not?

I feel a growing need to advance Sanjar's Lore skills.  lol.

LOL.

Very amusing.

Reminds me of 'You brought a rug?' ... which was similarly amusing.

Sanjar is definitely of a type all on his own in this group.  But that is actually part of what makes this group interesting.  We are quite diverse, to the point of almost but not quite stretching plausibility.

I am pleased if you find Sanjar amusing/entertaining from time to time.

In reply to Sanjar Zand (msg # 328):

Yes I was keeping in the tradition of "you brought a rug?"  :)

In reply to Kordan Mardahar (msg # 329):

Gents,

What a pleasure the game thread was to read today as I caught up with events.  Wonderful roleplay - many thanks.

In reply to Orinastron (msg # 330):

Are you lot a bit stumped, or just getting bored?

I think we're stuck on the fact that Sanjar is intent on taking / concealing the Cauldron, neither of which sound like legitimate options.  As Sanjar's our erstwhile leader, I think the rest of us are passively waiting for him to decide upon a course of action.

So we're probably playing the game of "don't step on anybody's toes" again.  That being the case, I'll just take action.

I've been on a business trip. Just got back.

I'll try to catch up today/tomorrow.

In reply to Rhaskos (msg # 333):

I may be a bit slow myself right now - in Italy this week, home (UK) for the weekend, New York Monday, DC Tuesday night, home again to blighty overnight Thursday. I'm not good at making travel plans.

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 334):

IMPORTANT

I have just been asked for credits for Shores of Korantia

Any of you who want a playtest credit please PM me with whatever real name or player handle you would like me to use. Please do it by middle of the week if you can.

Sim

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 335):

Sim - you can use my real world name. Thanks

In reply to Simulacrum (msg # 335):

Does that mean its almost almost out?
Congrats!

Indeed!  Congratz!!!

Not sure I really deserve a play test credit, as I only recently returned to action.  You are welcome to use this handle (That Guy 2)...or better yet- RHASKOS!  :)

In reply to Rhaskos (msg # 338):

Aww yeah, Shores of Korantia plug on Design Mechanism

http://designmechanism.freefor...-2014-news-t541.html

I am quite eager for it.

And the lineup for RQ6 is starting to look impressive and strong.  I have high hopes for Design Mechanism and the future of the game and company.