Waiting on a post from Galadel

I probably should have specified 'come within melee range'. :( Still we're fighting now.

Opps, sorry Saliq, Gal's range is pretty long distance :-(.

BTW folks don't forget your Hero Points, I just used one to "save" my bacon, at least for one more round.

Nice shootin', Tex!

I would've used hero points to avoid this, but I already did that earlier and we're limited to one use per encounter.

Miss the naga three times, hit you twice . . . agh!

Does firing at the naga risk hitting Ben or Rath?

I think there might be convoluted rules for such things buried somewhere in the DMG, but I generally don't worry about such things.

The bigger issue is Inas has no line of sight to the Naga right now as he is in a different cavern, 30 feet below the crevice which leads 15 feet up into a cavern above the golden pillar room.

Yes, I can see how that would be an issue.

BTW boss, I think we're needing a new OOC thread soon.  Pushing up against the 1,000 post limit.

Congrats everyone! You have successfully defeated a very difficult foe, captured the stolen sun disks, freed the three members of the Order of the Invincible Sun, and happened upon a sizable hoard of treasure as well!

Congratulations again on defeating Pserkipsis the Guardian Naga and recovering the Sun Disks and missing Order members

This was a difficult encounter and you played your characters very well navigating through it. Nicely done.

***

Four years ago, I got a wild idea to return to 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the very first RPG I ever played. At that time, I had not played 1st edition AD&D for 23 years and had no idea how it would hold up, but the call of nostalgia was very strong and I wanted to give it a go. More than anything though, I wanted to run a game that was easier on the DM side, as I had been running 4th edition D&D games at the time and combat posts were taking a very long time to resolve.

This game was conceived essentially as a one-shot. A simple dungeon delve to plunder some treasure from some crazed Demon-worshipping Goblins beneath a grungy coastal city in the vein of Sanctuary (Thieves World), Sharn (Eberron), Lankhmar (Newhon), Greyhawk City, Waterdeep (Forgotten Realms) and Mos Eisley (Star Wars). I spent a couple of days fleshing out some basic setting details, but left most of it a blank canvas, figuring more specific details were not needed for what I had in mind.

During that first adventure, The Gaping Maw, the players helped flesh out many new details and the city began to take on a life far beyond what was described in the setting primer. This shared world-building continued with each subsequent adventure and has resulted in a pretty interesting setting to host adventures.

Over the past four years, we've explored the bowels of Stormhaven to root out pockets of evil, battled a dying Lizardfolk tribe holed up in an ancient ziggurat, waged an epic siege against a Demon Lord operating out of a ruined castle, hunted and exterminated a Vampire, and defeated a spell-wielding Naga.

We've seen lowly 1st level characters rise all the way up to 6th-9th level over the past four years, quite an impressive feat for any game, and even more so in a PbP. As most of you are aware, it is quite rare for PbP to last beyond character generation, let alone the first encounter.

During these past four years you have breathed life into a simply sketched homebrew campaign setting and I have enjoyed facilitating this game. As with all play-by-post games, there have been lulls here or there brought on by real life stuff (holidays, family visits, vacations, illness, school, promotion testing, business trips, etc.), but we always found a way to return to Stormhaven once life's rigors have settled down.

There have been many memorable game moments for me over the years, but more than anything else I have enjoyed gaming with you and serving as your DM. You are all excellent players and you have given me inspiration to keep this game going and to match the creativity and characterization you each brought to the game.

Speaking of story, we have now concluded another adventure. Your characters will return to Stormhaven and be heralded as heroes by the High Priest of Pelor and the Lord Mayor Eradan Thyrandas. Surely there will be much feasting and revelry as your characters have a chance to hobnob with the movers and shakers of the city. Your characters are now some of the most powerful individuals in the city, surpassed only by a select few Guildmasters, Clerics and Lords.

***

I like to end campaigns on a high note and I think that time is now. This is always a tricky proposition. Due to the extremely high mortality rate of PbP games, the tendency is to want to keep "successful" games going for as long as possible (by successful I mean games that do not crash and burn during or right after character generation). The problem with this approach is games eventually run out of steam and then you are left with the proposition of an unsatisfying conclusion when a game stalls out.

I know all of you want this game to continue, but I have reached the point where my desire to flesh out new adventures and take this game to the next level, beyond simple smash and grab dungeon crawls, to make that happen just isn't there. Additionally, I don't think PbP is the right format to facilitate the types of adventures that make sense for characters approaching "name" level.

I prefer to go out on as high of a note as possible and for that reason, I am going to work up concluding post and bring this game to a close.

Again, thanks for everything. Bravo and well done, all!

Wow, that sucks, but I guess it makes sense. It's been a blast, no doubt the best RPoL game I've been in to date, as a player or a GM.

I guess the real question for me is, are you simply tired of GMing, or are you, like me as a GM, happier with the lower levels. Would you be interested in keeping the fleshed out world and starting with new first level characters, or do you want a break from this business all together?

Not sure about anyone else, but I like the party, the world, and the GM (the dice roller, not so much) I'd be willing to take a week or two break and start over.

Either way, thanks for the fun to you, and the others!

Thank you, Shane. This was a great game, and I didn't think we'd revive it after the ghast fiasco. That we did says a lot about the group and the DM.

Ben, I'll certainly be looking for a new game, with this group or another. Perhaps we'll run into each other again.

I already miss you guys!

My son wants to know how many XP we got for killing the naga.

Good question, I'm curious too... oh, and meaningless paperwork point, I'm eighth level, not seventh. I had hoped to reach quadruple back-stab damage, but considering how bad I was at that, it would have probably never come into play.

Hey Saliq, you gonna marry my sister?

Thanks for the kind words.

My decision to end this campaign is due to the reasons I listed, in addition to those you suggested above. I recently wrapped up several games I had been running:

Face-to-face Castles & Crusades game in epic fashion (party laying siege to a castle to depose the evil tyrannical baron)

The Other Stormhaven PbP I had been running here for the last 4 years concluded with the party defeating their long-time nemesis, a Sea Hag, before she hatched a plan to cause havoc in he city.

So yes, definitely some DM fatigue involved and also the fact I generally prefer lower level games (3-5 is the sweet spot as far as I am concerned). The fact this game lived to see 7-9th level characters is truly astonishing given my track record as a DM. I have only have one game in 31 years or do this where the campaign saw characters reach higher levels than these.

I do still have one active game. The most I ever ran was four at a time (completely crazy!). It will be hard for me to completely step away from PbP: I definitely enjoy it.

Thanks right back at you for sticking with it!

The ghast fiasco was a bit of a situation, wasn't it? Imagine poor Eagle's horror when he returned only to find all his companions in such a state!

Still, we bounced back, after a couple of missteps with those also-ran newbie characters :)

11,000 XP for the Naga and the charmed Order members.

That's cool your son has been following Rath's exploits! My wife and kids are kept abreast of what goes on in our games as well. Sometimes by my volunteering of information, but more frequently by them asking, "So, what's new in your play-by-posts..." :)

If someone wanted to run a game with this party, would you be interested to join us as a player? Wouldn't have to be in this city, just curious.

We could even post in the DM wanted thread, I would imagine if even most of us wanted to continue as a party, an ad saying 'party of five looking for a DM' would be pretty unusual...

Thanks for keeping me honest all these years! ;)

I just edited it for posterity's sake. It now reflects correctly.

BTW, Saliq earned enough for 8th level (hurray!), and both Inas and Galadel leveled up as well.

Huzzah!

I wonder if the party as is would like to advertise for a GM who likes higher level adventures...

I am very gun shy and selective when it comes to joining PbP games. I have to know the DM is somebody who will stick around before I even think about clicking the RTJ button. As I have said before, The Halls of RPoL are littered with the ghosts of stillborn games and I am doing my best to not populate their ranks with new orphans :)

I would gladly offer this game up to anyone who wanted to take it on. I have no ownership issues associated with the game. This is/was our game and I never viewed as a sole intellectual property.

Just let me know what you guys want to do.

:)

Hopefully we will get some feed back on both or either options soon.

I've never abandoned a game, but I'm running three right now, not counting a diplomacy game, and I'm loath to add another.

Wow, I can't say I expected this to be our last adventure but I do understand your reasons DM Storm. Thanks for the wonderful ride and thank you other players I think we really created something here. :)

Great to see Saliq reach eight level - I'll have to write up an epilogue for him, and yes Be I might mention your sister there!

I'd be happy to continue adventuring with the party if that is possible.

As a latecomer who inherited Inas, I have to say that the only thing more fun than playing was going back and reading the parties' exploits.  It read the same way that I imagine all of the epic adventures of my D&Ding youth.

I understand wanting to step out, and admire a person who recognizes the time is near as opposed to slogging forward just for the sake of doing so.

I studiously avoid placing demands on GMs because I view them as creating something for me.  However, if I can bluntly express the sentiments of my companions:

You are not permitted to start another game without giving us the right of first refusal.

And as for my fellow travelers, if we can arrange for a new caretaker/GM I am game (no pun intended) but I fear it may be a vain attempt at capturing past glory.

Yeah. I had a feeling my decision to wrap up this game might be come as a bit of a surprise. Definitely did not arrive at this decision without giving it considerable amount of thought. It was a fun game, for sure.

Not sure if any of you are R.E.M. fans, but I remember when the band announced they were calling it quits, Mike Mills (REMs bassist) said, "The skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave."

That quote resonated with me and has guided my decision to end PbPs, not just this one, before it gets to the point where I am just keeping a game going to keep a game going. If that makes sense?

At any rate, definitely will support whatever decision you guys come to with regards to what happens to your characters next.