And we're back.

BTW, I won't hide Ben Brown's rolls, but I'm not planning to post both here and in the main game forum, as was suggested.

If I don't happen to post his results in that forum, you can check the dice roller. I will include brief game notes during the fight.

Dat's kewl.

Randy doesn't have his facts correct.

First, all classes get Simple Weapons Proficiency at first level (as per the starting feats section for every class). Second, there is no -4 penalty for using fists for non-lethal damage. The default for fists is non-lethal and there is no penalty for the attack; however, if a character wants to deal lethal damage with fists, it is possible and there are specific feats that make that more effective (e.g. Combat Martial Arts).

The -4 for dealing non-lethal damage is only for armed attacks using melee weapons that are intended for lethal damage (which is what it says on p 226).

Anyone can make an attack with each hand each round--JEB could have done so if he had so chosen. But there are stiff penalties for both the strong hand and off-hand attacks when doing so. Randy has feats which allow him to attack with both hands in one round with reductions to those penalties (all of his feats and abilities result in both of his attacks being at -4 when he attacks both fists in one round).

EDIT: to fix a mistake I made in this explanation
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:18, Fri 01 Jan 2010.

Is that the Spanish spelling of Mr. Sunday's given name?

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #5):

Si.

Why aren't you at the game?

Never mind.  It's an away game.

Thanks for the note, Travis.

Typically I wait 24 hours before moving on, because PCs might want to act or speak and I want to give time for that, as we all agreed upon at the beginning of this chapter. I appreciate Travis' note (and Randy's earlier one), because I know I don't need to wait . . . if I'm planning a morning encounter, I can get to it. If I'm not, I can cut scene and move forward. It's not quite 24 but I'm going to resume.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #9):

You know, when you resume, you make a res out of you and me - don't make a res out of me!

If you love chess, don't follow this link -- no good will come of it.

http://hawtness.com/2010/01/19...-photo-i-love-chess/

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #11):

Silas is an NPC...yes?

At the moment, yes, Silas is an NPC.

Folks, in RL, me and the family are moving--about 25 minutes up the road and the same distance closer to where the wife teaches and son attends school.

The next few days may prove limited in RPOL time for me. I do intend to log in and post in the early a.m. and late p.m., so the game will continue. Just a heads up.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #14):

If you miss afew days I'll understand.

When is Little One joining us?

When the time is right.

Well, what time is left?

Getting tired of seeing the same mugs every day?

Don't worry, I'll join when the Judge deems the time being right. I have exchanged over 400 posts with the Judge in the meantime and am still here.

In reply to Little One (msg #19):

I was worried you were going to pull stakes.  Glad to know you're still here.

RL got the best of me today. I'll be moving forward in the game, this weekend.

http://www.geeksaresexy.net/20...ontent=Google+Reader

Resuming soon . . .

I will remind the PCs that there is only so much one can do in a round. Further, the Judge asked for a single action. It is the fast draw round and you get one action (p 205). I used the phrase single action purposefully.

Next is the first full round, where you may take your move/move or move/attack actions (of course, free actions are always free).

If you described multiple actions, I'll take them in order and adjudicate what could actually happen in the round. I'll ignore the rest. You may certainly re-state actions in subsequent rounds.

I will post an updated map tomorrow morning, along with the next description of events based on your actions.

I'll ask everyone to log in and read messages at least twice per day (e.g. morning/night) in order to keep things moving. I expect to post at least once per day, assuming I get everyone's responses in a timely fashion; however, timing is important--if you log in before I post in the morning, and then don't log in again until the following morning, we might end up with a day's lag between rounds and advancing the encounter.

If I see that you logged in after my post and didn't post your next action within 24 hours of my post, I will assume your character is "holding" or continuing previous actions (observing, riding, etc.).

Just trying to keep things moving.

EDIT: added something to 2nd paragraph
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:17, Tue 02 Feb 2010.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #25):

One of my best friends from College past this last weekend and I will be engaged and  traveling.  Posting high tempo may be problematic.  Judge may NPC.  Unless stupid, Travis closes with the enemy and attacks with double tap ruthlessly.

Sorry to hear the news, Travis. I understand and will NPC Travis as needed. Or perhaps you would allow JEB to play Travis, temporarily?

Of course, anytime you can log in and post, that is best. Safe travels.

Somethings I meant to mention when I posted this morning's message, regarding effects of Mounted Combat:

1. Everyone who is using more than one hand to handle a weapon must make a Ride check (DC 5) to guide the horse while fighting. If you have Ride +4 or better, you don't need to make a roll, just state that your minimum result is 5 or more, for my benefit.

2. Any rider that is hit by an attack while riding must make a Ride check at DC5 to avoid falling off the mount. Again, if you have Ride +4 or better, no need to roll--just confirm that. (If you do fall off, there is a follow-up roll needed (see p 225).

I would encourage everyone to re-read Mounted Combat (224-225).

Behind the 8-ball today . . . the next narrative will be posted late tonight.

My original version of the current narrative was messed up. I fixed it; please re-read if you saw it in it's flawed version.

That is not a free action. If that is important to Cole, he should take an action to examine his opponents.

The Judge offers bits of knowledge as appropriate; if the player wants to know more, the player is taking a conscious action.

Don't take it so third personal.

I'm back.  Will resume daily postings.  Thanks for the patience.

Nice to have you back. JEB handled Travis during your absence.

I will be posting the next narrative some time this evening.

Apparently, Cole thinks Comanche are Klingon.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #35):

Just didn't think it was a good day to die, is all...

Cole might have misspoken.  Perhaps he is interested in par'mach with the Indian woman.  They have experienced the combative foreplay and now they are ready for sexual congress.

It should have said "Passing within 20 feet of Randy," (I had just noted that the rider went past Randy, whose bullet was off-target). No, he didn't leap 20 feet. He rode up to the horses and leapt off his own horse amidst the likes of Snake, Jenny and the Pinto, trying to cut the rope (line) between those horses and others.

The dismount is a normally an action, but he used Ride: Fast Dismount. I thought he had succeeded, but I forgot to figure in one of the modifiers. The way I adjudicated was that the Fast Dismount was a free action (because I thought the roll had succeeded) so the Control was the move action and cutting the line was his attack action. Your question prompted me to review the rolls and I see he wouldn't have succeeded on the Ride check so indeed that should have been 3 actions, not two. I'll rectify.



As per table 7.3 noted by Randy, mounting dismounting a horse is one Move action. The woman used a Move action to mount the horse while Cole did his actions. He made it pretty clear that he didn't want to fire on the woman unless she fired. She didn't fire.

Because Cole and the others have been focused on their own gunfire and now the woman, they haven't noticed the gunfire to the south, yet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:23, Wed 10 Feb 2010.

I take it that those players in the northeast US still have power during the snowstorm, as I've seen posts. I'm guessing you're also all at home. I wonder about Travis . . .

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #39):

I still have power. But, there is no way I'm going outside to do anything except move snow. And, as luck would have it, one of my more generous neighbors (who happens to own a snow blower) just eased my burden considerably.

I heard that in MD one can get arrested for being out on the roads, at all.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #41):

I'm back.  Art has it ten inches worse than I do.  I shoveled at 8:00 last night.  11:30 last night.  6:00AM and 12:00.  So mu driveway is clear and the drifts are small enough to get my Forrester out in an emergency.  We've blown by the all time Baltimore record for snowfall by 8 inches or so.  This is the first time we've had two blizzards within the same week.  Howard county closed schools for the whole week yesterday.  I couldn't take the dogs out for a real walk, it was more like a step.  We went out a bout 100 yards.  Winds are high.  Temperature is bitter.

I've been working around the house and now we've finally hunkered down.  Mrs Sunday is baking cookies with my eldest Childzilla. Kid Kong is reading.

We played the game "Life."  Ironically Mrs Sunday won.  Her keys to victory, which the game of life now imparts to my children were... be an athlete, if you lose your job be an entertainer.  Sue others espescially doctors frequently, share others wealth with yourself, skip college and gamble.  If only I had known this when I was young.

Anyway, I've got a fire going and am now finally able to see what's up in the wild wild west.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #41):

I've not heard anything about a curfew. I could partly understand why, though. Visibility is low and the roads must be complete crap. I'm sure they would like as few number of people on the roads as possible. The big snow trucks will need as much flexibility (and room) as possible to get the snow cleared. And, the last thing the local governments need is to rescue people who have no business on the road.

My county cancelled school for the entire week, as well.

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg #43):

Baltimore doesn't have a curfew but only emergency vehicles are allowed on the roads.

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #44):

Only Baltimore City has a restriction, Phase 3 Snow Emergency meaning State owned and emergency vehicles only are allowed on the roads. I believe some highways are closed, though, such as I83.

Please be more specific about movement speed. Terms such as "best speed" and "top speed" are sort of relative. Does "top speed" mean using the 'Run' action (4 moves)? Or does it mean a double-move? (i.e. best speed without taxing the horse). So far, there have been a couple of times where I just decided what you meant, but moving forward, that's probably not in your best interest, as I may well decide it means something you don't want it to mean.

I would prefer that you use terms such as "double-move" or "run" or whatever actual action you are using as per the S:R Action rules.

The Judge is giving a little more time for clarifications from a couple of players. Look for a post in the afternoon (eastern).

All you Balti-morlocks have nothing to complain about... not like these folks:
http://www.darkroastedblend.co...ontent=Google+Reader

Saw a couple of players who logged in earlier today, but didn't post . . . if I don't see a post within the 24 hours of my post, I'll interpret next actions based on previous statements.

I'm giving a little extra time to a couple of players, with whom I have either received or sent (or both) PMs.

Almost as soon as Silas thinks things might change for the better, he sees Randy peel off from the chase.  Shew, I think that's a good idear.

Randy's departure from the pursuit marks a new feeling for him.  He never really felt defeated, until now.

The deflated man turns his Fanny northward,  Silas turns southward.  Each do so to avoid the lone rider between them.  Randy waves to his trail-mates the chase is over.

Pumping his spurs lightly into his horses side, he moves back to a full gallop back to the remuda.  Silas does as well.

It appears that the round-by-round combat is over. There is still an aftermath to play out, but it can be sorted out through daily posts. Time is still of the essence for part of the encounter, but it doesn't require round-by-round action statements.

I'm going to post a narrative to advance.

Let's not forget the "Aiding Another" benefit described on p59.  In a nutshell, the judge might allow the assistance to benefit the 'lead' character.  If you make a roll against DC 10, you might give the lead character a +2 for his skill roll.

A specific example is when JEB knelt to assist the Major, even if he doesn't have "Treat Injury".  If JEB makes his roll (DC 10), the Major has a better chance of stabilizing Ayasha.

Don't forget your own bonuses when making your "Aiding Another" check.  JEB would add any Wis bonuses.

Sorry if you all knew that.  I'll wager the judge will tell us how wrong I am -- as I'm apt to be quite wrong (much, if not most, of the time).

That would be true, Randy, if there was a medical kit here to use with Treat Injury. The Stablize Dying Character action requires a medical kit, as per p97 (which has arrived with Meri). To use Aid Another, the kit is required.

However, I do have a house rule and have been allowing it so far. A character gets ONE chance to Stablize Dying Character without a kit. But no aiding another here--it's a straight up one roll per character. Because Stabilize can be tried again, when a medical kit is available the normal rules will apply--characters may try repeatedly (well, until the wounded character is dead) and Aiding Another may be used.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #54):

Sorry for sporadic posts last few days.  Nature of my work prevents any internet access until i get home.   Will try and do better.

So, is Travis intentionally ignoring the question asked by Rojas?

Or does the player's previous post in this thread explain his lack of a response, even when posting recently?

Phew. That was a close one. Just look at Ayasha's grit.

By the way, Ayasha means "Little One" in Cheyenne. So here you go, I am officially revealed as the new PC. I hope some of you were fooled nicely.

I wouldn't use the word "fooled," because my intention wasn't to fool or mislead--simply to let the scenario play out, without stating anything OOC-wise.

I can say that I know of at LEAST one player who didn't make the connection, for a fact.

I know of another player who, based on public posts, didn't seem to make the connection.

For the record, Ayasha (the player) controlled all the Indians on the north side of the river. The Judge controlled the two Indians on the south side of the river.

While the Judge knew of the north-side Indians' plan, he didn't know exactly would happen or how the combat would transpire. There was no collusion or pre-determined outcome (which I suspect resulted in a few days of nerve-wracking moments for Ayasha). None of the Judge's actions on the north-side were pre-determined. None of the actions concerning Ayasha, the Major or those who helped save her were pre-determined. I simply reacted to the combat stimuli for each NPC as it was happening--including the initial lasso toss by the Major.

And all the rolls were on the up-and-up. No fudging whatsoever. It was fascinating to watch the combat play out, with the Major and Sesenovoto getting some seriously good rolls even when I had them do relatively difficult tasks. Or Meri spurring his horse 4 times successfully to increase speed. Not to mention the intriguing die rolls for how the wounding and stabilizing of Ayasha played out.

I'd be interested to hear the perspectives of Cole, Travis, JEB and Randy.

As frustrating as the actions (and amazing rolls) by Sesenovoto, I was in awe of the plan on the Southside of the river.  It was intriguing how Silas and his horse took massive damage.  Randy was never fired upon and Joe was likewise unscathed.  Neither of the marauding natives were injured.  Put that in contrast to the Northside battle where four (I think) natives were killed and one mortally wounded.  Rolls rule the battles, always, but they sure make for interesting outcomes when they all work or fail for one character.

Ayasha had me fooled; I'm the one confirmed by the judge.  Literally, a day after I learned the secret, she fell in battle.  She told me the sure giveaway was the lassoing by Major Gray.  I need to go back and read that event again.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:37, Mon 01 Mar 2010.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #58):

Actually, I will admit that Travis turned me on to Ayasha's identity, quite a long time ago. The topic came up inadvertently while we were discussing some aspects of the game.

Note, however, Cole's decision not to fire upon you when we had you dead to rights, had nothing to do with any of that. He was acting totally within character. For Cole, the confusing part was the Major's behavior during that time.

Ayasha, it is good to have you "officially" join us. Welcome!
This message was last edited by the player at 00:04, Mon 01 Mar 2010.

Thanks! The Major's actions were (and are) confusing for Ayasha, too. I'm sure there will be an explanation in game at some point.

I myself am very curious what plans you all have for the indian woman that is now in your hands. Don't tell me here though!

I'd like to say more, but it's probably better to hold my tongue at this point.

You could, Ayasha, let us know a little about you.  Not so much as we figure we know you, but what'd you'd think about the previous chapter and what interested you in the game is a good start.

Please explain. Especially in regard to "quite a long time ago."

It's worth noting that Quirley went down to 1 grit and Major Gray took more than two dozen grit damage. Cole took a hit which required a Massive Damage check (as did Silas). Not to mention the horses that suffered damage.

A roll or two in the Indian's favor and one or more of the cowboys (or a horse) could have been killed.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #63):

To be honest, I don't recall the specifics. I'm sure that doesn't surprise you. It was weeks ago. I can't even tell you if I knew beforehand or I simply suspected. What I can tell you is that I didn't even think about it until today.

You're right, Cole. None of that surprises me.

By my definition, weeks ago isn't "quite a long time ago." That's one of the reasons I asked for further explanation.

Perhaps Travis can shed some light. Although, he doesn't seem to want to answer any of my recent questions (in character or in this forum).

Well, I am interested in western games, obviously. So I have been looking around, browsing the games. The one problem I have in a western game is that a female character does not get to do much beyond looking pretty and cooking meals, if the game is puristic (in regards to classical western movies). I'm female, and I can't play men properly.

Even though this game was not actively looking for players, i sent a RTJ to the Judge and he reacted kindly to my idea of a female indian warrior. We have been fleshing the idea out and agreed that the Cheyenne would be a good tribe to have been using female warriors. There is some historical truth to that.

I liked the way the previous chapter was handled, and I thought I could fit into this group with my style of play. I personally find it very interesting that my character starts attacking the rest of the players. This is certainly a source for conflict, and it could have gone wrong. It could still go wrong if you react in a way i did not expect, but we'll see.

And a note to the Judge: Travis rmailed me, and once I thought Ayasha was revealed, i answered him. That's one way he could have found out about Little One and Ayasha being the same, if he didn't figure it out before.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #56):

I missed Rojas.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #66):

I rmailed our new player to welcome them and she replied.  I put two and two together.  I told Cole jokingly not to kill the new player.  I don't recall if I mentioned a specific name.  I did not know which native american our new player was as rmail only gives your username.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #58):

In reply to his honor, I enjoyed the encounter. It was a good tutorial in mobility game mechanics.  I thought some aspects took on a nice flavor.  I smiled a lot while reading it.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #58):

I was also not aware of Ayasha's identity as a PC until the battle was nearly finished. I will be discreet in revealing my source, but it's not too hard to figure out. Ayasha, welcome to the game. I admire your patience since it took a long time for you to join us since we first learned of the Little One. I also admire the daring of your intro. It was a great risk for both you and JM to engage in a PC-to-PC battle since it could have gone badly for any PC involved and drastically changed the dynamics of the game. If indeed there was no "fudging" as JM asserts, then the outcome of the encounter was quite fortunate.

There were quite some lucky situations, and i was especially under pressure when Ayasha was on the ground dying, and i kept messing up the fortitude saves. I spent an action point once, trying to get a 6 on a d6 - no luck. Ayasha was saved in the last second there.

I really felt bad when one of the indians i controlled hit Cole for a MDT check. If he had failed that one, he would have been unconscious among the stampeding beeves - not a good place to be. Luckily he made his roll.

It was risky, and it still is. After all, who knows how the cowboys react to Ayasha now. But i think it's very interesting and makes for good roleplay.

Ayasha will never be friends with Quirley though. He killed Pamuya, the female indian that bravely charged him with a knife.

Only a woman could hold a grudge against a man who did nothing more than defend himself against an unprovoked attack.

No fudging. I warned Ayasha from the beginning that I wasn't going to engineer a particular result. Indeed, there were some fortunate rolls, but there were also some problematic ones. Ayasha failed several rolls to stabilize, as per the rules. It was a race against time and Pierre got in just under the wire.

As Randy the player already knows, Joe Turner managed to bring the nimble warrior's injured horse along with the rest of the remuda.

As for the other horses, they scattered on the northern plain, like the cattle. I gave one of the players an instruction to make a couple of checks to see if they could be retrieved. That player hasn't made the checks yet.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #74):

For the record...If Travis lays dying sometime in the future, it's OK by me if you fudge some survival rolls.

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #76):

But Travis, It's you who must make the rolls.  Aw fudge!

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #77):

I'll roll them at home and tell you what I got.

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #78):

I didn't know anyone else had a set of invisi-dice like me.  Where did you find yours?  Oh, never-mind, then everyone else will get a set.  I think I lost one of mine -- it's kinda hard to tell.

All,

Last night I experienced a critical failure in my home network. I was able to patch things together, but I can't say how long it will last. Honestly, I'm somewhat surprised I'm still able to access the internet, this very moment.

Bottom line, I might have difficulty posting regularly until I get my systems back to their normal operating state.

I told you not to surf those Russian porn and Chechen gambling sites.

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #81):

Told me NOT to? As I recall, you sent me the links to those sites...

This is amazing.  Read the following blog entry, then try what it says you can't.  Believe!

http://cargocollective.com/lea...ryday/288625/March-4

This is fun. Thank you for your participation.

RL activities making it hard to post today. I expect to follow-up on the recent activity this evening.

Prompted by Cole's message, I will rule that all the cowboys have re-loaded weapons in the time that has passed since the Cheyenne attacked.

This time, my assumption is to the players' benefit. Next time . . . ?

A character can't make an attempt to Fast Mount check if the character doesn't have a move action available, for just such a reason. If Randy, didn't have a move action left when he wanted to try the Fast Mount, then he wasn't allowed to make the attempt.

It's quite clear in the parenthetical sentence for that trick (p93)

EDIT: typo
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:40, Thu 11 Mar 2010.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #87):

My tournament bracket is cowardly.  Last year I had great Cinderella picks who came through.  This year I have only a few upsets.

Huh?

Travis is the master of the non sequitur. His comment wasn't in reply to anything in this game. It was about an RL topic not even being discussed here--well, until he brought it up.

It's March Madness!  I haven't watched many games this year so I went into it thinking I'd just put UCLA and North Carolina in the finals.

So you chose E Tennessee State and North Texas instead?

(We happen to know a player for ETSU. And Butler.)

All, I'm going winter camping with my son this weekend. No electronics allowed. So, I will not likely post again until Sunday.

Thank you for telling us. The timing isn't bad. It will take a day or two to play out the piece with Travis and Meri.

You going to any NCAA site this year?

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #94):

Indeed. Heading to Houston on the 25th. However, this time my expectation is that I will have Internet access, so I plan to be online.

Meriwether sent me a PM tonight. I hope he will be re-joining us. Comes at an interesting time in the game, so I'm pausing temporarily so he can re-introduce himself and catch up on the current happenings in the game.

Hey everyone! I have missed both you all & the game!It has been a long time & I am most sorry for my absence. You would not believe me but first I was sick for a while & then when I returned I was logged off which has not happened for years. I forgot my password & could not receive it from RPoL due to my bellsouth account I guess. I have written the Administrator for the past 3 months without a response. I then decided to go through a new E-mail account to reach the moderators which worked. They finally gave me my old password today. I could only apologize to you & the rest of the cast. Yet I did not know how to reach any of my games here.
 It twould seem an old chap has done an admirable job in my absence none the less. I do thank my good friend Travis. The Judge has generously left open my role. I look forward to gaming with one & all once more. Many Blessings Meri

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #97):

Meri, most importantly, I'm glad that your health has improved. I will look forward to your quick return to our game!

Welcome back!

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #97):

Hi, Randy Oldman, Rush chairman, damn glad to meet you.

Welcome back, fancy pants.

Mr. Oldman, I assure you their is nothing fancy in regards to the trousers I am wearing. These are perfectly suited for the life in a saddle & rough riding as it were. Though I do have others which could be worn if the situation presents itself.

With the air cleared, I am most excited to be amongst you all once more. I do appreciate you & Mr. Cole stopping by to say hello! Cheers Meri

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #100):

You are back amongst friends, what what.

Couldn't sleep
Read a blog
Pulled a funny from out the fog
So I pasted link to look up
Looking up I noticed it was late
Made the post in seconds flat....

http://www.oddee.com/item_97012.aspx

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #97):

Well if the second fastest gun in RPOL hasn't returned.   :)

Welcome back.  It is great to see you.

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #100):

Good to have you back, you were missed.

I wasn't clear -- I didn't know if Randy would be considered part of the Fast Draw round because I didn't roll Init for him.  I'm keeping in measure with the timing.

... nice job negotiating with the chief there.

:)

My apologies to Travis for the dice roller's recent brutality.  Earlier, I made secret rolls for Yuma (while making public rolls for Sesenovoto). This battle, I've made public rolls for Yuma.

I gave half-cover (+4) to Travis for hiding behind Horse.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #107):

It seemed a good idea at the time.

It was a good idea. The die rolls just trumped it.



Well, you didn't state that Travis had switched horses. You just wrote that Travis and Meri mount up. Horse was certainly capable of being ridden.

But I won't quibble on that point.

To clarify, spur mount gives a +10 feet increase to the mounts speed. A normal horses speed is 60, thus speed for one round is 70. If you make a 4x move, you get a total of 40 extra feet for the full round of movement (or 20 feet for double move, etc.)

My bad.  I thought Horse should heal.  Also for gameplay I got off the horse not only for cover but becsause I assumed it lacked the combat riding feat.

What happened with negotiations?  I didn't think they were that bad.

Who said the negotiations were bad?

As the judge, I'll say that it didn't occur to me that Travis' strategy was based on specific assumptions he made. It's a viable strategy, using a horse for cover. There's a great scene in Lonesome Dove (both the novel and the tv mini-series--the tv producers did a good job translating that scene from the book), where Gus dismounts and kills his own horse, then lays it down and uses it for cover while firing his Henry from his belly. I was just talking to Cole (the player) about this scene recently, when he expressed horror in the idea of killing a man's horse. In the old west, the idea of a man and a longtime equine companion was much more myth than reality.

I thought it was a gutsy move on Travis' part. A man who knows how to shoot his rifle just got the better of him, with an especially potent shot.

BTW, your 16 might have exceeded Yuma's MDT (and perhaps he made his Fort save). Or perhaps 16 wasn't enough to to exceed his MDT. Either way, the double-tap is an excellent feat and Travis used it well in a couple of battles. In this case, the 16 just didn't drop this Cheyenne rider.

EDIT: and the 16 + 11 plus previous damage wasn't enough to drop the Cheyenne rider.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:58, Fri 26 Mar 2010.

Thanks for reply.  In Geronimo the army horses are shown to be trained to lie down and act as cover.  I thought negotiations went badly because we have to kill the nice Indian Chief instead of getting his blessing for Ayasha to join our group.

I hadn't thought of private fortitude rolls.  I just said to myself damn he's tough.

I didn't think 27 grit would take him down.  I hoped it would start the process though.

Nice crit.  We'll see if I can stabilize and enjoy my new Clint Eastwoodesque scar.

Fear not ole chap! I shall soon down the brute & help you stabilize or join you in the Happy Hunting Grounds!

I thought Meri did a smashing job with the parlay! Ahem.....
This message was last edited by the player at 02:04, Fri 26 Mar 2010.

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #114):

Meri, I thought you were a two pistol fighter?

I thought I had stated this a while back, but maybe I just imagined it.

The Ride rules state that riders need to make a check to control a mount in combat while attacking, unless the mount is trained in combat as per Handle Animal. I haven't been making you all do those checks, on purpose, to streamline the adventure knowing there would be various possibilities for mounted combat. I have considered all PC horses to be trained for combat (excellent horses were purchased by most), as are several of the mounts in the Major's remuda. The Cheyenne horses were also considered as trained in combat. All horses won't be and if someone is riding a horse that is untrained, I will request the ride Check.

I apologize if this wasn't clear. It really doesn't change much as I've been running it this way the whole time, but I figured I should make it clear. I don't think it really changes Travis' situation either. The Indian was going to fire in any case and the roll was a crit, even with the additional bonus of the horses cover! Staying on the horse wouldn't have changed that, I suspect. It seems that Travis was planning to fire that round, regardless. And so the only difference would have been that Travis would have been shot while on the horse. Of course, correct me if I'm wrong, Travis.

No corrections from over here.  I'd say you have the lay of the land.  I may have owed you a ride check after my first shot.  This upsets me so I insist we go back to the first round after I hit the Chief for 16 Grit and replay it from there.  This would be fairest for the Judge.

I wouldn't assume everyone has a horse with combat riding.  Horse does.  I didn't know if the one I was on didn't so I dismounted for that reason and for some cover.

Horse has a horse with combat riding?  Interesting, but not surprising.

Glad to hear it.


Yeah, that's the ticket.


I don't assume everyone has a horse with combat riding, either. Just for the purposes of play, since everyone invested in horses of quality (or had trained the horse personally), I decided to treat all PC horses as having the equivalent of combat riding in terms of needing to make the check for Fighting while Mounted. I didn't grant all the tricks that go with that training--unless of course, you trained the horse or had it trained specifically combat riding--I simply granted that element to speed up and facilitate play. And I determined that some of the Major's horses would be adequately trained for a cattle drive where there could be combat. And, well, the Cheyenne were essentially a war party, so it made sense for their mounts to be trained for that purpose.

It's essentially a house rule that I think improves play, especially in the RPOL environment where things can go slow as it is.

Actually, Travis fired the first shot in this fight. Just a little reminder.

Only because we have the quicker hand Dear Ayasha. It was Yuma who first said we had but 5 seconds to defend oneself with. I would say that Travis just used that time prudently. I for one would have loved to parlayed longer with the brave warrior. Well, if Meri gets hit another time or three the point shall not matter either way. Cheers Meri

In reply to Ayasha (msg #120):

Man raised his rifle in anger.  Travis already stayed his hand once. We came to parlay and gave him time.  He's gotta go.

Cole's stated speed and JEB's stated speed make impossible the conversation as typed.

JEB said he was continuing his stated speed (double move).

Cole said he was continuing his stated speed (4x).

The conversation taking place is a full round, so that conversation can't occur if the men are traveling at significantly different speeds.

Either way is okay with me:

1. The men match speeds (please state an agreed speed) and converse.
2. The men keep their current speeds and Cole races away before JEB has a chance to respond to Cole's quick question as he rides by.

JEB and Cole, please help resolve this.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #123):

JEB chooses #1. Cole?

FYI, I had noted in a previous narrative recap that the Indian had moved around to the north side of the hill, putting the hill between himself and those to the south.

In the most recent recap, I noted that Meri rode up the hill and over to rejoin those around Travis.

JEB can't see the Indian right now. The hill blocks sight between the men gathered round Travis and the people to the north (Randy and the Indian). JEB may ride up to the crest of the hill and be able to see the Indian and still be within speaking distance of the Major, if he desires.

Please clarify based on this reiteration of the situation.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #125):

I misunderstood events and thought Travis et al were at the crest of the hill. Given your explanation, JEB would ride to the top and scout the Indian's position and speak to the Major if possible.

That's fine. JEB would see the Indian some 80-100 yards north of the hill. And he sees Randy down on one knee.

Cole, this is a fantastic turn of phrase.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #128):

Thanks, 'pard. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

As a legacy of the Osterfeld Standoff, this is what has happened in Mizzou.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/s...amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

I debated with myself about constructing a map for this part of the encounter, but I really didn't know exactly how it would play out or where it would lead. I have also been pressed for time lately, putting in a lot of hours on my RL consulting projects, so it never made it to the top of my list. I agree it would be helpful, but depending on where things move, it might take more time than I can give to keep it updated round-by-round. I'll see what I can do.

The effort is appreciated.  If I may be so bold as to suggest, you could make a grid map.  The position of characters and NPC can be stated in coordinates, easy coordinates.  "Yuma moves from B7 to D6."

This is just an idea I had without much thought around it.

Wow. Cole, JEB and I all posted within a minute of each other. Make sure you got back and read all messages posted tonight.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #133):

Having trouble viewing your pdf. Not sure what the deal is.

Anyone else? Seems to be working fine when I click the link.

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg #134):

Worked fine for me.

Got it, no problems.

No problems for me & I shall post later today. Busy at the moment. Sorry for any delays. Cheers Meri

It's been more than 24 hours for Cole and Meri.

The Englishman had asked a game question that I answered last night, so I was giving him a little extra time to follow-up with a post.

At this stage of combat, the Judge is reluctant to move forward without Meri stating his own course of action. We'll wait for a bit more.

Damned English and their Greenwich Mean Time.  Aren't they five hours ahead of EDT?

I'm off for a couple of days of Spring Break.  I don't know if I'll be able to post.

Good luck.

Thank you for the notification. Fortunately, Travis is watching and waiting right now.

I'm waiting for a response from Cole as his stated actions are incongruent. I recently sent a PM, so need to give some time for a reply.

No rush no worries! Cheers Meri

msg #368

The bollocks on that Limey.  I want him as my surgeon.  lolz

I made a mistake in Yuma's multi-attack round. That's what happens when it's late at night and I'm trying to get a map updated, adjudicate player actions, use rules I haven't used before in actual gameplay, shoot-up, etc.

He should have received only two attacks, not three. I knew that I didn't have the modifiers correct (I applied his normal mod three times when rolling then adjusted after the roll).

Yuma intended to attack both targets (JEB and Cole). So I will remove the 2nd attack on JEB, firing once for each PC. Both attacks still hit.

I'm still processing.

404 Reason Not Found

The family and I are going camping this weekend with our Aikido dojo.  I'll be OOP for most of Saturday, starting near noon, and most of Sunday, ending late afternoon/early evening.

Thanks for the heads-up, Randy.

For our fallen comrade,
http://www.royalengineers.ca/4...t%20%28Tattoo%29.mp3
This message was last edited by the player at 15:07, Fri 16 Apr 2010.

Jolly Good ole chap! Quite touching! Quite. Twas an honor to ride with you! Thanks & Cheers Meri

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #151):

Do you plan on rolling a new PC or take a break?  It'd be a shame were you to leave us, even for a bit, but completely understandable.

My brother (PhD computer scientist, for real) introduced me to "Dropbox."  It's a really handy and easy to use file storage and sharing site/application.  It makes it simple to move files from one computer to another.  It's convenient to access files from other locations than your computer as well as share files of your choosing.

Use this link if you want to sign-up: https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTYyMDQwNTg5

I'll get extra storage credit and you will too.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #153):

I'ma rop boxer as well.  Though now that Google Docs will let you upload anything it's not as necessary for me.  However I may still use a family DB account.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #152):

Thanks again Randy. I plan on making another Pc but it may be a while before I can join the group. It was fun playing Meri & I have really enjoyed the game. The Judge has been great & has given me the opportunity to stay on if I decide to. Thanks everyone. Cheers from Meri

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #155):

So you're not mostly dead?

Oh Meri is completely dead. I'm just fine... well okay at the moment. I am just trying to figure out a new character concept. All I can say is Yuma is one tough hombre. I would not want to meet the rest of the tribe!

How are you doing Travis? Has anyone heard from Art? Silas? Are they well? I miss them. Cheers Meri

Yuma is less tough than you might think.  He is high rank, but our judge has rolled much better than we have.  If you don't already, you should keep an eye on the Dice Roller logue.

Your last post brought us up to 6666!!!

I have been watching & lady luck sure has been on Yuma's side. However, Travis did him for 27 I'm thinking. Meri hit for 17 & Jeb just grazed him for 13 didn't he? That would be 57 points total. The Major may or may not have hit him for 7 more.

Yuma has grit at any rate. Cheers Meri

When this battle is over, I will be happy to share more about Yuma and this encounter. Not necessarily share ALL, but definitely more. For now, both Meri and Randy are correct. Yuma is tough and the Judge has rolled well for most of the encounter.

Don't forget about the damage done to Yuma's horse . . .

I think if he hadn't crited me I may have been able to get him in trouble and stall his retreat.  I'm sure he has survived a MDT roll which I didn't.

Meri, did you drop past -10?

I don't know Silas in RL.  Art is good being superdad last I checked in.  I think it's time for a RL gathering of the locals.

I think Murray, Meri's twin brother would be welcome.  It certainly fits the comic book code.  If Travis bought it, I would have to really consider...  Tom Horn, Hawkeye, Quigley, Zorro and Cane would all be in the mix for archetypes.  I'd probably end up with the something akin to the scientist from Briscoe County Jr.

I am not happy you're dead (I think we should pull the judge out of his car...) but I do look forward to seeing what such a keen player comes back with.

It wasn't the Judge's decision--or desire--to kill Meri. The player had plenty of opportunity to avoid it. The player--and I commend him publicly as I did privately--made choices that led to this result. Go back and read msg 139 in this thread and you will see a critical juncture as a case in point.

Meri knew the risks. He knew this was a deadly game. He chose to play his character in a particular way and he stuck to it until the end. Bravo, I say.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #162):

Hey all! This was absolutely the case. I was contacted by PM, by the Judge, to give me warning although I already knew the rules were more deadly than some. I felt Meri would act a certain way & played him that way. I have no regrets & must say this is one of the best games I have ever had the honor to play in. The Judge is not only a great GM but has always been fair minded in my opinion.

I think if he pulled punches for me/ Meri it would really take away from the game. I have been given a chance to rejoin the game with a new character. I am thinking over what this character may be.

I must say this has been a great game, with great players, & a great GM. I blame no one & have no ill feelings. I'll miss Meri but he & I had a wonderful time! Cheers Meri

I was going to let Meri address that, but I think he just overlooked the question while talking about the larger topic.

Yes, Meri went past -10.

• For to address the toughness of Yuma: he is a tough one, but benefits more by the advantageous rolls.  Along those lines, if the judge is rolling well in battle, it stands to reason, he likely rolled well in NPC development.
• For to address the damage Yuma's taken: a cursory look at the damage rolled doesn't correlate to the damage taken.  To know the actual damage would mean reading the judge's results posts and match the hits with the damage in the Dice Roller logue.  My point is, Judge Messalen knows the hits and misses, but we don't until it is revealed in the round recapitulation.  Travis always rolls damage (which I agree with doing so) irrespective of successful hit or not.  But, I don't know if we accurately account for the modifiers or whether the judge addresses the same when determining the hit.  Let's say Travis rolled a 25 attack roll; did he account for the -8 modifier for his full gallop AND the -4 for targeting Yuma instead of Ayasha and then we don't know defense modifiers for Yuma such as cover?  (sorry for the run-on sentence.)  That's a super simple example, but illustrative nonetheless.
• For to address Meriwether's siblings: I heard tell of a mysteriously unknown triplet, Manfried (the English name for 'Man of Peace').
• For to address the retreat from combat: Randy took a wicked hit from Yuma, and combined with his damage from the bulldog, he plummeted to 0 within a couple of rounds.  I knew, to pursue meant, one more hit could spell Randy's demise.  Randy knew, the Major would rather lose a 20 longhorn or horses than a trail hand.
• For to address Judge Messalen: he's a bloody bastard with no regard for the players (as evidenced by his useless misdirecting advice in PM's).  He's out to get us all, which is probably why he's also playing the trail boss; he catches us coming and going.  (I don't believe that for a minute, wink). 

Can anyone tell I was reading county codes and state statutes recently?

I could see Manfried taking a snort of snuff & leaning upon his cane "I say! Do they believe that a gentleman could ride a horse in such a fashion. It would appear the creature could use a good rub down if not a bath! I shan't ride anything that smells worse than Great Aunt Beatrice on any account!"

Another pinch... another snort then slight cough "An Outrage!"


I agree, & have no problems with how it all happened. Meri died a hero's death as was his want.  Cheers Meri

I can picture Black Adder's Prince George giggling like a school girl after those comments.

Manfred???   That's just wrong.

For the record:

Yuma never had to make an MDT roll. The only single hit that exceeded his MDT was the final shot by the Major (20 grit) and that took him to Dying status so the MDT Fort Save wasn't relevant.

Grit: The Indian took 105 grit during the battle. He also recovered 21 grit during the course of the battle by using AP and the class feature called Second Wind.

Defense: Yuma's normal defense is 19. There were a couple of times when he used Riding Defensively during a round. His defense, plus the modifiers for motion and distance, made it pretty hard to hit him. Engaging him in a chase played to his strengths; especially when he lured away a cowboy or two at a time from the main group like the coyote lures the elk away from the herd.

One important feat: Yuma has the Blazing Saddle feat. That reduces the penalties for motion when firing a ranged weapon from horseback.

Just to note, Meri thought Yuma a brave & worthy foe. There were several times in which Meri thought it would be a shame to have to kill him. In the end it was the Englishman who perished. Lady Luck was fickle as Meri thought & Yuma a far greater foe than he could have imagined yet neither would have stayed the Gunman's hand or course of action. He died defending his companions & friends. The way he would have liked it I'm thinking. Cheers Meri

The reason Meri was a good gunfighter is he didn't worry about dying.

Also, Travis agrees with Meri.  It's a shame he has to kill him.

Blazing saddle is on my to do list.  Second wind and the feat which gives a bonus to MDT roll are also there.

Travis, you're talking about Improved Damage Threshold.  I took it for Randy and it has saved his a$$ a few times, including this encounter.

Do either of your classes allow you to take it?  If either does, I recommend IDT at the top of your list!

First, a reminder that with every 3rd level attained, a hero may select a Feat from the entire list on Table 4.1, as long as s/he meets the requirements (I'm sure I mentioned this when advancement occurred between the Johnny adventure and this one). So anyone in the PC group could have selected IDT, or could still at some point. I use IDT only as an example to reiterate the 3rd level Feat specs, as that feat was brought up in the player discussion. Some feats, like Quick Draw, don't even belong to any classes bonus feats and must be taken with the 3rd level Feat.

I will say this, there are heroes in the No Buffalo Outfit (PC and NPC alike) who have IDT or Second Wind already. I don't think anyone has Blazing Saddle, unless I'm just forgetting.

There are lots of good Feats and Talents in SR. Like most things, it is how you use them that matters. Cowboys scoffed when the Major tossed his lasso, but it proved effective (a good roll never hurt) and was a great deal of fun to use.

----------

As for dear old Meriwether, I was impressed by his run against Yuma. He and the Indian exchanged numerous rounds and there were times when it was one-against-one, with Mr. Smythe holding his own. Durned impressive.

Miracle Max: He probably owes you money huh? I'll ask him.

Inigo Montoya: He's dead. He can't talk.

Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do.

Inigo Montoya: What's that?

Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

Fezzik: I only dog paddle...

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #175):
Inigo Montoya Man in Black

---

Teehee heehee heehee, he wants to discharge his duties.  Down wind please.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:23, Sat 24 Apr 2010.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #176):

Nice.

Are you a six-fingered man?

I am hard pressed to find any situation where a 'The Princess Bride' quote doesn't fit.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #178):

Inconceivable!!

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg #179):

I have an "Inconceivable" T-Shirt.  I also have a T-Shirt with one of those stick "Hi my name is..." tages.  It's filled in... "Inigo Montoya"  below that is scrawled..."You killed my father prepare to die."

I also have a Yoyodyne Propulsion T-Shirt but almost no one gets that reference.

I've added a little to Randy's description; the one you get when clicking on his icon.  Check it out.
←

Okay, so I'm still working on the first two questions for Ayasha, but the third is definitely

"What is your favorite color?"

We'll have to take your word for it.  For all we know, there were actually 11 questions, but Ayasha only knows how to ask three in English.

Re: Randy's msg #183.

Um, what? Ayasha isn't asking any questions.

Palefaces without honor what? Well you are a plucky female dog Little One. I'll give you that. Cheers Meri

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #185):

I'm having a difficult time trying to create an opportunity to kill Yuma.  This is what you get when new characters don't meet in the traditional fashion...

In the Saloon.

This is how mom and dad did it.  It's how Gygax did it.  and it's been working out pretty well for 35 years.

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #186):

It's how the GELF did (will do) it.

Boring.

You would not have met Ayasha in a Saloon.

In reply to Ayasha (msg #189):

Not boring....  Iconic.

Every player character can justify going into a tavern.  It's rule #1.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #187):

Nice Red Dwarf pull.

Huh. Well, the player playing Ayasha just said she couldn't justify it. I agree, for that character.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #192):

What next?  No kobolds?

Hey! How did you know about my new character? Manfred the Kobold Gunslinger... with my +5 Colt of Massive Criticals & shiny bullets of Slaying. Better man up Yuma... there's a new Sheriff in town! Cheers Meri

Much as I did earlier when giving Meri a little extra time at a critical juncture in the game, I'm doing so for Ayasha. We have been in contact and I expect we will move forward before long.

Alright, it's done. You do not have to wait for me anymore. I'd like to thank all players for a wonderful game, and I am sorry that Meri's character died, that was not my intention.

I'm bummed that it didn't work out for Ayasha to join the group.

For the record:

From the beginning, when the player first contacted me with an idea for a character (and a scenario) and a request to join the game, I said that I wouldn't engineer any given outcome. But I liked the idea and felt it was worth a go.

The idea of a battle between the heroes and Indians (especially female Indians, which became the Cheyenne) was the player's idea. I liked it and said I would find a way to work it into the adventure I was designing--which is exactly what I did, in cooperation with the player. I said that I would prefer that the character end up joining the group if we went this direction. But again, that I wouldn't engineer that result, preferring moreso to let the encounter play out and see what happened.

I still think it could have worked out for Ayasha to join. But when players play characters in a specific fashion and the Judge plays NPCs in a specific fashion, sometimes things don't work out. We could certainly have a do-over or fudge results. But that doesn't have much appeal to me. I expressed to Ayasha, the player, that I still thought it was plausible for the character to stay even at the point in the game in which we found ourselves. But the player doesn't see it that way--she felt that Ayasha wouldn't stay at this point.

I have offered the player the opportunity to create another character (as offered to Meri), but she has declined.

Having Ayasha play was enjoyable. I found the conflict fascinating (I know of at least one player who expressed the thought the conflict is good for the game). My best wishes to Ayasha, the player, and my offer to create another character still stands.

At this point, I would also like to query all the players to see what the level of interest is to continue the game, after all that has happened.

-------------

Additionally, as Ayasha and Yuma walk away, players are free to have their characters act as they see fit, as always.

Well, when I started talking to the Judge, I said I am okay with this being a guest appearance - and I still am. When Ayasha was basically asked to stay as a captive or to leave as a free woman, I gave it some thought whether or not I could justify her staying. In the end, I could not.

The kind of character I like to play usually does not have a place in a western. That is why I set up Ayasha as she is, and that is why I probably won't make another character. I'm not playing men, and I have no fun playing submissive females. It is more likely in a western to come upon a self-sufficient female indian than an independent white woman, so that was the way to go for me.

Well, sad news, sad news indeed.  Ayasha was an interesting and challenging adversary.  That said, she might have taken a different approach -- she could have tried to stop the attack.  Without trying to rehash or rethink the scenario, Ayasha could have fought against the 'initiation' event with the explanation that the cowboys had not offended or otherwise wronged the Cheyenne.  All that's in the past.

To the future, I think Ayasha (P) has a future for a female on the trail.  The setting is fairly accurate - as accurate as can be expected - but the individual events don't need to be solidly historical.  Female characters can be strong and forceful.  As an idea, neo-Ayasha could be a woman trying to prove something to her family and the male-dominated Chisholm Trail.  Characters don't have to get along to mesh (look back, painfully so, over the 'Jonas Comes Marching Home' saga).

Ayasha, you are a good player and certainly bring a new and refreshing view to the game.  It is terrible to see so many of the players fall to attrition of late.  NPC's are supposed to be ablative, not PC's.  Please, reconsider whether you stay or leave.

Whatever you choose, Randy will keep his word and the word of the judge.  (And if you stay, he'll like it very much.)

Boss Messalen, Randy sure likes the trail.  He's in for the haul.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #200):

Ayasha don't go.  Leave with Yuma and then rejoin us on the trail like Little Moonlight from Josey Wales.  Just show up and tag along.  Then you'll be free and you'll be with the rockingest group of misfits the wild west ever saw..

If it will help make your decision any easier I'll agree to kill the Major in a fit of anger.

Boss Sunday says you're always welcome.

I think if you do proper roleplay, decisions like this kind of make themselves. I have a certain idea of Ayasha in my mind, and that dictates her actions and reactions. The Judge was kind enough to give me a way to stay, but ultimatively Ayasha did not take it. Sometimes it's the little things, and in this case it was the word 'captive' used by Rojas which had me say, Ayasha would never agree to that.

She is 18, proud and headstrong. Some might say stubborn. But regardless of that, I cannot see any woman agreeing to be the captive of a group of men that she does not know, especially not a group of men who are enemies. I am not saying anyone of you would do such a thing, but in reality she would most probably get raped and killed at some point. I would not go anywhere with men I don't know in our time, and Ayasha has even more reasons not to.

I was hoping that since Ayasha has been wounded (she was actually down to -9 HP at one point), and because I had her squirming in pain for quite some time, that this would provoke a compassionate reaction from the players. Only a NSC (Pierre) reacted remotely like that, which in fact surprised me quite a bit. The second fight with Yuma did not help either, but I understand why it happened. I tried to stop it, that did not work.

Thanks for your words, Randy and Travis, there were times when I thought the other players saw me just as a nuisance. It's good to hear that that was not the case. I won't make another character though. I still think there are possibilities for Ayasha in this game. It's up to the Judge to use them, or not. I'm fine with both ways.


Thanks for that, I had a good laugh. ;-)

This all perfectly fine from Ayasha's standpoint. Yet, the cowboys were attacked. In the heat of battle one rarely receives or should expect quarter. The above is also fine in real life & I guess it is okay to play it as such but this also a game. Everyone has to give a little for the sake of keeping the game going. If you really want to know what I think would happen to a group of Indians who attacked a group of cowboys in real life, I doubt they would allow either of them to live. To ride off just to return with more braves... to be attacked again. In that you were both allowed to live was a compassionate reaction from the players (& GM as well).

I am not saying the way you RPed was wrong, you played it the way you saw it as did I. Meri died & Ayasha became a captive, defeated in battle. Could Rojas really have used another word? Those defeated rarely, if ever, get to dictate terms. Just the way I saw it.

I wish you would reconsider & remain with us. I think in time Ayasha could win the grudging respect of the group & become one of them. Yet, only you can decide. Whatever you decide, I wish you good luck & good gaming! Cheers Meri

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #198):

JEB always sees things through to the end. Ask the question again when the cattle drive is done.

In reply to Ayasha (msg #202):

Let me begin by expressing my regret at your early departure from the game. I thought your character contributed an interesting dynamic to the group. While I understand your reluctance to continue, I have to agree with Meri that roleplay is not always the primary concern in conducting a multiplayer game. In this group's own history we came upon an impasse of sorts and rebooted, so to say, in order to carry through to what was in the end a very satisfying conclusion. Ultimately it's an individual decision to participate, but it would be unfortunate to cut short a character with so much promise in this genre.

I have to respectfully disagree with some of your observations on the recent encounter. I felt that JEB expressed compassion for Ayasha within the constraints of his Southern sensibilities when he offered her his coat. Now, Ayasha didn't see it that way which I thought was perfectly within the scope of roleplaying the respective character's cultural tendencies and underscored the possibility for fascinating roleplay of characters from vastly different backgrounds. A nuisance you certainly were not. JEB tried to engage Ayasha in conversation, but she simply turned away after a curt response. Now again, this I thought was how she would realistically react. Building rapport takes time and JEB would have continued establishing a relationship. Consider that the encounter was based on bloody conflict and Ayasha was introduced as an enemy. Also consider that while we've played this encounter for weeks that in game time not a day has passed. Give it time and things will come around.

Greetings SR authors.  Thank you.  Today at work I referenced your detailed histories of Wyatt Earp and the code of the west.  I shamelessly stole some sentences of your copyrighted prose under the fair use act and have given credit.

Thanks again. It's a written document so I won't get any feedback until tomorrow. I'll let you know how it worked out.

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #206):
On behalf of myself and the other SR authors, you're welcome. But I can't stop thinking that your vague message is some kind of code.

I believe I find myself in agreement with everyone.

Ayasha, you were in no way a nuisance. I enjoyed the appearance of another PC into the adventure.

As Meri has already written, one of the odd things about our encounter was your peculiar negotiation strategy, considering you and Yuma were in fact our captives. I believe Cole made that clear during the encounter. However, we are all free to play our characters, as we wish. If Ayasha chose to be bold and dictate terms to her captor's, then so be it!

Also, I am having some trouble understanding your point about playing a strong woman character in the old West. As I recall, in the rule book there are some sample female characters who could not be mistaken as weak or subservient. So, I believe there is room for the kind of character you want to play.

Finally, Jeb makes a good point. We've not even played a full day, in game terms. Perhaps, a bit of time will reveal a set of circumstances that will allow you to find a  way to join us, longer term.

Thank you Meri, JEB and Cole for your kind words. Let me just try to explain once more why Ayasha had to leave at this point from my point of view. It might be hard for men to understand, but if Ayasha had been staying on her own terms, it would already have been a huge compromise on my part. About as often as men think about sex a woman asks herself, if she is going into a situation where she can become a victim. The answer would have to be a definite maybe in this situation. It would have gone against my instincts to stay, but i would have had Ayasha stay. But when it was made clear that she was to be a captive, and her protector (the Major) lost his patience with her, that was not one but a few bridges too far to justify.

I am not sure if I am able to explain this well enough. The choice would probably be, if i try to translate it into a man's terms: Stay with the group, but we will probably torture you to death. Or leave. I don't think any man would pick the first option.

I appreciate that you all would like me to stay in the game as a player. And JEB, I actually forgot about the coat (although Ayasha did not understand the gesture). I would like to keep playing Ayasha, but from what I got from the Judge, it is not looking good at this point. I of course will accept his decision.

"Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."

(Mark another perfect TPB quote installation)

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #210):

Sorry.  I made a post earlier when I got some net access but it didn't take.  I'll repost tonight.

It never was my decision. Ayasha chose to leave. If player wants the PC to return and resume play, the Judge is okay with that; however, there will be in-game issues to resolve (e.g. why would the Major and Rojas allow her to come back?).

I suppose a re-boot could solve that, but as I wrote before, I'm not really keen on that.

In reply to Ayasha (msg #209):

I don't think that Ayasha has grasped a main point of the other PC comments. Or I'm off-base, but either way, I'll say this:

The choice between staying as a captive or going as a free woman was forced by Ayasha's own actions. She was a captive already. Captured in battle (as Meri noted). When the Major gave his word not to harm Yuma, he did so because he didn't want any of his wounded men to die and he thought (rightly) that if they didn't get help quickly they would die (as it happened, PCs made their Fort Saves on their own for the most part and survived, but that might not have been the case--they could have bled out just as easily). He made the bargain with Ayasha--she helps his men, Yuma goes free.

Then, when the Major was upholding his end of the deal, Ayasha started making demands. As others stated, she wasn't in a position to make demands. Rojas spoke of her being a captive because that was already the reality of the situation. From Major Gray's perspective, she pushed him too hard. He was never going to agree to give Yuma a horse. He had no plans to abuse Ayasha--he even guaranteed her safety. But he's not the arguing type. He gave Ayasha a choice--stay or go.

If Ayasha hadn't pushed the Major and Rojas with her demands, that choice probably wouldn't have happened.  I don't question Ayasha's choice, but it seems to me that she put herself in that position. Indeed, the very attack of the Cheyenne on the cowboys put her in a position to be a captive. That was true all along. It was her perception that she wasn't a captive before Rojas used the word.

I can't speak for everyone, not even myself as I seldom know what I'm talking about, but we're not trying to gang up on you, Ayasha.  I imagine it might feel that way, but I'm sure that's not the intention.

Each player seems to be defending a point of view.  That is true, but the point is lost in all of this banter.  All of us have expressed interest in keeping you as a player.  Whether your character be Ayasha or some other female is irrelevant, truly.  You are the focus of the discussion; your continued play is the point.

Everyone has remarked on what a good player you are.  There are no misogynists in this group - player or character.

The reason this debate began is to express an overwhelming desire to keep you in the group.  Your choice is your own, just as the desire is each of ours to have you play.

Collectively, we could design a reason for Ayasha's return.  She wouldn't have to admit any weakness, rather her strength would be key.  Alternately, a newly generated character would be heartily welcome; one whose integration wouldn't require any discussion.

You could even be the object of Travis' affection - a Kobold female in heat with a lasso and Henry.

+-*+-*+-*

Her brow dripping with sweat, Ayasha calls from a nearby hill.  "Yuma is dead!"  As she is unarmed, she approaches the chuck wagon cautiously.  Finding the major in repast, she calls to him and Rojas to speak privately.

"Yuma's death will not fare well for you in this land.  My people will wage vengeance on your men and cattle."  She accepts a ladle of water from the well-mannered Mexican.

"Yes," the trail boss responds in his inimitable way.

"Do you offer us something to stop this?" asks Rojas.

The female Indian brave tells the two men how she could guide the herd on the outskirts of the Cheyenne territory.  "I will help with peaceful talks, if it comes to that."

The two graying men look at one another.  The familiarity of each to the other gives them no reason to actually speak.  "We will take your offer.  The men will know of this and will know your interest in helping.  Keeping you alive will be of great interest for all of us."  The Hispanic gentleman shows warm and relaxed eyes.  "This must be hard for you to give."

"It is," she responds immediately.  "I can't deny the pain I feel.  Your deaths and loss will not serve any good.  Many of my people would certainly die too."  She splashes a little water across her nose and mouth before talking a long pull from the dipper.  "The death must stop."

"Do you need food?" asks Rojas.

Major Gray turns toward his tent and places his hand on the backside of the Mexican's shoulder.  "This is acceptable."  His words fall softly as dandelion seeds on the ground.  They plant themselves on the herd and cowboys, even without their knowing.

+-*+-*+-*

Just an idea.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:19, Wed 05 May 2010.

Hey Ghost of Mr. Smythe.

Not to be ghoulish but are those masterwork or customized Webleys?

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #214):

While creative and entertaining, Randy, such a scenario doesn't fit the framework of the adventure.

This isn't Cheyenne Territory. As was spoken before by both the Major and Meri (while the Judge was playing Meri), these Cheyenne don't belong in Indian Territory in 1871.

That is an important fact.

Now, I'm not averse to a plausible scenario that would foster Ayasha's return. That particular kind of scenario isn't plausible.

My nits have been duly picked!

Call it what you will. The remainder of the adventure is the most interesting part to me, and I'd like to see it through. It is historically based.

In regard to the Last Will and Testament of Meriwether Lewis Smythe:

Now THAT'S roleplaying. The Judge awards one action point to ghost of Mr. Smythe.

Hey there! I have them listed as  Master Work. However, I thought they allowed a +1 to initiative when drawn. I will defer to the Judge on that. Hope you all enjoy! Cheers Meri

That would be a hair trigger, yes.

Good bye to all of you. I hope you keep enjoying the game. Have fun!

The Judge and I did not come to a solution. I made offers which he rejected, and I could not take his offer, maybe because I am too stubborn. Therefore I take my leave.

Good bye!

It is exactly as Ayasha states; neither of us were keen on the other's options.

However, Ayasha seems to think I made only one offer, but I gave three:

1. Bring Ayasha back voluntarily, without me introducing a new encounter.
2. Create a new character.
3. Play one of the NPCs, temporarily.

The player wanted me to arrange a way for the character to rejoin the group as created by some outside influence. I don't have the time, the energy or the inclination to make that work in the game.

Ayasha also seems to think I am angry. I'm not. I was just being honest.

No hard feelings. I left a little going away present on my character page.

None here either. The ambush at the Red River was a fun encounter.

Howdy folks! Jus wandered in n' thought I'd say hello. Guess we'd best be quiet as a funeral is go'n on. See you pards on the trail then. Anybody seen the way that Indian woman went? Hightailed it out eh? Hope ta see ya aroun the campfire Ayasha. That's no bull! I'll swear on my mother's grave.

Travis (the dog) *barks*


Awright! Awright Travis! Maybe I didn't know my Ma none but these here fellers don't be know''n that none!
This message was last edited by the player at 04:29, Fri 07 May 2010.

In reply to Yellow Sanders (msg #226):

So is this a temp or will you overlay your concept unto Yellow.

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #227):

Hey there Travis! For the nice eulogy Meri's ghost would like to give Travis his brand new ghostly Action Point, if the Judge agrees of course. As for Yellow Sanders... well he is starting out as a temp but I may actually like playing him. I will see. He's a lot different than Meri & I suppose I need that. I'll miss Meri but I can not play a Meri clone right now. So I'll play it by ear. Please let me know how I'm doing or if you all do not feel he fits in. Have enjoyed reading all the posts. Maybe Meri will make it into a Recoil supplement... maybe? LOL!  Cheers Meri

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #228):

The judge already APed me for the post mortem.

Looking forward to Yellow.

If Travis doesn't make it.  I'm building a dedicated hero/sawbones with an element of espionage agent.  Sort of a western Maturin from the Patrick OBrien novels.

Also, don't the heroes gain one point of grit per lever per night of rest?  So, Randy would regain seven points for he eight hours of sleep.  Is that the case?

Yes, p228, characters recover 1 point per character level with 8 hours of sleep. However, Randy's math needs work.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #231):

I will assume injury treatment for myself and horse.

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #232):

What do you mean by that statement, Travis?

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #233):

I will assume I seek help from someone to treat injury and roll 1-4 for extra grit every day.

You may assume treatment each night from Pierre, that's fine, unless I state otherwise for a given day. He has seven people to treat, which can take more than two hours each night. If anything occurs during the day or night to shorten his available time, that could change what he might be able to do to help.

Please coordinate your healing of your mounts with Cole, who is seeing to the remuda and General Washington.

http://verydemotivational.com/...nal-posters-re-roll/

Fellas, as Cole is taking care of the horses, I need to know how much damage each of your mounts have taken. So, when you find a moment, please pass that along to me.

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg #237):

None for Diablo.

Randy's Fanny didn't get pinched.

In reply to Cole Trayne (msg #237):

Horse is down 9.

Based on some die rolls and PMs, there seems to be some confusion about the time for traveling/heailng. I don't want to overcomplicate this, as most heroes and the mounts are up to full grit by now, but at least one PC and NPC aren't back to full grit yet so I will recap.

It has been 4 full days moving the herd and today is the 5th day--the Major's question to Cole happens on the 5th day of travel since the ambush at the Red River. Because everyone had done one day of healing already, I noted "three more days of healing" in the OOC for msg 591. So you should have made 4d4 total for Restore Grit, plus, whatever anyone might have regained the day of the ambush (I know some PCs were at 1 max that day).

Technically, the 5th night of sleep has occurred, so upon waking the heroes get their 5th day of natural healing. Pierre's work happens in the evening, so in a case like this moment in the late afternoon, the heroes haven't been treated for RG for the 5th day. It is 46th day out of San Antone--although most of the cowboys have lost track, knowing only that they are roughly half-way.

I asked Cole to keep track of the horses, and wanted you all to keep track of hero grit, in order to provide some feel for how long it takes to recover from a gun battle and to provide another opportunity to handle more of the game mechanics. Heroes of your level respond decently with natural healing, but if you hadn't had two fellers with Treat Injury skill, this could have taken longer. Rather than the Judge doing all the math, I wanted to advance the in-game narrative at the same pace as usual for this stretch, working in the healing time while resuming the drive. And again, a couple of cowboys still aren't up to snuff yet (at least by their own standards, I reckon), so healing time still matters.

True, I think to a measure, though.  I understand the TI:RG skill:sub-skill may be performed untrained.  Furthermore, I believe any character may take 20 to make the skill role against the DC 15.  Having that said, each of us can have our character treat the wound(s).  The only issue is the supply in the medical kit.

I'm aware this doesn't hold true for all sub-skills of Treat Injury.  In this case, however, as each of us are fully upright, we don't require the attention of trained medics.

I think I'm correct.  I read the skill a few times to be certain, but as I've stated many times before, I'm not likely to know what I'm talking about.

I only mention this to properly place the onus on us, the players, to keep track of grit and lift the responsibility off Cole, as the only player with TI.

I agree with everything Randy wrote. For once, he got it all correct.

I have been thinking about dis-allowing a Take 20 on the TI skill if the character doesn't have training.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #243):

To dis-allow would make a lot of sense.  Also, there could exist a chance for infection, either with training or not.  Or perhaps, handicap the un-trained check with a d100 chance for infection linked to INT.  That would make life on the trail lots of fun!!!

edit: added words in itals
This message was last edited by the player at 21:39, Mon 17 May 2010.

I already thought take 20 could only be used with trained skills.

No, technically, a feller could Take 20 in an untrained skill, assuming the other conditions applied. Taking 20 requires time and lack of distraction. A Judge could easily rule that a character without training couldn't avoid distraction during the time it would take to do the job right.

In this game, I have ruled already that Taking 20 with RG requires 20 minutes, as Cole knows. So dis-allowing the Take 20 for TI seems reasonable on that basis alone.

BTW, for TI:RG, it would be -5 to attempt on oneself. A character with a negative wisdom modifier and no training in TI would fail the RG even when Taking 20. So time and coordination would be at a premium to effect healing without cowboys trained in TI--not to mention the availability of a medical kit.

JM, what side(s) are the remuda and chuck wagon located on this particular day?  What is your formula? I'll note it in my ScratchPad.

I don't have a formula. The remuda is on one side or the other any given day. At the Red River, the Judge gave Randy a choice, if I recall. Feel free to keep track yourself.

I'm thinking even/odd (or even oddly, which describes how I think most of the time).  On even numbered days on the trail, the remuda rides to the right.  For example, the remuda is on the left side of the herd on day 47.  On days that end in zero, I'll consider that an even day.

Is that cool?  What trail-day is this?

I'm out of town until Sunday night.  I'll try and post if I can.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #249):

Randy, I posted the day number in the narrative. I'm fine with you deciding on which side the horses travel any given day.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #251):

I'm traveling from 5/22 - 5/27 and not sure about connectivity since I'll be out of the country. JM, please handle JEB as appropriate or assign a PC proxy during that time.

As we have a couple of characters out for a few days, we could take a brief hiatus for the weekend.

If JEB is the only one out of pocket during those days next week, we'll work that out with either the Judge or a player proxy.

Thanks for the heads-up, guys.

Hey there! I will be out of town until Sunday night. I may or may not have access. So Npc Yellow if needed. Hope everyone has great weekend. Cheers Meri/ Yellow

Mash-up? -- Mellow?

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #255):

Meow?

Again, as we now have 3 players unavailable this weekend, we can can a brief break from the 24-hour posting. I won't move beyond the current situation--although anyone who is logging in may continue to converse, roleplay, take actions at the current camp, etc. We'll resume 24-hour posting on Monday.

Behold

JEB should return soon. Giving a little time to complete the current conversation, as there is still a question of tactics raised by PCs and pending by PCs (Travis has addressed Cole's question in-game) and because I want JEB to have a chance to chime in on this night's conversation around the campfire. One more RL day spent at the camp outside the Chickasaw village should suffice and then we will move the plot forward.

No rush no worries Judge! Cheers Meri

Since this this is Memorial Day weekend, should we take it slow 'til next week?  I, for one, will be around and available for posting.

If people are out-of-pocket, we can take it slow. But I think we can move on at our regular pace over the weekend.

Picking up on a thread I introduced on a private message so any other Doctor Who fans can join in.

I thought the Regeneration was very well done.  I like that he wrapped things up with his companions.  The lottery ticket was particularly funny.

I really enjoyed his anger at the foreknowledge of his sacrifice.  Nicely written.  I like the Masters final scene.  Also good writing.

I have not seen the new Doctor but I have DVRed all the episodes and will catch up when I can.

As most of you know, I've been a Doctor Who fan for a long time. I even had lunch and beers with one of the actors who played the doctor (more than 10 years ago, now, it occurs to me).

I thoroughly enjoyed the David Tennant years. I thought his regeneration episode was the best one so far. I also enjoyed the animated Dreamland story the BBC made with Tennant. Anyone seen that?

This part of the adventure requires simultaneous in-game and out-of-character discussion.

The PC ideas were all plausible.

Randy's would be a little too complicated.

JEB and Travis essentially posed the same idea: send an advance team. The difference was in the approach.

The bosses favor sending an advance team. The question is who goes?

PC-wise, the Judge wants any PC who wants to go, to go.

NPC-wise, the trail bosses wouldn't have picked the 5 PCs playing right now. Yellow himself has said he's a wrangler, not an adventurer. Cole is the top hand. If one of trail bosses were to go (their preference), then Cole would be needed with the herd.

So we need to decide as a group what everyone wants to do. I'd rather not split the PC group into two--even though there would be adventure in either direction. The next planned stop was Wichita, a wild and wooly town that we could have done another night in town episode. If a team goes, it could be after Wichita, but my interpretation of Travis and JEB's ideas was that they wanted as much of a head start as possible.

So, discuss.

Hey there! I really don't mind going, I just thought Yellow being a cowpoke would be better with the herd. Now if you do not want to split the group we can just say he's with the herd & I can bow out for now & let the other Pc's go if that would be easier on you. I could just read along to keep up. In this way Cole/ Randy could go to represent the Major etc as top hands. Travis & Jeb would be the best back up. What do you all think? Just a thought. Cheers Yellow

There's no reason to bow out, Merello (no reason for any character to bow out). I'm looking for a group decision, by the gamers and logical within the game.

Well I think having Representatives from the outfit like Cole & Randy going along with the adventure types (Travis/ Jeb) is logical. Cole also did some venturing too but has not been on as many drives as Randy most like. Beside Randy is intimidating. It would make sense to me to send these four. Yellow being a Cowboy would not really bring anything to the table either IMO. This way the group is not too small or too big. Just my two cents. Cheers Meri

Meri rolls his eyes *Merello indeed!*
This message was last edited by the player at 14:29, Sat 05 June 2010.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #265):

The PC group should remain together for concise roleplay and I don't think it's too much of a stretch to find justification. All PCs or NPCs with military training should constitute the advance party regardless of current profession (i.e. Cole) and it's always good to have a big intimidating fella in your posse. I don't recall Yellow's backstory if it's been mentioned, but perhaps some military experience could be inserted. It makes sense a trail boss should go to ensure the advance party stays within the NBO agenda.

I agree that we should keep the PC party intact (as I said, I really don't want to split up the PCs--unless PCs have a strong desire to do so). But in-game, that is less-than-logical.

If the Major or Rojas were to go, they would want Cole to stay with the herd. But they also know that Cole would be valuable to the advance party. Not having either of them go is problematic, just as JEB indicated.

We could easily make it plausible for Yellow to go with the advance party. Justifying Randy's presence is easy as pie.

If everyone wants to go, and likes the idea of the advance party, the simplest game solution is to have the 5 PCs (including Yellow) go. I'm fine with that. We just need to make it logical within the game. I'm looking for help from the PCs (in character) to make that happen, because for the two trail bosses, suggesting that course of action isn't logical (in the Judge's view, based on how the Judge has developed the characters of Major Gray and Rojas).

You all need to help me make that work, in game.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #270):

As far as timing is concerned on the advance party scenario, I think it can occur after Wichita. Roleplaying a town encounter would be a welcome diversion from all the lead and blood we've been goin through lately. Agreed?
This message was last edited by the player at 01:41, Sun 06 June 2010.

The Judge can make it work before or after Wichita.

Seeing some slippage on the 24-hour rule. Not a big deal; however, there has been some valuable conversation going on and the Judge is reluctant to move forward without some closure in that in-game discussion. My view at the moment is that there could be PC responses to recent PC and NPC postings, so I'm on hold, temporarily.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #273):

I interpreted the flow of conversation to end with the ball in Major Gray's/Rojas' court to decide who constitutes the advance party. Rojas indicated he and the Major must decide who goes, then asked JEB a question. JEB responded and Major Gray acknowledged. The exchange between Rojas and Travis seemed a side conversation. Nonetheless, JEB will interject to move things along.

I wasn't speaking specifically of JEB. I understand what you mean, but indeed as there were multiple conversations--one's man's aside might be another man's main point--I didn't consider things ready to move forward, yet. Still don't.

Randy is, well, ... Randy!  Nobody's told him to have an opinion, so he dutifully has no opinion.

If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #277):

I will choose freewill.

Hey everyone! I have been real busy of late but I also think Yellow will either go or stay when the Major says so. He's been a hand for some time now & would not say more than what he has already said. Which was I'll be happy to go or stay. Cheers Mellow

Merello, I knew about your schedule, as you had given me a heads-up. As always, temporary absences because of RL are understood. I appreciate the fore-warning. In this case, I didn't want to move forward until all of the PCs had at least logged in to see what was transpiring and have an opportunity to participate. As I stated in this OOC forum, I felt it was necessary to come to a group agreement in-game and out-of-game.

The Judge is satisfied now and the game posts have advanced.

We will move forward to Wichita soon. Giving at least until 6/11 at noon eastern for PCs to post any remaining conversation, narration or action before we advance.

Will be gone for a week starting tomorrow. If it all works out, I will have internet access but I can not guarantee it. So if not just Npc Meri... I mean Yellow as you like. Take good care all! Cheers Meri

If you can join in, amigo, that's fine. If not, Yellow will tag along. The time in Wichita will take more than a week RL to play out, I reckon. Even if it took only a week, you would miss the town episode, but not the trail to Abilene episode.

I'll be happy to roleplay Yellow during tense negotiations.  What could possibly go wrong?

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #284):

Oh, I don't know, perhaps you'll start something else inappropriate.

Well I shall save you the trouble old chap. I have internet but we arrived late & I will be posting tomorrow. Cheers Meri

The Judge is waiting for a few PM responses. We can start with some conversation.

I'll be traveling in the next few days. I expect to log in and keep things moving at least once per day, but my frequency will be less than usual.

No Rush & no worries. Be safe! Cheers Meri

Hey all! I will be off & on for a while with my posts. I went to Hospital yesterday in extreme pain. They found I have kidney stones. So with the pain & pain meds I can not promise daily posts. Cheers Meri

Sorry to hear about the kidney stones, my friend. Take care of yourself. I appreciate the notice--post when you can and we'll handle Yellow as required.

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #290):

I hope everything comes out OK.

Pun intended.

Get well soon.

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #290):

Take care of yourself and get better soon!

Merillow,

I hope this is just a passing phase.

I'm sorry to be the one to ask this, but ask it I must:  Would it be best if Yellow didn't make the rest of the trip and let Gray go instead?

Thanks everyone! It has been rough couple of days. It would be fine if Yellow sits out this one. Enjoy everyone & thanks again for the well wishes. Cheers Meri

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #295):

I hope you make it back soon. Get better.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #294):

I think the agreement that has already been reached by the Judge and Meri/Yellow is fine, as stated.

So the characters are going in different directions. Everyone needs to keep up so we can play that out effectively.

Does anyone care to play his section privately? I don't see the need.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #298):

Public is fine.

Public is good.  Otherwise, we'd have to recount everything and relay it to everyone else.  Speed/ease of play prevails.

In reply to Randy Oldman (msg #300):

Public, like my intoxication.

Public works for me, as well.

Public works for me too!

I will be having surgery tomorrow morning. I do not know how I will be feeling for the next few days. So please feel free to Npc me to move the story along. Much thanks Yellow

PS Appreciate your thoughts & prayers pards!

As Yellow is paired with Cole for this scene, Cole should play Yellow as required.

Best wishes on your surgery.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #304):

I've got Yellow covered.

Good luck with your surgery, Mellow!

In reply to Yellow Sanders (msg #303):

Best wishes pard

In reply to Yellow Sanders (msg #303):

Best wishes, amigo.

I had surgery this morning & it went well. I am still a little groggy. I want to thank you all for your prayers & good thoughts! I shall post tomorrow. Cheers Meri

Excellent news. Get some rest, sir.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg #309):

I will post tonight.  I need to read up on streetwise skill.

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #308):

Good news, indeed.

Looking forward to your return.

Joint post from Chance Osterfeld and Randy Oldman.

In reply to Meriwether Lewis Smythe (msg #308):

Fantastic to know everything went swell.  At least it's good to know there were no plumlications.  I hope you aren't prostrate for very long.  It won't be long until you're back in the flow of things.  I'm glad to know urethra fine.

For now, piss off!

LOLZ

seriously, glad there weren't issues beyond the expected  --  be glad you didn't have a doctor named 'Chance'!  or 'Randy' for that fact!1!  'Lucky Schnipper' won't be very good either.  'Fumble McHandless' would be a concern as well.  don't mention 'Juan Thickfingier'!

is it a comfort to know one entire game happened at Wimbledon around you procedure?  do you think the anesthesia was more than needed?

Randy, you shouldn't post while intoxicated.

Sorry Amigos I thought I could sneak some posts in.  My brother got married and my internet went down.  I was able to log on quickly between meetings at work but we don't have internet access at my desk or in my building so it was a difficult few days.

In reply to Travis Sunday (msg #314):

Married? Tell him I said "Congratulations"!