This thread exists for out-of-character discussions, preferably those involving the game.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 1):

I'm not really familiar with RPOL.  Is it possible to post via Email?

Not that I'm aware of. I believe you will need to come to RPOL to post. Will that be problematic?

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 3):

Nope, turns out I can post from the browser on my smartphone :)

I'm very enthusiastic about playing this game, and in the meantime I thought I'd spark some conversation.

So I read some stuff online about a 3rd edition of FS, under Redbrick. That a beta version of that new 3rd ed system is floating around the net. And that it all got scrapped. But that Redbrick still intended to release a 3rd edition for Gencon (which I assume means this August).

Anyone have anything more they can tell me about all this? Specifically, what we can expect from this 3rd edition?

Obviously our GM has modified the 2nd edition. You folks have any opinions on changes that should be made to the 2nd edition rules?

In reply to Kidhido'on (msg # 5):

All I can offer is community speculation.  With all of the work of the old author being scrapped, and the timeframe till gencon, most of the community seems to expect a reheated version of 2e with limited changes.

In reply to Kidhido'on (msg # 5):

If you have the time & patience, you can read through this thread over on rpg.net to get an idea of what's up with the 3rd edition:

http://forum.rpg.net/showthrea...rd-Edition-cancelled

People's character concepts are really developing well. We're going to have quite a colorful party for this Epic and I can already see a great deal of intriguing roleplaying potential for the PC's being created.

Baron, lurker, LaserEye and eskatonic - I'll work with you to complete your characters as soon as time allows

Dalewarrior and Yuber Okami - waiting on your responses

mrstrange, Camojoe and Dagretto - waiting on your character details

friarjohn00, MILLANDSON and ucat - waiting on character concepts from you

Exile - haven't heard anything from you yet

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 8):

Loren, I sent you my character creation details in the weekend by private mail; didn't you get them?

I got them and I responded in your private thread.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 10):

Just sent my first shot !

Ducking wildly...

Update on everyone's progress with character creation (for the sake of keeping the group informed of the overall rate of progression):

Baron and lurker - virtually finished with character creation; I'll follow up with each of you later this evening.

LaserEye, eskatonic, mrstrange and ucat - in progress; I'll work with each of you later this evening to get your characters further along toward completion.

Dalewarrior and Yuber Okami - waiting on your responses in your threads.

Camojoe and Dagretto - waiting on your character details.

friarjohn00 and MILLANDSON - waiting on character concepts from you.

Exile - still haven't heard anything from you yet.


So all in all, 13 total players, 6 of whom are making steady progress with character creation, and waiting on the other 7 regarding their concepts/character details. I won't hold up those players who finish their characters before others though. I'll most likely begin the game in some sort of capacity as soon as at least 3 of you have finished your characters, depending on how dependent they are on other PC's being ready (such as cohorts traveling in a Questing Knight's or noble's personal entourage).
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:54, Tue 03 July 2012.

Unfortunately, Camojoe has informed me that real life is becoming too hectic for him to commit reliably to this game at this time, so he will be holding off on character creation for the time being, but will still be following the action and will remain here in an OOC fashion. This means there is currently not a Decados noble in the collection of character concepts being formed.

Baron and lurker - in all likelihood, your characters will be finished by today.

LaserEye, eskatonic, mrstrange and ucat - I'll work with each of you today as time allows.

Dalewarrior and Yuber Okami - waiting on responses from you in your threads.

Dagretto and MILLANDSON - waiting on your character details.

friarjohn00 - waiting on a character concept from you.

Exile - still haven't heard anything from you yet.

Update:

Baron's and lurker's characters are finished and ready for action.

LaserEye, eskatonic, mrstrange and ucat - apologies for the delay, I should be able to focus more on your character submissions now that Baron's and lurker's are completed.

Dalewarrior, Yuber Okami, Dagretto, MILLANDSON, friarjohn00 and Exile - waiting on responses/character details/concepts from you guys.

I'm curious, how is this campaign going to run?  We have a very large group, with nobles that don't usually work together.

It's all going to depend on your character concepts. You may not all begin in the same group and individual motives for sticking together may vary. Plus, as of now only half of you have actually submitted characters (with 2 of you now finished), so the final composition of the party is not yet clear. But I'll do my best to work something out to bind you together in the long run. Of course, it definitely helps if players select concepts that work easily in a group together and complement one another.

Sent in my character details now - sorry for the delay!

Update:

LaserEye, mrstrange and ucat are making quick progress toward completing their characters, with LaserEye almost finished, mrstrange not too far from being done and ucat progressing steadily.

MILLANDSON - sorry I haven't had time to get to you yet, I'll endeavor to rectify that this weekend.

eskatonic - waiting on your response in your thread.

Yuber Okami - waiting on your response, either in your thread or if you'd like, you can air your character ideas in the Concepts thread to get other players' input.

Dalewarrior - still waiting on your second draft.

Dagretto - waiting on your character details (note that there is now both a Decados character in the works and a Hawkwood Questing Knight submitted, in case that influences your concept).

friarjohn00 - haven't seen a character concept from you yet. Still with us?

Exile - haven't seen any activity from you since you joined. Are you going to be participating?

Update:

LaserEye - virtually finished with character creation, I expect he'll be done by the end of today if not sooner.

mrstrange - getting close to being finished with his character.

ucat - progressing steadily.

eskatonic, MILLANDSON and Yuber Okami - waiting on your responses.

Dalewarrior - still waiting on your second draft.

Dagretto - still waiting on your character details.

friarjohn00 - still waiting on a character concept from you.

Exile - have yet to see any activity from you since you joined.


In the meantime, I don't want Baron and lurker to get bored waiting on others to finish their characters, so I'm going to propose something both to occupy the two of you and to provide some extra flavor for the game's story-arc:

Provided each of you are interested, I will open personal IC threads for both of you in which you can freely narrate excerpts of your past experiences (for instance, flashbacks of Shik's past on Ungavorox with his tribe-mates, his civilization process, his training/experiences/missions with his Vorox Commando unit, etc., and Kidhido'on's experiences on Grail or whilst training in the Academy or serving during the Emperor Wars, and so on). These threads can either be made public for all the other players to see (as strictly OOC reading, not IC knowledge unless you state otherwise) and gain some insight into your characters, or private if you want to keep these scenes between you and me.

Style-wise, these excerpts of past experiences/adventures would somewhat resemble the italicized flavor text sprinkled throughout the FS sourcebooks (such as the various exploits of Alustro and co.). They would be selected snippets of your characters' pasts, short pieces and flashbacks meant to highlight some of your characters' more memorable moments, turning points in their lives or meaningful events which helped shape who they have become. Past-tense, third-person narratives that could have been taken from a novel written about the characters' lives up to the present time. You could even write them in the style of present-tense, first-person character-authored diaries and correspondences akin to Alustro's journals and letters if you preferred.

Now, in observance of this extra character development on your parts, I would consider awarding you bonus experience that could be spent prior to the game's start - i.e. extra pts to add to your character sheets as desired. The more quality writing you put forth and the more you invest into making your characters seem like believable, living, breathing, real people with real identities and souls, the higher the bonus experience I'd be willing to award. For the most part, this would last only until gameplay begins, but I'd be willing to allow you to continue your narratives alongside the present action if you found it enjoyable.

Let me know if you're each interested in doing this.

Sure, I'll give it a whirl. Public thread, to be considered OOC knowledge.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 20):

I'm game but it may take me a bit to come up with anything I feel would be worthy of posting.

Update:

LaserEye - virtually finished with character creation.
mrstrange - close to finishing.
ucat - catching up quickly.
MILLANDSON - progressing steadily.
eskatonic - still waiting on your response.
Yuber Okami - currently discussing his character idea in the Concepts thread.
Dalewarrior - still waiting on your second draft.
Dagretto - still waiting on your character details.
friarjohn00 - still waiting on a character concept from you.
Exile - still have yet to see any activity from you since you joined.

I am afraid I am going to have to bow out of the game.  My life just got a whole lot more complicated in the last week...

Good luck to all of you!

Cheers,

Brian (eskatonic)

Understood, Brian, thanks for letting us know and good luck with everything. If your situation changes at some point in the future, don't hesitate to come back and rejoin us. :) It's always possible to work new characters into an Epic in progress.

Dalewarrior has also informed me that he won't be able to participate, so as of now we have a total of 10 players.

Brian, I hope the good luck you share also reaches you. Also hopefully the complications that your life has received are good ones in the long run.

Update:

LaserEye - just about done with character creation.
mrstrange and ucat - both close to finishing.
MILLANDSON - about halfway done.
Yuber Okami and Dagretto - waiting on your character details.
friarjohn00 - still waiting on a character concept from you.
Exile - still have yet to see any activity from you since you joined.

Update:

LaserEye - finished with character creation.
mrstrange - close to finishing; I'll work with you this evening to get you further along and discuss ideas.
ucat - close to finishing.
MILLANDSON - about halfway done.
Yuber Okami - starting character creation; I'll work with you this evening as time allows.
Dagretto - still waiting on your character details.
friarjohn00 - still waiting on a character concept from you.
Exile - still have yet to see any activity from you since you joined.

David and Shik, now that David's character is finalized, I can open a thread for the two of you to play out some of your characters' past experiences together - if you're both interested. Also, as soon as mrstrange is finished with his character, I believe I will start the game and work other characters in as the story progresses along.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 29):

Sounds like a good idea.

Update:

mrstrange and ucat - close to finishing.
MILLANDSON - about halfway done.
Yuber Okami - starting character creation.
Dagretto, friarjohn00 and Exile - still waiting on character concepts/signs of activity.

Update:

ucat - very close to finishing; I'll respond to your message as soon as time allows.
mrstrange - pretty close to finishing, working out inter-character background ties.
MILLANDSON - about halfway done; currently waiting on your response.
Yuber Okami - starting character creation; currently waiting on your response.
Dagretto, friarjohn00 and Exile - still waiting on character concepts/signs of participation.

Kidhido'on, are you still planning on writing something in the thread I opened for you?

If time allows.

I haven't seen any posts for a while...

We're still here. I wouldn't object to more of your narrative. getting a beer with the guys leading to Captain Kidhido'on pilot and/or commander of his own Charioteer guild owned ship.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:08, Tue 17 July 2012.

Sorry for not posting an update recently, I was busy over the weekend and now catching up responding to private messages. I'm currently working out character details with ucat, mrstrange and Yuber Okami. Still waiting on a response from MILLANDSON.

I may have time to write more tonight. Just worried that something was wrong

Nope, everything is going smoothly. I expect both ucat and mrstrange to be finished with their characters very soon, and the game will begin at that time (I can work MILLANDSON's and Yuber Okami's characters into the plot later if they haven't finished by then). In the meantime, I'm enjoying the narratives from Shik, David and Kidh - keep it up! :)

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 38):

+1 here for the cool posts being writen up. They give some nice light on the characters :-)

Update:

ucat and mrstrange - just about finished; working out background details
MILLANDSON - not far from done, could conceivably be finished at the same time as ucat and mrstrange at this rate
Yuber Okami - in beginning stages of character creation but moving forward
Dagretto, friarjohn00 and Exile - assuming non-participation until I receive notice to the contrary

I'll be away from my computer this evening, but I plan to work with each of you over the weekend to get your characters ready for action. As stated previously, as soon as mrstrange's character is finished (since he is tied to Sir David), I plan to start the game. I thank everyone - both those who have finished their characters and are waiting on others, and those who are still working toward finishing their characters - for their continued patience. Once characters are finished it will be smooth sailing, and I already have a lot in store for all of you, based on each of your backgrounds.

Update:

ucat and mrstrange - applying finishing touches/working out background details
MILLANDSON - close to finishing
Yuber Okami - in beginning of character creation
Vasuvik - deciding on character concept

I'm considering implementing a slight tweak to my system and I'd like to get people's take on it. Currently my Experience system functions by rewarding players for high success ratings on skill checks (in addition to other sources of XP like bonuses for good roleplaying, great deeds, meaningful learning experiences, etc.). But right now I'm actually considering reversing that - awarding XP for failed skill checks.

The idea would be that characters learn from their mistakes and in the beginning with very low-rated skills (1-2), characters will probably fail more often - and therefore gain learning experience quicker than characters with higher skills, since the more skilled one gets at something, the less often they'll fail at what they're trying to do, and consequently the harder it will be to notice their flaws or weaknesses and improve upon them as they get closer and closer to attaining mastery. This would also reflect the fact that the longer one has been training their skills, the more set in their ways they tend to become and the less able they tend to be to change or learn new approaches that conflict with what they've learned before.

What do you guys think?

I've always thought that learning from mistakes made a lot of sense.

I'm a big fan of BRP, where you put a check next to skills you've attempted in the course of the adventure. I know you get a roll to see if you go up if you succeeded in that skill attempt. But there are so many versions of BRP, I can't recall if you sometimes get to roll for a failure as well (depending on which incarnation of BRP you're playing). Possibly in some versions, certainly in some house rules I've played with.

IAC, I'd be happy for you to give it a try.

I think that works. One addition i suggest be added is for critcal success and/or failures.
If they perform their action so successfully or they fail so miserly, they will have learned something also (0.10 - 0.25 XP or whatever the GM deems). However just they learned something does not mean that they will accept it, so they roll a d100 towards the same goal number as before (rolling under the goal number equals success) to actually realize what they have learn.

What I'm considering doing is keeping track of failed skill checks and tallying up the number of times a character failed for each skill per adventure. At the end, those tallies would be treated as 'Failure' traits for each skill (i.e. if you missed with a gun 6 times, you'd have a Failure of 6 for your Firearms skill). Then I'd make a die roll for each Failure trait, using its rating the same way as a skill in my system - if the roll succeeds, a variable amount of XP is gained for that skill (based on how well the roll succeeds); if the roll fails, no XP is gained toward that skill, meaning the character simply got frustrated and discouraged by their failures rather than learning from their mistakes.

The Difficulty Margin of these 'learning' checks would be based on the general difficulty of what the character was attempting to do when they failed - failing at easy tasks is a lot more likely to gain a character some insight into their mistakes than failing at tasks that are so difficult, they probably would have failed even if they had had decent skill because the challenge was just too overwhelming. I'm also considering giving characters bonuses to these learning checks based on their Inrovert scores (their ability to look within themselves, self-analyze, reflect and meditate upon what they've experienced). 1 XP would probably be the maximum a character could gain toward a given skill from failures during a single adventure, but fractions would accumulate over time (and be cumulative with normal XP devoted toward each skill).

If a character gains a Critical Success on a learning check for a given skill's failures, I might just forgo XP and bump their skill to the next level, or give 2 XP to that skill, or I might give a temporary +1 modifier to any die rolls involving that skill for the next Act.

Update:

ucat - after some concept changes and much discussion, is now virtually finished, will probably be done by tonight or tomorrow
MILLANDSON - working out final touches, will very likely be done within a few days at this rate, if not sooner
mrstrange - discussing final background details - I'll respond to your draft when I have more time
Yuber Okami - a little less than mid-way through character creation
Vasuvik - decided on concept, starting character creation

Update:

ucat - finished with character creation
MILLANDSON - working out final touches; waiting on his response
mrstrange - I'll respond to your (long!) draft when I have time
Yuber Okami - waiting on your response
Vasuvik - starting character creation; waiting on his response

Update:

MILLANDSON and mrstrange - working out final touches/background details
Yuber Okami and Vasuvik - in early stages of character creation

Update:

mrstrange - virtually finished, will probably be done by tomorrow
MILLANDSON - working out final touches/background details; still waiting on his response
Vasuvik - roughly a quarter way through character creation
Yuber Okami - not far behind Vasuvik

I will be away Friday evening and busy over the weekend, but should be able to start the game soon after that (following the completion of mrstrange's character). Aside from working with the above players to finish their characters, the main focus of my spare time is going into preparing plans and character-background tie-ins for the Epic.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:47, Fri 03 Aug 2012.

Update:

mrstrange - virtually finished, waiting on his response
MILLANDSON - working out final touches/background details, still waiting on his response
Vasuvik - about halfway through character creation
Yuber Okami - early in character creation, waiting on his response
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:08, Sat 04 Aug 2012.

Update:

mrstrange - I'll respond to your message as soon as I have more time
MILLANDSON and Vasuvik - working out final touches/background details
Yuber Okami - about 1/3rd finished

Update:

mrstrange - finished with character creation
MILLANDSON - working out final touches/background details; waiting on his response
Vasuvik - discussing changes; Vasuvik, I'll respond to your messages when I have more time
Yuber Okami - about halfway finished; waiting on his response

As mrstrange is now finished with his character, I'm planning (hoping) to start the game for the 5 approved PC's sometime this weekend if time allows. Side note: having realized that the Company of the Phoenix was erected in 4996 (the same year this game is taking place), there have been some concept changes. Currently there are no Questing Knights in the party. The 5 approved characters are:

Sir David Juandaastas (a Knight recently discharged from his house guard)
Sergeant Shikaalgargund (a Vorox ex-commando Muster mercenary acting as Sir David's bodyguard)
Tchak'Ikhlul (an Ukar in Sir David's entourage)
Captain Kidhido'on (an Etyri Charioteer pilot)
Anna Sviatogora (a freewoman dancer/performer)

Also in the works are:

Baronet Daniel Hawkwood (a former Hawkwood emissary turned to a life of questing and adventure)
Baron Rafael Santiago Rolas Hazat (an ex-Hazat liaison officer now traveling the stars)
Andreas Scheuzeri (a Hesychast monk, archaeologist and scholar of the Anunnaki)

Update:

MILLANDSON and Vasuvik - working out final touches/background details
Yuber Okami - about halfway finished; waiting on his response

Unfortunately, due to a bit of a disaster irl, I wasn't able to focus on getting the game started over the weekend as I had originally hoped to do, so I apologize for that. In the meantime, LaserEye, lurker and mrstrange have been keeping themselves occupied in their prologue thread, and ucat has posted in his private thread, which is good. Currently, MILLANDSON, Vasuvik and Yuber Okami are still working on their characters, but I expect that at least the former two should be finished before much longer. Also, lurker informed me of this:


Under the circumstances, with 3 players still working on completing their characters, my free time being divided between them and preparing the Epic, and lurker's short-term loss of availability (which means 4 of the 8 PC's being temporarily unavailable), I think it's more prudent to postpone launching the game for everyone until after those things are sorted - i.e. in a couple weeks. I'd rather not begin the Epic with one of David's group absent (meaning it would just be David and Tchak, with the other PC's being separate until they meet), and by the time lurker's availability returns, MILLANDSON, Vasuvik and Yuber Okami should all be done with their characters and ready for action - which would ultimately work better for the story I have planned anyway. I hope the rest of you sympathize with my judgment here and I appreciate your continued patience.

Update:

MILLANDSON - about 95% finished; waiting on his response
Vasuvik - about 90% finished, working out final touches/background details
Yuber Okami - about halfway done

Update:

MILLANDSON - still waiting on his response
Vasuvik - about 95% finished, may actually be done in the next day or two at this rate
Yuber Okami - a little more than halfway done; waiting on his response

Update:

Vasuvik - finished with character creation
MILLANDSON - about 95% finished, working out final touches
Yuber Okami - a little more than halfway done; still waiting on his response

Update:

MILLANDSON - almost done, just deciding on possessions/equipment
Yuber Okami - have been waiting on his response since Wednesday

Update:

MILLANDSON - 99.99% done
Yuber Okami - have been waiting on his response since the 15th

Update:

MILLANDSON - finished with character creation
Yuber Okami - still waiting on his response

Just noticed a new NPC addition to the Cast List: Sir Alarus Silal Thana


And I see that Andreas Scheuzeri has returned to log onto the game today (I assume Yuber Okami is Andreas Scheuzeri).

I've just been reading all the hubbub on rpg.net about RedBrick, 3rd Ed being cancelled, and 'Revised' having very few changes and relatively poor production qualities...

This makes me a sad FS fan *sad face*

In reply to Sir Daniel Windsor Hawkwood (msg # 61):

Yes, I wasn't exactly thrilled about that either !
The person behind the original revised VPs system is pushing it out GURPS like independently. If it was the part that interested you, you can read about it on http://gamersdev.blogspot.co.uk/
From what I had understood, there was little background in V3 anyway. It is still under work thought, I don't think we will see it very soon.

In reply to Sir Daniel Windsor Hawkwood (msg # 61):

yeah it is kinda sad that RedBrick is now out of the game publishing business. But FASA is back which amounts to a *shrug*.

Im glad i *discovered* a copy of the 3e Playtest so i can compare it to the Revised edition released. 2e pdf = 315 pages, 3e Playtest = 301 pages, while Revised Edition = 384 pages.

Revised Edition is said to be more 'streamlined' with a number of additions like the stances from L5R, a passive defense value, and no opposite characteristics (Faith/Ego , Passion/Calm). I'll wait until i get a copy to pass judgement on how totally messed up this whole saga is.

I'm all for cleaning up the FS rules. Don't know which would be better for me, the 3E playtest that was in the works, or this rush job they just came out with. I'm a 'less is more' kind of guy when it comes to rules. Ah, well.

Same here, though the 3e Playtest looked pretty good.

Hopefully with my house rules, the system will be unnoticeable during the course of roleplaying. That was my objective when I developed them anyhow.

Well I have not been keeping up on recent developments regarding Fading Suns, but while 2nd Ed. was an improvement over 1st Ed., there was/is still a lot of room for further improvements and developments.

The GM's modifications addressed some of the issues as far as I understand it (such as the fact that by the canon system, one can max out attributes & skills and still have a shockingly high failure rate with goal rolls... and then there's the fact that with the limited skill points, knowledges and lores tend to get short changed even if one is trying to be well rounded).

So GM... what would you say is the rough ETA for when the campaign will start in earnest (obviously there is play going on in the prelude threads at the moment but I meant aside from that)?

If all goes well, I believe I can start things off over this coming weekend.

I see from the Cast List that we have a new Player added to the mix: Whiskey Jack

That user name looks familiar from other FS games.  ;)

It's been...3 or so years since I was on RPOL regularly, but I did play in some of the FS games in the past.

Hello to everyone, I'll post character details once our good GM has had a chance to give everything the once-over.

In reply to Whiskey Jack (msg # 70):

Welcome to the game. I look forward to hearing about your character and hope you have fun playing it.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:30, Thu 30 Aug 2012.

I look forward to it! :D

I'd be interested in hearing what people think after they've had a chance to compare all the editions.

I have PM'd my..{ahem}...extensive character to the GM and await his comments, criticisms, and derision! LOL!

Buy the way... how do you add a Avatar pic?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:03, Fri 31 Aug 2012.

In reply to Sunphoenix (msg # 74):

Well if you go to Character Details > Change Portrait
You can select from any number of portraits but unless you send in a portrait i believe you are stuck with one of rpol.net's (so i believe)

There is a second option of using forum code to add a picture to your description which will allow you to have the portrait you wish without having the little avatar icon.

Ok. I changed my Avatar picked one at least but is does not show on my posts.

Also unlike the rest of you.. name user ID in my posts appears in red.  What does that mean?

How do I switch to a different biography to post in?

And can you have a different avatar pic different for each biography?

It will show up on all future posts.


Its a way that allows you to instantly see which posts are yours once the GM sets your character name in the game.


As far as i know you get two biography lines per character. if you meant description then each game character gets its own description block.


the biography lines don't get any avatars however your character does.
The Character Details > Change Portrait. Sets the Portrait for that character.

Or are you asking about posting under different profiles? You'll be Sunphoenix untilthe GM sets you up with your character's name. Then all future posts will be under that name. You won't be able to switch back and forth.

Unless you have two player characters. Then you will be asked to select am ID before each post.

Ah... that answers my question thank you.  I'll just have to wait for the GM to set my character so I can set my avatar pic for him.

Though... he does have a squire/Apprentice ... that is if the GM approves my current character build...

Not sure if I'd need a separate id to post as her..  I was just going to have her post spoken words in a different color from my main;s dark blue.

I've been generally off RPOL for the last couple years (life, kids, and a motorcycle, in that order), but as I recall once your character is approved you won't need to pick a different avatar pic.  Your current "account" in the game will basically be renamed.

Of course, the forum software may have changed, so keep a grain of salt or two handy...

WJ, that is still how it works generally.

So one can pick their eventual/final PC portrait even if they're under their user name and once the GM accepts the final character concept (character creation is completed) the GM will just change the name from the user name to the PC name but the portrait will remain the same.

Where is the GM?  Did he tell you guys he'd be away for some time or somesuch?

Also, is there some location at this site where you guys have posted your characters?  I can't find anything detailing the characters in play currently.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:47, Fri 31 Aug 2012.

As far as I know, the GM is around.  According to the Cast List, he Logged On to the game sometime Today.

Of course with the upcoming Labor Day weekened in the USA, I imagine some people may be busy or away due to RL (me for instance).

However the GM did mention something about possibly getting the campaign going sometime this weekend. Though that's likely for the finished characters.  The character creation process that the GM takes each player/PC through can take a bit of time to complete.

Ah, that's true.

I figured out where the character descriptions are...I click on your avatar pic for the description.  I should probably delete mine and wait for the GM to talk to me about it first..
This message was last edited by the player at 16:51, Fri 31 Aug 2012.

I'm here. Unfortunately, I've been swamped over the past week, both with work/real life and with developing short-term and long-term plans/outlines/adventures/plot-details for the Epic in preparation for the game's start, so I haven't had time to properly review Whiskey Jack's and Sunphoenix's character concepts and their backstories. Yuber Okami's character is coming along though - he's a little more than halfway done.

Regarding this coming weekend, I'm still hopeful that I can start the game for the 7 approved PC's by Monday, but that all rides on how much material I can finish preparing for the Epic over the next two days - and with the labor day weekend, the amount of time I'll be able to devote to the game is somewhat uncertain.

Ah.  All cool... I'll just have to wait.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 85):

Cool, I'm looking forward to starting. All the talk online about new editions has got me feeling nostalgic, and hoping for a renaissance of interest in the game.

Anyone got a clue when this is going to spin up?  I still have no reply about my character and there does not seem to be a actual starting game thread save prologues.  I'd really like to get involved with the RP.

Well the GM has been corresponding with me via PM over the Labor Day weekend/holiday to finalize some details (in particular the recent timeline of events for Rafael leading up to where/when he will be entering the storyline).

So the GM is around and I believe he is trying to wrap up the final loose ends to get the established PCs (ie PCs who have finished character creation) up & running with the campaign.  Since Sir Daniel and Lord Rafael only just recently finished character creation, the GM is working hard to wrap things up (it took me longer to complete the modified character creation process and iron out the details for Rafael than I had originally expected).  Also I think the GM was perhaps hoping that Andreas would be further along (or completed) since he joined the game about the same time as the rest of us (ie I think the GM was hoping to introduce Andreas into the campaign at the same time as Daniel & Rafael and all the others).

But remember, this past weekend including today was a holiday (Labor Day in the USA) and many people have RL time demands (usually family obligations/visiting) to deal with including perhaps the GM.  So perhaps the GM was not able to get to everything this weekend.

Another thing you may need to resign yourself to Sunphoenix (and Whiskey Jack) is that the GM has a very process oriented modified character creation method.  While much of it resembles the step-by-step Lifepath character creation method in the 2nd Ed. book, there are variations and if you want to deviate from a Lifepath selection you usually need to explain the reason for the alternative pick (but the GM is fairly open to suggestions for alternative options).  That said it took me from July 30th until August 17th to finish my character creation process (ie 18-19 days).  Now that may just have been me because I tended to deviate from the Lifepath options a fair bit and because the modified FS Victory Point system being used by the GM does not require quite the same level of "maxed out specialization for competence" that the standard FS 2nd ed. system seems to encourage (in fact there is a certain diminishing returns as your Attributes/Skills near the maxed out ranks).  Also I had to tweak some of my initial concept ideas to fit the campaign and the specific timeline (given that this campaign will start out only a relatively short time, say less than 1 year, after the end of the Emperor Wars).

My point is, that finishing character creation may take a little longer than you're used to because the GM likes to flesh out the PC's history at each step of the Lifepath in order to get a good idea of who the PC is and what made the PC the man or woman he or she is today.  Of course your experience (and indeed the experience of the other finished Players/PCs) may differ from my own and thus the process may not take as long.  Also I believe I was unable to reply a few times letting days go by without responding to the latest update in character creation from the GM, so some of the length of character creation was my own doing.

Just something to consider.  On the plus side, one can be sure that every finished PC has been thoroughly thought out and the player is definitely invested in the character and the campaign (as is the GM).  ;)
This message was last edited by the player at 05:29, Tue 04 Sept 2012.

Rafael covered it pretty well. I have been working on finalizing several key details that will affect how the first Drama of the Epic begins for each character/group of characters (since not every PC will be starting out together), as well as working with Yuber Okami (Andreas Scheuzeri's player) to further along his character in hopes of getting him ready for play not too long after the rest of the PC's begin.

Though I do prefer to give equal attention to each player and their characters when possible, in this case, the 7 approved PC's have been patiently waiting for the game to start for considerable time now (much longer than the 2 new players have been waiting), and thus my highest priority is focusing on preparing what I need to in order to begin the action for them. Once I've accomplished that, I'll be able to focus a little more on getting new PC's approved and incorporated into the story I'm preparing, but the plot-lines surrounding the existing PC's need to come first. So unfortunately, Whiskey Jack and Sunphoenix, I will have to ask both of you to wait for a while before I can review your character submissions. In this case, a "while" means likely a week longer or so, possibly a little less if I manage to get things done sooner.

This is all complicated somewhat by the fact that unlike in some campaigns, this one's Epic really hinges primarily upon the individual characters and their backstories themselves rather than being a preconceived series of plots/adventures written for a generic cast into which I merely retrofit each PC as needed. Prior to the players creating their characters, I had not developed anything concrete for the Epic, in order that I could craft the Epic according to the PC's involved rather than vice versa. Therefore, by design, I have not had everything prearranged and ready to go as soon as the PC's were created - it has taken a bit more time to tailor the story to the individual characters in ways that are logical and dramatically viable for each of them.

All that being said, I had still hoped to get everything finished by earlier this afternoon, but unfortunately, due to real-life constraints over the course of the Labor Day weekend, as well as an unexpected problem that occurred earlier today which caused me to lose hours of productivity, I haven't yet finalized all of the details I need to before I can feasibly start the game. Sorry everyone, it will have to wait until next weekend (as I have less free time during the work week than on weekends). On the upside, this does potentially provide enough time for David, Shik and Tchak to tie up things in the Prologue and bring it to an appropriate, non-rushed close.

I do thank everyone for being so patient, and I assure you sincerely that that patience won't be in vain.

{sigh}  Guess I'll just have to cool my enthusiasm jets and wait.  I'll check back in a week or so.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 91):

That makes sense, I can be patient.  Would you have time, though, for a quick "Hey that might be alright" or "We already have one of those" kinds of response sometime this week though?  I know I kind of dumped a book on you, so I can understand if there's just not time, but if my first idea won't work out for some reason I've got a couple other seeds I could start developing into people in the down-time.

Works for me - thanks for keeping us up-to-date, GM!

Update:

Yuber Okami - about 3/4ths finished
Whiskey Jack and Sunphoenix - on temporary hold (likely until next week)

On another note, yesterday I discovered that my home internet connection had been disconnected. I won't have internet access at my home again until Friday evening at the earliest. Currently I'm keeping an eye on things here from my work computer. Just a heads up, in case some people were wondering about the drop in my posting/response frequency.

Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan regarding restoring my home internet over the weekend. I am still without a home internet connection at present. I hope to rectify that by tomorrow (the soonest my ISP said they'd be able to do the installation). Sorry everyone. I will of course be keeping an eye on things from my work computer during the day.

Apparently, I won't actually have internet access at my home until Thursday. In other news, Yuber Okami/Andreas Scheuzeri is about 90% finished with his character. He will most likely be done by tomorrow, which means I should be able to include him in the cast when the game starts. So maybe this inconvenient delay with my home internet disconnection will turn out to be for the best after all.

Sounds good.

Haven't heard back from Yuber Okami yet today, so hopefully his character will be finished by tomorrow, or at the very least, within a few days. Regardless, providing I have internet at home within the next couple days, I will be starting the game this weekend.

Update:

Yuber Okami - about 95% finished, just purchasing equipment
Sunphoenix - a little less than 1/3rd finished
Whiskey Jack - deciding between character concepts

Regarding my home internet situation, at best I'll have internet running by tomorrow, which would mean I could start the game over the weekend as planned. If that doesn't pan out, then I should still be able to have internet working by Saturday afternoon - and if so, I'll make every effort to start the game no later than Sunday evening.

Update:

Yuber Okami - still waiting on his response
Sunphoenix - making good progress, a little less than 2/3rds finished
Whiskey Jack - deciding between character concepts

As for my home internet situation, according to my ISP, it's iffy at this point whether or not I'll have internet activated tomorrow (and yes, these constant delays and false starts are getting annoying), but I'm hoping for that nonetheless. If it doesn't happen tomorrow, they assure me it can be done on Tuesday. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. At any rate, if it does get pushed forward to Tuesday, I'll attempt to start the game Tuesday evening.

Well, as you all probably guessed, I didn't get my internet activated over the weekend. My ISP still assures me it can be done tomorrow. I thank you all for your continued patience.

Update:

Yuber Okami - will most likely be finished by this evening, provided we can correspond further today
Sunphoenix - has decided not to take part in this game
Whiskey Jack - waiting on his response

Regarding my internet issue, hopefully I'll have internet access tonight and can finally get things moving. I won't know until I get home this evening.

Finally! After much troubleshooting and frustration, my home internet is now up and running. Unfortunately, it's too late to try to start the game tonight, but I will try to do so tomorrow evening.

Sorry for the delay, GM, I'm back on track now.

I tried to get starting posts out to each PC group last night, but didn't quite manage. Hopefully I can do so tonight. If not, then over the weekend for sure. Meanwhile, Whiskey Jack has begun character creation - currently waiting on his response. Yuber Okami will be finished with his character as soon as I get his final confirmation, and will be able to join the starting cast.

My internet is acting up.  GM, I'll respond as soon as I can.

Update:

Yuber Okami - finished with character creation
Whiskey Jack - still waiting on his response

I had to work late last night, so I didn't manage to get the game started. But I'll have time to do that over the weekend. Hang tight everyone. :)

I'm all pinions and needles!

Opening posts have gone out to several PC's - Anna and Andreas, I'll get to your openings soon. Ran out of time at the moment.

Hey Alarus,

Any of that ring a bell? How far in the future is it?

Thanks!

Group 1, I'll allow time for Shik to post before making another post - just in case you're wondering.

Andreas and Whiskey Jack, still waiting on your responses in your private threads. Group 1, I'll move you along once you're all ready. Anna, keep up the good posts. :)

I'm not actually sure about this, so I thought I'd field this question here for others to chime in if they know.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 114):

I know you can go to User preferences and modify your email notification. Which sends you an email, after a set time limit, of any new items (Private rmail, Private Messages, or posts in threads in the game you have access to.

However, i don't think you can only set it for one thread over any other. Also any edits of posts already done are missed by it. In addition, it doesn't send you a copy of the post via the email. It just says 'this thread/game your following has new items.'

Sorry, had no internet connection other than my phone for the last week, and the browser on that doesn't seem to like working on RPoL >.<

I'll post now.

Happy Halloween everyone. Hope you have many spooky moments today. :)

I'm sorry that I haven't gotten around to posting lately. Work and life have been considerably hectic recently, and I just discovered that I'm going to have to move house ASAP, so all my spare time has been devoted to searching for a new place to live. I will keep an eye on things here from my office, but unfortunately, I can't concentrate on posting updates for the time being. I will be able to do that once I'm settled in at wherever I end up moving to. I appreciate everyone's patience and I want to make it clear that this game is not being abandoned, just being put on temporary hold.

Fair enough GM, moving is always a hectic and time consuming effort (even if it is within the same state/city).

I totally understand the need to put Rpol on hold until the RL moving is settled.  I appreciate the heads up (and the reassurance that the game is only on hold temporarily).

Good luck with your move and I'll look forward to your return to the game.  ;)

Just to give you all an update on my situation - if all goes well, I should be moving within a week. If so, I expect to be back in the swing of things within about two weeks from now, at which time I believe I could devote the necessary time and energy to pick up this game again. We'll see how it goes.

Hello everyone, I have decided to be your entertainment until the GM gets back, and once the GM gets back I will be another player.

My method of providing entertainment is to ask you to each help me get a feel for the game, and how you think a priest type character could be of use to you and your character in it.

Anyone with ties to or opinions about one of the branches of the Orthodoxy is encouraged to make suggestions about how they would like to see another character with such ties integrated into the story.

It is my objective to add something to the game as a whole, and hopefully to each other character in the game so please speak up about ways you could see that help happening.

Well I am in favor of a Universal Church Priest.  I think Andreas is a Hesychast monk (though I could be wrong)?  And I believe Tchak’Ikhlul is a priest of the Ukari native Banjak faith.

Personally I wouldn't have minded having a confessor for Rafael, though that might be tricky to incorporate into Rafael's subplot/story at the moment.

While Rafael isn't exactly pious in a traditional sense (ie he's no Li Halan or even a member of the religious Bursandra Hazat family)... he is a traditional enough noble to respect the Church and its clergy.

I believe in some of the background development I worked out with the GM for Rafael, the local priest for Rafael's family's fief is an Amalthean.  In fact I seem to remember that some distant cousin of Rafael's was sponsored by Rafael's father to train with Sanctuary Aeon on Artemis and then the cousin returned to serve as the parish priest for the fief controlled by Rafael's father.

Rafael spent time among the Decados as a sort of liaison/ambassador, it could be interesting if Marcus had been sent by the Church to the Decados (also this could be a tie-in with Daniel since he was a Hawkwood ambassador to the Decados).

Or if Marcus served the Church on the battle lines of Kurga/Hira against the Kurgan barbarians/heathens, he might have met Rafael's late older sister Fidela (she died in the line of duty on Hira fighting the Kurgans).

Seeing as Marcus is an Urth native there could easily have been some crossover between him and your cousin who went to Artemis although Marcus has spent most of his life on Urth he has been sent various places.

House Dacados is a somewhat unlikely posting for Marcus but a stint on the Church ships that fought the Kurgan Heathens is quite possible, and he could have been your sister's confessor, or depending on the circumstances of her death he could have been there when that happened too.  Perhaps even been compelled by her to bring you some item or personal message not to be entrusted to any sort of postal system?

I am open to those ideas, the sister connection is probably the better one (the Amalthean cousin is distant and not that close to Rafael).  Rafael was very close to his older sister Fidela and he's still taking her death rather hard (although his father Marquis Santiago Eduardo has taken Fidela's death even harder).

Rafael's sister died sometime in the past 6 months to a year... shortly after the Emperor Wars ended (while the Hazat were bitterly engaged with the Kurgan barbarians and still recouping/repairing their losses from the Emperor Wars).

Of course it could be that Marcus had to wait a few months to get permission to leave his posting on Hira to seek out Rafael (to fulfill his oath or promise to a dying Fidela) and by the time he reached Vera Cruz, Rafael had already left.  So it could be that Marcus has been traveling the space lanes trying to pick up Rafael's trail for the past several months.  Perhaps we'll meet up for the first time IC?

Assuming you (and the GM) are cool with this idea.

Given what I recall about Fading Sun's travel arrangements 6-12 months of space tracking a moving target when the only real information I have about you is 2 or 3 years out of date from your dying sister sounds like a fairly quick and efficient hunting process.

I would like the thing your sister gave me to be in a box, likely small, that it is conceivable I have not opened under the assumption that it was her preference, or her having told me as much.  You go ahead and think up whatever you want in the box, sort it out with the GM, and don't tell me what it is.

If I get approved for play as anything like the character I intend Marcus to be I will have your box for you when I show up IC.

Well this sounds good to me... maybe the GM has some ideas on what is in the "box" (ie sounds ripe for a possible surprise "plot device" that perhaps Rafael doesn't know about... maybe something linked to the Hazat struggle against the Kurgans).  Otherwise I could think up a few possible "cherished items" or even "family heirlooms" or something along those lines.

I was thinking that perhaps Marcus made his way back to Vera Cruz from Hira (that's where Fidela's and Rafael's family fief is located) and encountered Rafael's and Fidela's father Marquis Santiago Eduardo who might have provided a (begrudging) hint as to the direction Rafael went (Marcus would certainly note the deep grief felt by Santiago over the death of his eldest child Fidela and likely sense the strain between the Marquis and his now oldest child Rafael).

That works well enough, Marcus could easily pass a few days or even weeks of conversation with the Marquis in an effort to convince him of the sincerity of the need to find Rafael, although he would not have even mentioned the box, no sense in risking it being intercepted even by a well meaning family member.

Update:

I'm moving tomorrow. Hopefully I should be able to pick things up here within a week from now. Also, Marcus has begun character creation and is moving along through it at a steady pace.

If nothing else I tend to have plenty of persistence.

*SIGH*

While I really hate to do this... it is looking more and more like this game may be dead.  The GM hasn't logged on since early December and has not replied to PMs.

It is sad because I think this game and its characters/players had great potential.

That said... I think I'm going to take this game off my Sticky List.

Of course, if I am wrong (and I would like nothing better than to be wrong) and the GM returns & the game starts back up in earnest, then I will certainly return (Lord Rafael will travel the stars once more).

Until then, I wish you all the best and perhaps we'll meet again in another Fading Suns game.

If you do find another (active) fading suns game let me know.

Hello everyone. I want to apologize to all of you for my long absence. I never intended to leave this game hanging and I certainly never intended to abandon it. Unfortunately, due to extreme stupidity on my part, that ended up happening despite my intentions, and I feel I owe all of you an explanation.

Over a year ago, disregarding the site's warnings against it, I foolishly trusted someone whom I had been dating with my password so that she could read material in private threads in a previous Fading Suns game I once ran here. That person also had access to my home computer for several months. She and I had an extremely bad falling out and she moved out.

I discovered the same day she moved out that both my email password and my password for this site had been changed. I attempted to reset my email password so that I could log in, only to find that she had changed my security questions and answers as well. For the past several months, I have been locked out of both that email account and my account on RPOL.net.

Last night, she and I finally had a long talk during which we made peace with each other to some extent. She apologized to me and gave me the passwords for my email and this site, which I have now reset, and we have gone our separate ways. Needless to say, I won't be making that same mistake with any person ever again.

At this point, the two main questions I have to consider in regard to this game are, 1. whether I'm able to get back into the groove after all these months and continue running it, and 2. whether you guys are still interested in playing in the first place. Who all are still around, and how are you doing?

Wow... that really, really sucks!  At the risk of being offensive regarding your Ex... what a Bitch!

That was a seriously F-uped thing for her to do (I don't care how bad the break up was).

As for me, I would still be interested in playing as I'm usually game for a good Fading Suns campaign.

Heh, I'll allow it.


It was. She knew how invested I was in this game and hit me where she knew it'd hurt. She had been fed up with how much of my time and attention was focused on running this game instead of spending time together.

Having had a significantly less spiteful/technologically competent version of that happen to me almost exactly ten years ago where I was forced to alter my own passwords (fortunately security questions worked in that case) I have some idea of the level of trust violation you experienced.

As far as the game and the character I think we could get things back into a going forward style although we may end up in a slightly different groove the dedicated gamer can generally find something fun.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 132):

First off, Glad you were able to get your stuff back and straightened out. As for picking up the game where we left off or at a different point/groove.

Edit: As for picking up the game where we left it off, at a different point or in a different groove is fine by me. I look forward to seeing how many others are also interested.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:33, Thu 14 Nov 2013.

Yes...?

I'm here, and I'm ready to jump back into the game!

By the way, I've also received compliments on the background piece I did for Anna when I shared it with other writers.  I just thought I'd mention that, since that piece was inspired by this game.

Well, that's four so far. Unfortunately, three of you are in different groups from each other and in vastly different places, and Marcus is in the middle of character creation. I did see Shik's player sign on recently, so hopefully we can get him back into the game. I'm also hoping we can get Tchak's, Sir Daniel's, and Andreas' players back. I know it just wouldn't be the same for Sir David's group with both of his companions being NPC'ed, just as it wouldn't be as fun for Lord Rafael with Sir Daniel being NPC'ed. I'm going to wait in hopes that we can get at least some of those players back before making a decision on our course forward.

Evening all, just wanted to make my presence known before I post my initial character proposals in the relevant thread.

Welcome, E_V_I_L, glad to have you!

In reply to E_V_I_L (msg # 140):

Welcome Evil. Glad to have you with us.

Welcome to the game EVIL!  ;)

Welcome back! It may take me a bit to pick up the thread of this character, but I'm in.

Welcome back, yourself! You just made things a lot easier for all of us. :)

My Meer presence makes life easier for all who know me :)

Ha. If anyone can find anything "mere" about Shik's presence, I'll give them a bazillion XP.

And a running start.

Just noticed a new face on the Cast List... welcome to the game searchr999.  ;)

I'm pleased to report that Andreas Scheuzeri's player will be returning to the game. I haven't yet heard back from Sir Daniel's and Tchak'Ikhlul's players though.

Yay! Should be a strong playerbase for the game them. Result!

Currently we have two important PC's whose players are absent (Sir Daniel Windsor Hawkwood and Tchak'Ikhlul), and four new players who have not yet created characters. After much thought, I've decided that I will need two of you four (E_V_I_L, lasombradeluz, Marcus Val-den, and searchr999) to take on the roles of those PC's until such time that their original players return to the game (at which point you would be able to pass control of those PC's back to those players and begin playing your own characters).

Which of you take over Sir Daniel and Tchak should mainly depend on which of you would enjoy playing them most. I don't want to force anyone to play a character they don't like. EVIL has stated he may be willing to play Sir Daniel, though he'd of course prefer to play his Hironem sharpshooter. Marcus, lasombradeluz, and searchr999, would any of you be interested in playing Sir Daniel Windsor Hawkwood (a traveling Hawkwood diplomat and adventurer) or Tchak'Ikhlul (an Ukar Banjak disciple traveling in Sir David Juandaastas' entourage)?

Sadly I only just have enough time to devote to a single character, and periodically not even enough to do even that justice, so I will have to beg off the addition of another character at this time.

I think you might have misunderstood what I was proposing. I'm not suggesting that anyone play more than one character. I'm proposing that two of you take on the roles of existing PC's for the time being instead of creating your own characters and play those PC's until their original players return to the game -- at which point you'd be able to hand those PC's back to those players and begin playing your own characters (assuming those players do come back someday). At no time would any player control more than one character.

I know that certainly isn't the most ideal situation for anyone, as everyone would naturally prefer to play their own character instead of one created by someone else. And as I said, I won't force anyone to play a character they don't like or one which they wouldn't enjoy playing. But I do want to find out if any of you besides EVIL would be willing to take on one of these two PC's.

EDIT: Marcus, just saw your post in the other thread. So that leaves lasombradeluz and searchr999.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:23, Fri 22 Nov 2013.

True, there we go again. Maybe i could find someone else to play one of those PCs?

Whilst i'd love to play my Hironem, if no-one else wished to play Sir Daniel I could, hopefully with maybe a couple of minor tweaks to align it more to my taste as a player - i'm not fond of playing anothers character. With a few tweaks it shouldn't be so bad - obviously keeping any pivotal/plot necessary info the same

Also changing the profile picture If i do play him! :)

I'd appreciate it if you could.

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 156):

Unfortunately, it seems that both players are not confident enough about their skill with the english language (did i tell you i'm actually an spaniard?). It amusing, as they told they had a good level in english prior to telling them about joining this group. Well, at least they don't lie in their professional resumes (i have seen people stating they had a C1 certificate in english when they had not even a miserable A1... now i understand why i never get a job in spite of being a C1)

All right, I think I've kept you all waiting long enough. EVIL, I'll pass over control of Sir Daniel to you until such time as his original player returns (if that ever happens), and NPC Tchak until I can get a player to take him over. You and I can work out any preferred adjustments to Sir Daniel's character profile privately. The rest of you, hang tight. I'll do my best to get the game moving again over the course of this week.

Fingers crossed close to done - then to game! Huzzah!

In reply to Sir Daniel Windsor Hawkwood (msg # 159):

So just saw your description. The dashing Knight who can get any girl he wants while being skilled in blades and Ur-Obun. I'll look forward to seeing how you RP this character :D

Shik and Sir Daniel, go ahead and post in your respective groups' threads. I'll get your groups moving again as soon as time allows.

Sir David ...  I may be those things and more. Or none. Who doesn't love a good mystery!

So how are things going now that the chaos of the holidays is behind us?

I'm still here.

Same!

One idea: perhaps instead of trying to pick up where this game left off in the past, it might be worth it to just press the "restart button" and start off fresh?

In reply to Lord Rafael Santiago Eduardo (msg # 166):

That shouldnt be too hard and it might make it easier for our GM.

So any chance this game is going to pick up again soon?

I hate to do it but without further developments or word from the GM... I'm probably going to be taking this game off my Sticky List.  I am still interested in playing but things do not seem to be going anywhere (and there's been a general lack of communication about getting things started up again).