Renamed the other thread Character Creation, since that is all it is.  This is for more general chat.

Quiet day! Hope everyone is doing well!

Indeed!  And you?  I'm Just finishing up my description of Walter.  I'm not quite done, but I'm getting there.

Hopefully, we'll be able to get going soon!  I'm quite excited about things, and can't wait to dig into the system.

I am doing ok. Ready to get started. I have an heiress or two to woo! Lol

Yeah?  Have a lady in mind?

In reply to Sir Walter (msg # 5):

Lady Ermeline, seems like my kind of crazy... but any or all of them is fine...I mean, I have an 8 App and live near the highest point in the region. I am not too greedy lol

Excellent!  Walter is looking at Lady Giselinde.  Pretty and has a castle?  Yes please!

To be clear, those are the most eligible ladies in the entire duchy, and they will certainly have many suitors.  There are many other perfectly lovely ladies, though are not quite as aristocratic or having huge dowries.

Nobody ever said that social climbing was easy work! ;)

How are we looking oh glorious Bard?  Anything you need from folks still, or are we almost done?

I am ready to go whenever you guys are!  If you need anything, please let us know!

I think we may just get started shortly.  There are a few aspects of character creation that might not be 100% done, but we can get them as they come up. No use in spending forever just doing creation.

Excellent!  I just need to take a gander at some manors today, and I'll be good to go!

I've been slacking off late, but I think I should be able to get things looked at and ready by tonight.

Cheers!

Huzzah, go team!

Again, if anyone wants to take a second and work some backstory together, give me a yell?

If you haven't seen, I put up a thread with the maps.

Also, the first game post is up!

Huzzah!

Glad you mentioned another opportunity Bard, because I was about to get the other squires and go kick the knight's butt ourselves! ;)

Sorry folks, I have been ill the last few days.  But speaking of character connections, Bailain gre up in the caste as a ward of the Duke, anyone want to be his childhood friend?

Glad you're feeling better friend!  Walter is the Duke's much younger cousin, so it makes perfect sense that the two would know each other.  Hello new friend! ;)
This message was last edited by the player at 23:34, Mon 18 June 2018.

 Thanks. Bailain was the son of the Duke's Master of the Hounds. Died saving the Dukes like from a a boar. The Duke was grateful. So the son was made a ward of the Ducal court.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:06, Sun 17 June 2018.

Sorry for not posting. Sick as a dog. I will ASAP

Hyah mule, hyah!  ;)

Anyhow, to your prior point, yeah, I think it would make perfect sense for the two to know each other.  Given Walter's familial connections to the Duke, it would have been likely that he and Bailain interacted quite a bit growing up.  How young was he when his father died?

 I promise to have a post up tomorrow, In the normal course of events, I can post almost every day, but am still feeling like reconstituted moose droppings. Apologies for the delay.

Well, at least you're feeling like reconstituted moose droppings?  Teasing aside, we've all been there mate, so we get it.  Hopefully you'll feel well enough to mash your face into a keyboard tonight ;)

There it is, such as it is. Sorry again for the delay.

Is Sir Baldwin MIA?

Yes.  I will update tonight

So much for starting out with a bang. lol. Bailian spent how long trying to break a log? The GM is being kind, saying no one seemed to notice.

At the end of the last post, there should be a private line to each of you about your background knowledge of Saint Marcian.  Can you see that?  The GM view looks a little different from the player view, but from my end it looks like each of you have one private line.  However, Sir Walter can't see his.  Maybe it makes a difference if you are on a phone vs PC?

After the subnote on travel time, I see a couple of sentences on the St. and a rumor.

Yeah, I can't see a thing.  I've tried both phone and computer, there's no difference.

Same here.

In reply to Sir Maixent (msg # 30):

Does it say "Private to" or something?

Might just be worth PMing to folks in the interim while you get it all figured out?

In reply to The Bard (msg # 33):

No, there is no indication it was private. In fact, at first I thought it was a common note to all of us.

Are you referring to this?



If so, yeah, I see that, but it's not in a PM, it's very public.

Except, that isn't what mine says. :)

So you don't see that at all?  It's not marked as a private message hence why I assumed everyone could see it.  Or do you see that plus another message?

Ok, so it seems you all can see it, but it is in no way marked as private.  For now, you can post as normal.  I will be more specific in the future.

So, I see something different... essentially that I don't really know.

Is it possible to maybe indicate what is a private message using a color?

Normally they're orange.

I am away this weekend for the GFs birthday. Will post Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

Noted.  Weekends are slower anyhow.

That said, now I managed to survive the tiny human's first birthday, which means tomorrow I'll get a post up!

I must say, I'm very excited about this game folks, seems like we've got a heck of a good crop here!

I updated the thread to make it more clear about the private messages.  Also, feel free to add a color to your character's dialogue to differentiate text.

Perfect, thanks!

Since we're on a mission for the Duke, and time seems to be of the essence, Walter isn't overly interested in stopping anywhere.  It's the whole, first mission for the duke, he's happy to have been noticed and doesn't want to screw it up.  How about y'all?

I will post tomorrow latest.

I will update once you all post

Bailain, Gontran, y'all still with us?

Sorry for the delay, work is beating me up this week. I shall post in a more timely manner in the future.. the Gods willing.

Update coming tonight after work

Huzzah, go team!  Also, night shift eh?  Medicine?

I work a swing shift. All over the bloody place.

Also, I should mention that the monks are not known for having tasty food, but are known for their beer.

WTF!! It ate my post!

Gents, I have had the week from hell,and the weekend got even more fun...NOT!!! Just go on without me for the next leg of the the story and I will catch up. Just assume Bailian is standing around admiring the wall. I promise to be back to normal when I have to post next.

Unfortunately, RPoL does that my friend!  If I may, based on many years of playing on this site, might I suggest writing your posts in something like Google Docs first?  That way when RPoL inevitably eats your post, you've got a copy.

I'm sorry to hear that RL is kicking your butt my friend.  Perhaps Bailain is just exhausted from the trip and says screw it, I need a nap? ;)

Thanks. I am getting back into the swing of things now. Bad patch over...I hope.

I will get a post up tomorrow. Really rough last 2 days.

You alright there Maixent?

After a few posts, I hope that you are all getting the hang of it.  I would call this type of game "epic poem" style, meaning the style is similar to an epic poem, in order to facilitate the play-by-post style.

I mean that there is always time for characters to give a monologue (even in the middle of combat); battle is very fast and very lethal, certainly not blow-by-blow (though there might be some description, I won't be waiting for long, multi-post combat); you can jump between settings, locations and conversations, and I will simply add these in to the next post (for instance, previously, knowing that you want to talk with the Prince-Bishop, you could say that you give a short bow in reverence and then give a long monologue to him and I will work to fit in exactly when/where the conversation takes place).  Most of these norms are to save time and facilitate this style of play.  If you have questions or want to clarify something in your post, feel free to add some OOC info in orange underneath.  Don't be afraid to write a lot!

Noted!  I'll keep that in mind going forward!  It'll certainly make it more interesting to write, that's for certain.

As for proof, the river is slowed ahead and the water mill not functioning.  Someone or something has altered the natural course of the river

There hasn't been a drought or anything that would do this naturally, right?

I have attempted to expand my writing in this last post.  Please let me know if it becomes too much.

It is more like the river has been redirected

Noted.  My, my, my, now that is interesting!

Evil Beavers? ;o)

I will be out of town with family until Sunday, so I will be unlikely to post.  But feel free to post your own actions in the meantime.

Perfect, I'm not going to be able to get my post up until tomorrow morning anyhow.

Back in town, I will update tonight.  I hope you can swim, Bailain!

 The horse can.

You weren't kidding.  Whoa buddy did we get lucky!  I mean, I'll take it, mind you!

Yep,we got damn lucky. But that is what happens when you have  Reckless stat going . That was an interesting situation,GM. Well done.

 As far as the Hermit goes, while the idea of a follower is intriguing, I don't see the Duke letting Bail keeping the Hermit. Right now, correct me if I am wrong, but as a Squire he has no income.

I suspect we might be knighted by the end of the year, so I wouldn't stress it.  That and honestly I don't see the Duke caring about it in the slightest.  Don't take it the wrong way, but something like this is more than a little beneath his notice.

 Point taken, but it another way, one of the Dukes household might care. But if the old man can read and write Latin, he will earn his keep. All diplomatic,economic, and all other important correspondences and kept records, where done in Latin.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:53, Fri 27 July 2018.

Sir Maixent has not signed on in awhile, I hope he is not MIA.

Undeniable useful for sure!  Learning to read and write better is very much on Walter's to do list.  Though in all fairness so are a million other things.  So eventually?

I think it's safe to say that he is sadly.

Well I wasn't expecting such a dramatic rescue, so yeah, I would let you keep him.  People generally have whatever retinue they can afford... unless someone higher up gets jealous or something, but I don't envision many lords arguing over a homeless hermit.

As for being squires, you would have all your basic needs provided with maybe a little spending money.  But when you are a knight (soon!) You will have more control over finances

Huzzah knighthood in the relatively near future!

You hanging in there Bailain my friend?  Sorry for my impatience, but I'm rather enjoying things quite a bit, so I'm a touch impatient.  Walter has a RL Energetic score around 18! ;)

Also, yes I am looking to purge inactive players and possibly add new ones

Perfect!  I'll drop a line to a few folks I know that are good and might be interested.  Better than opening up to the masses eh?

As an aside, roughly how often are we looking to post?  We're a 2-3 times a week game as memory serves, yeah?

Still here, just having a busy week.

I've had those once or twice, no worries mate!  Like I said, I can be slightly impatient at times, especially when I'm rather fond of a game ;)

 I make what I think is a good post and everyone leaves. Just my luck.

Who's leaving?

I think he means to say that the GM is cleaning house.  For example, our fourth hasn't logged in since the 6th.  And there's someone who's never actually posted.

No one liked my attempt at humor with the Hermit..:*(

I liked it.  But don't feel like the hermit has to do something every time you post, he is supposed to assist but otherwise be invisible.  Really, landed knights would have several skilled people in their retinue depending on where they went and what they are doing

Walter!

Yeees?

And honestly, no-win scenario here, eh chaps?  Shame we're not in our lord's territory, as that would have made it much simpler.  As it stands, I really do think we've got the correct train of thought.

 If we are not sure which way our character might jump do to traits, can we roll?

I think I tend to think of Knights a bit too much like Samurai.  I played Legend of the Five Rings for years...

Samurai 1: Why did you trample that peasant?
Samurai 2: Because he was in the road and didn't move fast enough.  You want me to risk my horse's knees?
Samurai 1: That's good thinking.

So, when a lord punishes legitimately disobedient peasants, I don't even bat an eye.

In any case, hopefully my pseudo-challenge will sufficiently chomp on the plot hook we clearly were meant to bite on first time around.

Oh goodness yes, you and me both!  My reaction was more or less, well, shit happens, he's a jerk, but entirely not our problem.

I've got to ask, favorite clan?  And I must say, I'm quite interested in seeing how this new edition shakes out.

Haha right?  Our group just kinda ignored it and went on our merry way.  That's the L5R duty talking eh?
This message was last edited by the player at 13:02, Sun 05 Aug 2018.

Over the years, I've played almost every clan.  I'm partial to the Crab Clan myself, which matches my, "You guys are seriously going to fight over X... we have a crisis over here!" mentality.  My favorite character was a Hiruma Scout, which I played on Five Rings Online when that was a thing.

I'm also partial to the Scorpion, but super-elitist about how Scorpion should be played.  In my experience, a lot of newbies gravitate towards Scorpion because "LOL NINJAZ!!!1" and I'd rather just not interact with those people.

 I have heard good things about  Legend of the Five Rings, but never had the rules. I used to rp and run a game called "Bushido" back in the day. Yes, I am old. :P

 I would like to sink my teeth into a game set in a feudal Japanese background again.

 Bailain's reason for not acting are many, His mission is to get Relic and Priest back to the Duke, and anything that might get in the way of that mission is not to be done. They are not on the Duke's lands, the guy is a Knight and Bail but a squire. Etc,etc.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:35, Sun 05 Aug 2018.

I'm a shugenja man myself, which of course means Isawa.  I am in fact, rather partial to the Ishiken, so doubly so with the Isawa!  That said, the Kuni are my second favorite shugenja family, so I completely understand the appeal of the Crab.

Yeah... Don't get me started on Scorpion.  Or Shadowlords in WtA, as I think they're very much cut from the same cloth.  People just play them so bloody badly!

 Hmmm, GM delay.

Yes, a GM delay, based partly because I was a bit stuck in the scene.

This is one of the introductory adventures, meaning it is set up to be rather linear to show different aspects of the system.  However, in certain respects you guys have already derailed it, so letting the cat out of the bag isn't a big deal.

The outline is that, at some point, you are supposed to challenge Sir Eingar to battle due to him being a total @#$%.  I left this open in the first post, but you guys all took a very accepting view of his behavior being that he was on his own land (albeit essentially committing murder).  I tried to push the issue in the second post (in what seemed to me like a very heavy-handed way), but none of you fully took the bait to fight.

I feel like this is partly my fault, as I did not set up the situation and culture well, particularly with regards to the idea of "justice".  At the time, centuries after the fall of Rome, there were few written laws, and those that did exist were certainly not as extensive or wide-ranging as modern laws.  This led very often rule by force.  Local knights held "court" at which peasants could make accusations against other peasants, and the knight would decide the outcome (this is part of ruling a manor).  A question of justice between two knights could be solved by a duel (or joust or similar contest), with variable victory conditions (being unhorsed, three strikes, death, etc).  Another option for two knights would be a formal court hearing before a higher lord, who would decide the case.  It depends on the type and severity of the accusation or case, but between knights it might be 50/50 whether it is handled by duel or by court.

Arguments between a peasant and a knight would hardly ever get to court for a variety of reasons: knights could, in nearly all circumstances, physically dominate peasants (through military training and equipment), so the knight would almost certainly simply resort to force; also, peasants could not spare the time and expense of attending a formal court (particularly one not in their own town); peasants did not know the legal language and likely could not read or write (some knights probably don't either, but at least knights could get assistance from people who can); and the higher lord is likely to be more sympathetic to the knight anyway (being a knight himself) than the peasant.  All these factors led to the conditions that gave peasants very few "rights", and in some cases the written laws reflected this.

In this particular case, the idea that a knight or lord tortures and kills his peasants for such infractions would be almost universally condemned.  However, several factors lead to it continuing and not being stopped:  the peasants themselves cannot overpower Sir Eingar and his men-at-arms; Sir Eingar is generally loyal to his lord, so the lord has little reason to look into Sir Eingar's doings; being that they are in the forest and a bit off the regular path, it is unlikely anyone with the ability to change things would happen by.

HOWEVER, as Father Jerome pointed out, interceding would be considered part of the knightly duty (squires, but still).  There are plenty of stories of the knights errant fighting and overthrowing other knights on their own land.

I believe that I have come up with a solution (although ham-fisted it might be).  I was post that tomorrow.

Again, sorry for trying to set this up and sway you one way without adequate instruction.  Also, now that you all bring up some interesting points, maybe this isn't as good of a straightforward introductory adventure as might be hoped.

 The best way I can think to describe how Bailain was feeling about the matter was as follows. Yes, what he saw the knight do, turned his stomach, and he would have liked nothing more than to pound the offending Knight into mush, or better yet, put him between those two logs. But the Squires sense of duty to his Duke outweighed all over considerations. They had a mission, and engaging in any conflict not directly related to said mission, could jeopardize its success.

 I hope I am not beating a dead horse.

These things happen, don't worry!

You know what they say, no plan survives first contact with the enemy!  Errr... players.

Honestly, I think the squires were willing to get involved, just not outright in the pound your face in kind of way, especially since they're a) not knights yet, and b) outside of their own domain.  Also, Walter isn't a fighter, so naturally his way for a bit more subtle, and it seems like the others had similar thoughts, gifted with strength of arms though they might be.

And sounds good mate.  Looking forward to it!

 What I like about this game is that it is different. I have played Pendragon a few times over the years, but it was always in England with Arthur. We are Franks, and this is Gaul or France.

Vive la difference! :)

The solution would have been much more apparent to me if we were knights. The idea that a squire could challenge a knight never really crossed my mind.

Again, I go to samurai. In L5R, if a random Bushi challenges a Shireikan, they get brushed off... A general's rank is so high, he isn't obliged to fight every mook who offers a challenge.

My mistake for conflating worlds.

I wish you guys would stop talking about Samurai and stuff Feudal Japan wise. I really am in the mood to do a game set in such a world again. It has been years... Sigh

Gontran, I don't think you're wrong though.  Again, we're squires, not knights.  Much like you, the thought never struck me.

Still, it will be interesting to see how this goes.

Sorry, Bailain... I'll stop!  Promise!

It's ok, I am just whining. :P  But seriously, if anyone here hears of a game set in  a Feudal Japan like setting, do me a favor and let me know. Thanks.

Sorry for the delay.  I promise I have not forgotten about you.  I will update tonight.

These things happen mate, no worries!

Sigh

I know you're waiting on my post.  I apologize.  I PM'd the Bard for clarification on a matter, and I'm waiting to hear back.

No worries, I just hope he comes back.

So, I glanced through Winter Phase... let me see if I've got this right:

1.) Solo adventure... we're probably not doing this.
2.) Aging... we advance one year; no roll required.
3.) Economic... we're not in control of our fiefdom, so skip this?
4.) Survival... I haven't properly built a huge family tree, but I suppose Gontran could roll for his parents?  Anyone else?
5.) Marriage... presumably too young?
6a.) Personal event... I guess we roll on the chart?
6b.) Childbirth... presumably not until we are knights?
6c.) Family events... seems reasonable: roll here?
7.) Experience... Roll on one skill and success means we increase?  I think we each got a check for a single weapon as well, but nothing else.
8.) Training... one free increase?
9.) Glory... compute new score.
10.) Glory Bonus... not thinking we hit 1000, so nothing here.

Anything else?

I should reply to questions a few of you have asked.

1. Solo adventures are not yet.
2. Aging rolls don't start until later (but your age does tick up one).
3. You are on a fixed stipend until you inherit your own land.
4. Survival... you can roll for your parents.  They might die, or age out soon anyway.  But for story purposes it would work to stagger the dates of things around a little.
5. Marriage is interesting.  The game is set up to induce players to roleplay different interactions with potential partners, as this was often a large part of the medieval stories.  In my games, I like to run it where it is possible to get a generic wife, with mediocre traits and income etc. if a player does not want to go heavily into the RP side.  Another option is an "arranged marriage" (as historically many would fall somewhere in the middle of the range of "freely chosen" to "rigidly arranged from birth"), in which you get a generic wife but are free to still RP other love interests.  However, if a player wishes to put time and RP effort into scenes to win over a spouse, they generally have greater mechanical benefits from that.
After all that... you are still probably too young to get married.  Especially since (like today) it is more common for males to marry slightly younger females.
6.  You can just roll for a family event.
7.  Experience rolls are the bulk of this particular winter phase (maybe consider it a ramping up before all the other parts kick in).
8.  You gain the training bonus of your choice.
9.  Compute your new Glory score as normal.
10.  I don't think anyone got up to the 1,000 Glory threshold, so maybe next time.

Alrighty, Walter is good to go!

I will aim to roll this up tonight after work. I'll post when I'm done.

I don't have the rules, so I will need some assistance, if you please.

If you have access to Pendragon, I do believe they're rather similar.

If I may, with training, at this level, the 1d6+1 and adding to any skill under 15 tends to be the best choice.  But hey, to each their own!

That said, standard upkeep will cost us £6 yeah?  So we should be left with £1.

But again, I don't have Paladin yes, so I'm relying on Pendragon here.

Also, poor Walter, his younger brother just died.  Well played family events, well played.

 I don't have any of the books anymore.

Alright, so I'll do mine publicly and maybe that will help...

4. Survival... you can roll for your parents.  They might die, or age out soon anyway.  But for story purposes it would work to stagger the dates of things around a little.
1d20-1 for each Mother and Father.  They both survived... barely.

5. Marriage is interesting.
SKIP

6.  You can just roll for a family event.
Family Event... rolled 11
From the text:
11: Trusting
Critical: Despite some serious accusations (infidelity, treason, corruption, heresy, or theft) you supported a friend and stood up for him at court. Gain a point in Trusting.
Success: While on an errand for your lord, you left your wife (or someone else whom you love) to the care of a despised or ill-repute rival. Check Trusting.
Failure: You accuse someone of your lord’s court of a random rumor. Your lord rolls Just/Arbitrary to see if he agrees with you (Arbitrary) or not (Just); raise or lower his Attitude by 1, accordingly.
Fumble: Your wild accusations anger your lord. His Attitude is lowered by 1 point.

My Trusting is a 5, so I'm in deep trouble.  Rolling...
Rolled a 10.  Ordinary Failure.

I don't know our lord's Just/Arbitrary, so I'll let the DM roll that.

7.  Experience rolls are the bulk of this particular winter phase (maybe consider it a ramping up before all the other parts kick in).
I only get a special check for Sword according to my records.  My Sword is 15.  Rolling...
Rolled a 12... no advance.
According to page 181, I also automatically check anything at 20.  Just my Horsemanship then.  Rolling...
Rolled a 17... no advance.
Not sure if I should Check Size.  GM call?

8.  You gain the training bonus of your choice.
Increasing my Sword to 16.

9.  Compute your new Glory score as normal.
I'm not going back through all the posts right now, but it's not 1,000... so it will make no difference.

Sounds like a few things are different from Pendragon, but the core is very similar.  At least this means Walter's brother isn't going to die! ;)

That said, Walter's parents both live.  Huzzah!

Mind sharing what a 10 is for a family event?  That's what Walter has to deal with.

In reply to Sir Walter (msg # 120):

10: Temperate
Critical: You honored a voluntary vow of (relative) poverty. Gain 1£ and a point in Temperate.
Success: A frugal way of life earns you a check in Temperate.
Failure: You spent many resources on luxury goods. During step 6, you must pay for an upgrade for your Maintenance.
Fumble: You waste your resources in decadent feasts, expensive wine, and luxurious clothes. During step 6, you must pay for an
upgrade of your Maintenance (to at least “Rich” level), but without the associated Survival benefits.

Not sure how he's going to afford that upgrade after failing his roll ;)

That said, methinks that these rolls are probably meant more for knights than squires.

I'm not the GM, but I lean towards thinking you are right. Maybe a squire blows part of his stipend in something unimportant (throwing himself and his buddies a feast?)

I failed my roll too. Mine seems like it might have more dire consequences than a wasted stipend though.

Sorry, the info for the Winter Phase 7 Training is from the old Pendragon.  They did make a change for Charlemagne as follows:

Instead of
"Add 1d6+1 skill points to any skills (up to 15)"

They changed it to
"Add 1 to one ordinary skill, one courtly skill, one battle skill, and any one skill of your choice.  You cannot increase a skill that is currently at 0 or increase a skill to above 15.  Your freely chosen skill cannot be one of the ones you already increased this year."

Ah, okay.  Then I'm going to increase the following skills:

Ordinary skill: Awareness to 11
Courtly skill: Eloquence to 4
Battle skill: Unarmed to 11
Skill of Choice: First Aid to 13

Should be very easy for that then eh Balain?

And yeah, Walter is good to go as well!

I am afraid I must withdraw from the game. Thank you for the opportunity, and I wish everyone good gaming.

Cheers mate.

Thanks for playing Bailain, good luck going forward!

I wanted to start posting for the next game year, but we are down to 2 players.  I will be looking for a couple replacement players before moving into the next years.

One other thing, you can post your Winter Phase things as an all-orange post at the end of the year in the game thread.

I'll get my post up today.  Looks like we picked up two new players eh?  Welcome welcome!

Hello everyone. Happy to be playing with you!

Greetings and Salutations!

Hello all! I will be playing Sir Gundric.

Hello Sir Gundric.

I started the next game year, 767.  Note that the PCs are still ranked as squires (but will be knighted soon).

So new players, as I mentioned before, I'm always a sucker for creating tie-ins with other PCs.  So if anyone thinks that they would know the son of the Duke's favorite aunt, let me know!

Also, I'll try to get my post up here sometime today!  Glad to see we're moving forward again!

Just waiting for Gundric before moving forward

Oh sorry, my bad, will post tonight or tomorrow

Just waiting on a response from our fearless leader, then I'll get a post up!

Thibault, you have all your war equipment with you.  You would always have at least one weapon with you, if not all of them ready at hand.

I will update once Gundric posts.  Trying to keep up on the posting.

In reply to The Bard (msg # 140):

Alright, I'll post tomorrow - it's exam week for me

In reply to The Bard (msg # 140):

*Thumbs up* Thanks

During breaks in the action like the one we have now and we have some choices, how does that work?  Do we just pick one option per scene or one per day or just pick one and you let us know if we pick again?

Typically you can only choose one.  However, if you look back at previous posts (like the last game year) you can see where you add your own dialogue and actions and descriptions of things.  Also, it helps to add in your character's thoughts or emotions.  Some NPC reactions will also be based on the character's intentions or motivations.

In reply to The Bard (msg # 144):

Sounds good. Thanks

Everyone still here?

Still here.

In reply to Sir Thibault (msg # 147):

Still here

Sorry about that, I am in an off site training this week and the next, so my connection is pretty bad

In reply to The Bard (msg # 149):

No worries!

In reply to The Bard (msg # 149):

Yeah no problem. Getting into the thick of the action now

Back in town with my regular internet access, should be able to blast through the rest of the battle pretty quickly.

Everyone here?

Yes, looking for your choice in the battle.

In reply to The Bard (msg # 154):

I'll help thibault

I am going to be away from Thursday to Sunday because of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

I'm going to be in China for 10 days starting Tuesday and will be back around the 30th. I'll check in when I can, but i'm sure it'll be difficult from time to time.

Everyone here?

Just waiting on the boss man.

I'm back

In reply to Sir Thibault (msg # 160):

welcome back

Sorry for the delay.  Partly it was because I knew this post would be a huge text dump (which it was).  However, it took me a long time to write all that, and I definitely was speeding up by the last paragraph and didn't include nearly as many details.

Let's get rolling again!

Sounds good to me.  Does Thibault also get 1000 Glory for getting knighted by Charlegmagne?  Is so, that was left out of the orange text. I'm just double checking.

Yes, he would get the same.  That was an error on my part.  That whole post took me the better part of two hours to write due to referencing a whole bunch of stuff, so I forgot things here and there.

I figured it took a while. Thanks for the clarification.

So for Winter Phase step 2.  Are the things we need to roll for our experience checks, the items with the asterisks? Or were we supposed to be going through and noting that stuff ourselves?

I think I understand everything else.

4. Survival... you can roll for your parents.  They might die, or age out soon anyway.  But for story purposes it would work to stagger the dates of things around a little.
Parents are both alive.

5. Marriage.
SKIP

6.  You can just roll for a family event.
Family Event... rolled an 11... second year in a row!
From the text:
11: Trusting
Critical: Despite some serious accusations (infidelity, treason, corruption, heresy, or theft) you supported a friend and stood up for him at court. Gain a point in Trusting.
Success: While on an errand for your lord, you left your wife (or someone else whom you love) to the care of a despised or ill-repute rival. Check Trusting.
Failure: You accuse someone of your lord’s court of a random rumor. Your lord rolls Just/Arbitrary to see if he agrees with you (Arbitrary) or not (Just); raise or lower his Attitude by 1, accordingly.
Fumble: Your wild accusations anger your lord. His Attitude is lowered by 1 point.

My Trusting is a 5.  Rolling... 19.  Ordinary Failure.
Same result as last time.  I still don't know our lord's Just/Arbitrary, so I'll let the DM roll that.

7.  Experience rolls are the bulk of this particular winter phase.
I have checks for: Battle, Prudent, Merciful, Honorable
Battle (15) rolls 10 (no advancement)
Prudent (7) rolls 4 (no advancement)
Merciful (15) rolls 4 (no advancement)
Honorable must be Passion Honor (15) rolls 2 (no advancement)


8.  You gain the training bonus of your choice.
Increasing my Sword to 17.

9.  Compute your new Glory score as normal.
I'm at 1,290 Glory right now.

Merry Christmas everyone! I'll be offline from the 25th until the 28th with my family, without internet.

Roll for Experience - The PCs then make any rolls for experience checks they have acquired during the year.  Don't forget any buildings/holdings that give checks!


11:32, Today: Sir Thibault rolled 19 using 1d20.  Sword.
11:32, Today: Sir Thibault rolled 13 using 1d20.  Lance.
11:32, Today: Sir Thibault rolled 13 using 1d20.  Honor.
11:32, Today: Sir Thibault rolled 18 using 1d20.  Horsemanship.

Check for Aging - This will be done by the GM (if applicable) and results posted.
19

Economic Circumstances - This step contains several factors
Calculate income - The base income for a manor is £6 per year.  Make a Stewardship roll and apply the following results:
Fumble: -£3 income
Failure: -£1 income
Success: +£2 income
Critical Success: +£4 income
10:02, Today: Sir Thibault rolled 18 using 1d20.  Stewardship (03).
Fail-1

Then roll for each of your improvements' income.  (Typically, I just subtract an improvement's upkeep cost from its income for simplicity.)  Total it all up, and that is your income for the year (+/- anything from adventuring)
No improvements

Knight's outfit level - (Impoverished -/Poor £3/Ordinary £6/Good £9/Superlative £13)  This is the general knightly upkeep and effects various things.  This is usually the first thing you want to take care of before anything else.  It includes your family and squire.  Below Ordinary things go downhill fast; above Ordinary you spend a lot for not a huge return.  The cost next to each level must be paid each year.
Ordinary

Followers and Retinue - Followers (usually military) and Retinue (skill-specific tradesmen you hire) are paid for next.  If you have any questions about availability or costs of these, ask the GM.  Also, Followers and Retinue can make for good RP opportunities.
Buy new manor improvements - The list is at http://www.gspendragon.com/manorimprovefinal.pdf.  Any purchases do not take effect this Winter Phase as they are built over the course of the next year (or years).  Not all improvements are available in every game period; ask the GM if you're not sure.
Random purchases - Horses, armor, weapons, etc. can also be purchased at this time, but usually only from within your county as weather precludes traveling great distances.


Stable Rolls - These will be made by the GM, if only because I don't want to have you cruelly roll for your own warhorse's demise.


Family Rolls - These will be done by the GM (if applicable).  If a knight is unmarried and wishes to find a random bride, post that in your winter post so the GM can accommodate.  As a house rule, I generally make it more advantageous to roleplay some kind of romance rather than just taking a random bride.  Since most family roll events are negative (disease, death, etc), they are most likely to occur during the winter months anyway and will be written into the story.

Training and Practice - Increase one of your squire's skills by 1.  Then choose one of the following options:
FirstAide
Add 1 to one ordinary skill, one courtly skill, one battle skill, and any one skill of your choice.  You cannot increase a skill that is currently at 0 or increase a skill to above 15.  Your freely chosen skill cannot be one of the ones you already increased this year.
Battle, Reading/Writing, Faerie Lore, Romance

Gain 1 point in a Skill, but cannot raise a skill above 20 in this way
Increase an Attribute, Trait or Passion by 1; no Attribute can be raised higher than its cultural value, no Trait can be raised above 19 and no Passion can be raised above 20 in this way.  Also, SIZ cannot be increased after age 21.


Compute Glory - I typically give Glory at the conclusion of an adventure or battle, but some sources of Glory take effect during the Winter Phase (remarkable traits, certain holdings, etc).  Add these to your Glory and make sure that you have added your Glory from adventures/battles/whatever from throughout the year.  Just post any sources of Glory and your new totals.
Defend Ogier- 5Glory
Knighted - 1000Glory

Glory bonus - For every 1,000 Glory you attain, you get a Glory bonus: you may add 1 to ANY stat.  This occurs for every 1,000 Glory, so at 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 and etc.  If you reach that milestone in the middle of a year (i.e. during adventuring or just after finishing a battle), the bonus ONLY takes effect during Winter Phase (when you have time to rest, recuperate, train, and put your experience/Glory to use).  If this occurs, post which stat you would like to increase.
+1 Charlegmagne
This message was last edited by the player at 15:07, Thu 27 Dec 2018.

Those mostly look good.  Sir Thibault, even without improvements, for economics you are supposed to roll your Stewardship and apply the result to your income, not just the flat +£6.

Merry Christmas to everyone!  We have so far played 2 game years, though it has taken about half a real year to do so.  This does complete the pre-published adventures in the book, however, so from here on out we will be branching out on our own, in a more fluid and hopefully more character-driven way.  I am also looking to increase my own posting rate and get the flow of the game up.

Got it.  I thought that was just if you had a house or a manor or something. I updated that post with the roll.

Thanks, that was fun!  Yeah, lets pick it up.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:07, Thu 27 Dec 2018.

Because it relies on your personal Stewardship, it may be worthwhile to hire a professional steward (especially if your holdings grow).  I know you have just been knighted, but the retinue can be very helpful with their specific skills

That's a good idea.  I'll try to do that at the next opportunity.

Sir Thibault, I totally forgot that you are a Mercenary Knight and have no holdings at all!  That means you should skip that step altogether... you don't even get the base 6L per year!  You still have to pay during the upkeep phase for your outfit, but this must come from your personal coffers.  It is easy for you to find (free) personal lodging at a castle, most likely in Duke Thierry's, as you gave him good service this year, but at this point you have no stipend or regular income.

In reply to The Bard (msg # 175):

Just a poor by from a poor family.  Ok. Skipped.

I've got 1L in the bank and a ring that I can sell so how do I go about doing that? Also what's my maintenance? If i'm reading it right, that's about 3.5L.

I had to look up the rules for economics.  When, during the game year, you had the option of buying it, in my mind I meant it to be a fixed buying price but a variable selling price based on where and when you sell.  Given this circumstance, my intention was to have the selling price be more than the purchase price; this is essentially how merchants work.  The item description, a ring with an emerald, was meant for flavor.

However, looking up the standard price list for items, in cities generally the selling price of an item is only one half of its listed (purchase) price.  That would mean that the sale price of the ring was 0.5£.  Then I saw the standard list item of a ring with an emerald being worth 6£, which would then sell for 3£.  I did not mean for the item to be exactly that... but it kind of fits.  Being that you bought it far away (and essentially were looking for a good deal at the time), selling it for 3£ seems reasonable to me.

That sounds good.  We'll go with that and I'll just be more careful in the future.  I saw the same rules when I was going through the econ part, because I was thinking the same thing as you.

So with that, I should be able to pay my maintenance.

In the future I will be more specific about values of things.  In the book there is a whole chart for jewelry prices, which makes me think the names are highly variable.  Could have a "gold ring 1L" or a "gold ring 5L"... so we all should look at the value not the description

I'll post my winter phase later today

everyone here?

Still here. Winter has come.

Still here!

GM, you here?

hey all, how is everyone

Good.  Just trying to survive these freezing winters where I'm at.

Gm hasn't logged in since January 5th. I hope they are ok.

How is everyone?

I'm doing well.

I'm relatively certain our GM is not coming back to this game.  I've talked to him outside the game, and I know he's in good health, but I think he's lost the momentum.  GM Fatigue and such... I have it in the tabletop game I run now.

Assuming that this is the end, I'll say that I had fun playing with you all.  Maybe catch you on another game!

In reply to Sir Gontran (msg # 189):

That makes me sad. But I have enjoyed playing with you all, and if you'd like, I'd be more than willing to run a game of Pendragon for you all.

Sucks. Yeah, it has been great playing with all of you too!

Gundric, I would get in on that offer for more Pendragon.

Hey all, hope you're staying safe and doing well.