New OOC thread, because that 1,000 post warning is pretty annoying.

I have a few questions. First, can Nigel see Benedikta? Is she still down? Second, how fast is this wall closing? Could Nigel run and jump into the barrow with Benedikta?

I don't want to let her get away, but if she's already up I don't want to follow her in there either, she'd kill me easily. If she's not up, I want to jump over the closing door and put another arrow in her head; if she is up, but I can see her I want to shoot her again where ever I can. If she is gone, I'm not following her in there and I'll shoot Agathe in the back of the head.

Imagine the barrows as a mounds of earth like this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi...Hoo_Burial_Mound.jpg
but with a door stuck stuck into it. There are steps down into indeterminate darkness inside.

Benedikta is still inside, but is not visible so you don't know if she's up or down, or what state she is in. You could run and jump into the barrow, assume the door is rising at a rate of about 3"-6" per second and the entrance is about 6', but there's no guarantee that you won't get sealed in there when the door finally closes.

That post gave me chills and I teared up man. I was actually sad that we killed Agathe. You are the master of this gming thing.

Seriously. And it only makes us hate Benedikta more (if that were even possible).

These are some amazing characters. I'm very sorry that we had to kill Agathe, but I also have no question about how Grigory views the situation...

Thanks guys! I can say that I really didn't have too much fun with this whole scene, but I think that means I'm not totally heartless :)

I also really appreciate what amazing RPers you all are. It really helps me, and really adds to the story.

Might be a little late to the high-five party, but here's one more anyway! ^_^

 Glad to see all the group troubled over what fate has befallen the slayer...^-^

Gimme a sec lol, I posted first so I didn't know Grom was gonna dive into the barrow. Nigel is definitely going to be trying to figure out how to get the door open so he can get in there and help, you're just either going to be dead or done killing her by the time he succeeds.

Less troubled, and more feeling that "Aw, it's what he always wanted!"

Edit: It's the start of a Canadian long weekend, so I won't be posting until Tuesday, probably.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:55, Fri 28 June 2013.

In reply to Grigory (msg # 11):

Ditto to everything Grigory just said.

Fear not, Grom will come back in another form soon enough (well, not Grom specifically, but the player behind Grom isn't leaving).

and EDIT: After Canada Day comes July 4th, and then my Birthday weekend, so I think next week might be a bit slow for all of us.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:28, Fri 28 June 2013.

Oh is Grom dead? I wasn't sure if we knew that since we hadn't gotten the thing open yet. Glad to hear the player isn't leaving, kinda curious what he's coming back as though. I guess we'll pick him up in Brovska?

 How about a chaos warrior, invading from the north?.

In the beginning didn't it say we couldn't play chaos aligned characters? I could definitely see a character like that being completely incompatible with Bjorn for sure and probably the rest of the party as well.

If it was a secret, though, it might work. I'd keep an eye on ya, but if you're good, I would never know. ;)

 Hmmm, maybe the all black armor which he never takes off or the total bloodlust as he hacks his way thru all the enemy's or friends in front of him, that might give you a clue. ^-^

That would definitely give you away.

Fear not, there will be no chaos warriors in the party :)

On another note, I mentioned my GURPS: Monster Hunters, steampunk game. I have started it up and the advert is here: link to a message in another game in case anyone is interested.

RTJd! :) Super excited.

 No Chaos warriors?, how about a nurgle priest.? That might stir up the group slightly?.

 Umm, on a side note. What is the group going to do about the near future?.

I'd say we've got to take care of those shaking barrels first, then we pop open that barrow and confirm Grom and Benedikta's death, finishing Benedikta off if neccesary, and we'll finish out the whole thing by having a funeral for Agathe (and Grom). After all that is done I guess we'll continue on our way to Brovska and deliver the load of furs, pick up another cargo (and your new character) and continue on down the road.

Someone else might be best to take the lead on whatever we're doing right now. Bjorn is pretty much at the end of his rope till he gets a chance to rest and heal up. He's likely to just stand around and guard something, or someone. Or just sit and rest lol...

still 1 HP and 1 FP XD

Nik's ultimate goal is the buying and selling of goods and the establishment of a reliable caravan route; to that end, basically any time we haven't got an adventure in front of us you can always assume the goal is "buy X, deliver to Y, profit, repeat".

That said, my first priority is stopping the barrels from shaking, then rallying us as well as can be done and going after Benedikta. Hopefully that will mean saving Grom from certain doom, or at least recovering his body for a decent service, and finishing off Benedikta if possible (and Grom hasn't done already).

I still don't think I'll have time enough to sign on for another game, but I'm off to check out the Steampunk monster hunters thing all the same; I've never actually seen a Steampunk game before, this should be interesting! ^_^

I should probably not even be asking, but I've never been known for my self-control...

I haven't got any Monster Hunter books; what are the templates they introduce in MH1, and how many points are they typically built on?

I didn't even get all the way through the Setting Information thread before character ideas started jumping into my head!

Dude! Join the game! Bjorn and I have already joined and it'd be awesome to have you to too.

Monster Hunter characters are 400/-70/-5 and there are a ton of templates for them. There is pretty much anything you can think of, but I'll list out all the stuff from MH1 for you:

Commando - The gun guy
Crusader - Holy abilities
Experiment - Biological enhancements (Frankenstein would work in this setting too)
Inhuman - Demon, Demonspawn, Lycanthrope (Bear, Wolf, Eagle, Tiger, etc), Outcast Angel, Vampire, Dhampir, Ethomorph, Changeling, Ghost, Mummy, & Seelie
Psi - Psionic powers
Sage - Knowledge and research: the two most valuable tools in the fight
Sleuth - Stealthy investigator
Techie - The hacker/gadgeteer (in this setting it'd be a mad inventor for sure)
Warrior - The muscle with the melee weapon
Witch - Ritual path magic
Aaaand... - In MH4 there are 200pt sidekicks and 200pt lens that you can combine for even more options if you don't like any of the above templates.

Basically everything you could possibly want to play has been covered in the four books and two pyramid articles.

Oooh, some of those look really cool...!

I'll try to get my hands on a MH book or two tonight and have another look - I'm definitely tempted to put in! JaJH, just so it doesn't surprise you when I start, expect to see a whole bunch of "what about this" type questions flooding into your in box before long!

Get MH 1 for sure and MH 4 if you want to see all the sidekick options. Also, half of those Inhuman options are in MH 1, but the other ones are in Pyramid issue 3/45 from July '12.

Depending on what you want to do, you could get away with just buying MH 1.

Awesome - MH 1 is definitely on the list then. I haven't got enough cash to really go nuts buying magazines and extra sourcebooks, but I'll get the essential stuff.

I've never done Steampunk, and beyond really digging the fashion I have pretty much no idea what I'm getting into here. I never should have read the intro - I knew I wouldn't be able to resist once I had a taste!

You will make the game more fun for us all, no matter what you roll. Your posts are the most interesting to read of us all (no offense to everyone else). :)

I've actually never really done steampunk in a game either, which is part of my motivation. I love China Miéville's stuff, though, and it seemed the best way to combine the "Lost World" game I wanted to do with the "Monster Hunters" game I also wanted. Feel free to ask plenty of questions.

The game probably won't be starting up until mid-July (I also might run two groups with the amount of response I've gotten). I've already gotten several RTJs for Witches (MH uses a unique spell casting system so this kinda surprises me) and several for Inhumans as well, in case that helps you narrow down any of your ideas.

The cool thing about the non-"powered" classes is that they use wildcard (bang!) skills, and for every 12 points in yours, you get 1 CP per session (usually per week for PBP) to spend on turn failures to successes and such.

A request for Chance:

If Nik joins can I be in the same group as him and Bjorn? It'd be fun to keep playing together. :)

Yes. :)

In reply to Bjorn Jorgensen (msg # 31):

Oh, my God Bjorn! Thank you so much! ^_^

As much as I'd like to take all the credit, Nik writes himself for the most part; I've made several characters since getting really stuck into PbP, but Nik is probably my best build from a strictly literary standpoint (which is another way of saying he's my most/only successful character).

I'm hoping I can come up with a compelling character for the Steampunk game, too! Oh, yes - I'm soooo putting my hat in the ring! I don't want to clog one game with another too badly, so I'll keep most of my questions in private threads.

And I'd also like to be in the Bjorn/Nigel group. ^_^

If I do multiple groups, I will certainly keep y'all together if you want.

I do agree with Bjorn, that Nik has some truly great reading, but you all produce some interesting writing. When Bjorn get's all priestly is entertaining, when Nigel turns into Legolas, Grom defending Agathe back when you fought the troll, and Grigory being all paranoid (and all of you paying him no mind).

Exactly. Everyone's actually committed to playing a character more than killing stuff. I like that. :)

Grom has killed off his character, but that is kinda part of the whole concept, so it's cool

I can't help but thinking Valhalla just got a whole lot more interesting...

I'd also like to play, but I won't be able to put a character together for the next couple of days as my RPG time alotment is getting eaten up by other issues - prepping for a D&D game I'm starting this weekend with my IRL group. Just wanted to chime in and let you know I'm interested. Maybe I'll make a completely level-headed, pragmatic adventurer Monster Hunter who dislikes animals...

That would be awesome, and take your time on a character.

So you're one of those people who always has to play the same character in every game then? :P

So if everyone from this group joins the MH game, I think we should all be in the same group. Not that there aren't other good role-players on this site that could be fun to game with, but why take chances when you've got a good group going already?

 Well, Looks like my side of the border(USA or to be closer to where iam from SOCal) is celebrating our big noise making holiday. Cheers to those on our northern borders for their big holiday also.

Have fun, my American friends! ^_^

Didn't Pip pass out? I was pretty sure he collapsed from being choked out by a ghoul. Like we weren't sure if he was okay type of passed out...

Crap, you're right - message #241 (I think... maybe it was #214...?) Anyway, you're right. I'll edit that bit out.

Thanks for the catch!

Hope Canada Day and July 4th were enjoyable for all!

 If you can ignore the M80s,firecrackers,that are considered illegal around here going off up and down the neighborhood of mine(none of mine,mind you)then i sleep fairly good surprisingly. ^-^

 In the DMs new game, what kind of adventurer is everyone going to run?, that is unless we are to keep it quiet until we all meet.?

 Hello?, long holiday for everyone?.

Probably, yeah. Most people don't post much on the weekends anyway, especially holiday weekends like this, no worries.

As far as what characters people are running in the other game, I will be letting people in there starting today, so feel free to discuss character concepts there.

EDIT: also, I'm going to wait another day or so for Grigory before making an IC update.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:53, Mon 08 July 2013.

Sorry for the double post but, everyone please welcome Ogindur Thundersteel to the game. He will be joining you all in Brovska.

You lose a dwarf and you gain a dwarf (and a Bright Wizard)

Ogindur, the other party members are:

• The Count Nikolaas von Richtgraf - aristocrat from a financially struggling family, part time mercenary, funder of this expedition
• Bjorn Jorgensen - a Warrior Priest of Sigmar
• Grigory - a former ratcatcher of Nuln, rather insane
• Konrad Magnos (formerly Grom Ironsmiter) - a Bright Wizard joining you all in Brovska
• Nigel Plaskitt - A Bretonian version of Legolas
• Maurice - Nik's shockingly competent manservant (NPC played by Nik)
• Rufus - Grigory's giant dog

Feel free to add to any of that if I left out an important bio piece or anything of the sort.

Thanks for the warm welcome.

The characters seem fantastically cool and interesting. I always wondered what a warhmmer RPG would look like.

I guess i'll just add mine in here (not that it's necessarily known in character), it might help.


Ogindur Thundersteel - A dwarven ex-soldier, young, pridgeful and somewhat brash that embodies the characteristics of the dwarven race. Hardy, loyal and stubborn. He's out to seek his 'craft'.

Hey all. Sorry Grom, wasn't ignoring you, just don't often get on over the weekend.

In the Steampunk game, I'm playing an Airship Privateer/Adventurer; at least that's the concept I've started with, it'll probably undergo some shaping before we go live. I didn't know you were coming too, this is going to be sweet!

Also, hi Ogindur; thank God we have a new dwarf, or Affirmative Action would have been all up my ass and this voyage has had enough problems! ^_~

Hi!

The steampunk game sounds good... it's turning out to be a very small RPOL world ;)
Not sure what to be yet, but i'm sure it'll be super fun...  Do you have a first mate yet?
:D

3 games :D

[Private to Nikolaas von Richtgraf: I am dreary from your game :)]



Oh no... I just read the demise of the other dwarf! :'(
This message was last edited by the player at 15:33, Mon 08 July 2013.

 Hey, Grom may not be dead yet!, he may have won the fight with the vamp witch hunter.

 Anyway the need a hard drinking dwarf to keep the game in perspective. ^-^

 As far as the new game i will be playing Myfanwy Thomas. Kind off a bookish accountant / office manager.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:41, Mon 08 July 2013.

is the group intended to be pre-aware of each other? and have been working together already?

For the steampunk game, no, not necessarily. I'll be taking care of throwing everyone together.

For this game, same deal, you don't have to know anyone previously. We'll work out something to get you rolled up with the other group

Wow, it is a small RPoL world after all! I totally know Ogindur! Actually, there has been talk of a First Mate, but that might have been about you... I'm not sure. In any case, I haven't really heard at this point, but I have plenty of room for other crew positions as long as you aren't afraid of heights. To be honest though, I don't think the ship will feature heavily in the campaign - it's really more of a set piece. So, if you go "crewman", make sure to include a healthy "off-duty" side to him.

I've made a character for the steampunk game now.

i have yet to send him to the GM....


I have MH3: Sidekicks too, so i invested 8 points into a sidekick :)
Not sure whether the GM wil lallow it, but it should be fun...


Just for the record, my character is a witch/wizard. An intellect that believes intelligence is the best way to solve any problem :) There's more to him yet but i'm juggling a ffew of the personality points and haven't finished wirting them up properly yet. Once i've done i'll let you all know.

Nik brings up a good point, that he's about as close to death Bjorn...

Pssh, it's just a flesh wound, Nik would never complain about that little scratch! ^_~

PM TO GM:

[Private to GM: WIll I be waiting until they reach their destination to get written in? Just curious :D]

Wait what? You're in the barrow already? I am a tad confused...

I think i was already in it, when you opened it :D

[Private to Nigel Plaskitt: Our characters are starting 'inside' the barrow, having been trapped.]

 No, the noise is coming from another Burrow close to the two burrows you have seen, both the closed and the new opened one(which is not where the sound is coming from) Or at least that is the way i understand it.

Ok, go with that :D

:)

Ok, to help move things along a bit.

- Grom and Benedikta are sealed inside their particular barrow. Right now, you do not hvae the capability to get inside. Nor are the barrows connected.

- The barrow doors, as has been referenced, are operated by lever mechanisms. When the one barrow was triggered closed, the other, that Nigerl just headed into, was triggered open. Ogindur, who had previously gotten stuck inside the now open barrow, saw he was dungeon delving or something like that but I'll let him work that out, (triggered shut back when Agathe and Benedikta arrived on the scene ahead of you) has now been freed.

[Private to Ogindur Thundersteel: Nik's family is struggling and has little money with which to assist him. Instead, say you have been sent by Renate to 1. tell him that she's ok and 2. to keep him safe until he can return to her. Renate is Nik's love interest from back at home. A while back there was some question as to whether or not she'd been falsely imprisoned.]

I'm dyin here :D
:P

DOn't say that Konad :( Ogindur is great company

Ogindur and Konad came out of the barrow Grigory and I were searching right? I just wanted to make sure we were done with it before I moved on.

Aye
:D

Everything alright out there? I was going to make another update but I didn't want to leave any conversations hanging in the air if someone was planning on saying more.

 We are waiting to hear Niks response to Ogindur's statement and then Konad's question/statement.

Yup, Grigory's just not saying anything because he's worried about insulting some of Nik's friends with his wild accusations about these strangers :)

Sorry gang, I didn't realize I was holding things up. Anyway, done and done. ^_^

 I dont suppose anyone can figure out how to find the reset stone on the burrow door?.

That would be a no Konrad. The door has "shut" on Grom and, while you all can return with help from Brovska you won't have any luck until then.

Bjorn gave the count 8 HP worth of "medical" attention unless that just didn't work.

I am waitng on the result of Bjorn's suggestion that 8hp have been healed before i post

:)

Whoops missed that somehow. One second will I fix myself :)

I forget how badly Nik was wounded. I believe I'm still down 4 HP. Probably best to save the energy for the trek and heal up when we stop for the night.

somebody has recently been reading ASOIAF, eh? :D

Whew! been stuck in meetings all day. Going to take a look at the IC thread now and update as needed.

In reply to Ogindur Thundersteel (msg # 84):

Heh, yeah. Slowly working my way through the book series for the first time. Just finished book 2.

No spoilers, you two! I'm addicted to the Game of Thrones show and it's taking every ounce of willpower I have to not go reading ahead in the books.

I'm not going to start either the show or the books until the book series is complete. George R.R. Martin is pretty old and I fear that he'll die, leaving everyone wondering how it was supposed to end...

Along those lines I have a YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7lp3RhzfgI

EDIT: Also here is GRRM's response. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqcqapoFy-w
This message was last edited by the player at 23:46, Mon 29 July 2013.

That's Mr. Weasel to you, dwarf! :P

:D

Yessir!

He actually doesn't mean it offensively. Really it's just that (as a warrior primarily) judgement is generally made about people based on their fortitude, strength and personal power. This (to my mind) is especially true in Dwarven society. Easy to stereotype people based on appearance ;)

Makes sense. And Grigory's just happy you didn't compare him to a rat instead. Them's fighting words, so be warned :)
This message was last edited by the player at 13:46, Thu 01 Aug 2013.

In reply to Grigory (msg # 91):

God, how badly do I wish I could do a decent Cagney impression right now? "Gwaw, you duhty rat, you killed my bruduh, gwaaaw."

Roight-o guhvna ;)

In reply to Nigel Plaskitt (msg # 88):

So I finally got a chance to check out those videos, and if anyone hasn't yet they're cheating themselves - very funny stuff! ^_^

I like the Legolas-Gimli challenge there :)

Question for the group, what would you prefer to do first? Resolve the whole barrel issue? or crack open the barrow? I'm planning on both, but I wanted to get your preferences on order.

 Game wise, i am thinking that Konad would want to rescue the lost guard within the burrow but it might be more convenient to do the barrels since we are almost there.?

I could go either way, really; IC, Nik is eager to learn what happened to Grom and Benedikta, and is keeping the faintest hope alive that if we can get on fast enough we may yet see Grom alive in that hole.

OOC, since I know Grom is already wearing a different skin, I'm eager to pursue whoever has us shipping corpses. I just can't make that suggestion IC without tacitly saying that we've given up on Grom, which as a soldier and employer Nik just couldn't do (that'd just be low, never mind disadvantages).

Actually, I think I just talked myself into voting for the Barrow first.

I'm good either way, but I'm leaning towards the barrow as well.

Definitely what I was going for. :)

Nigel was pretty set on rescuing Grom, so I'll have to insist we crack open the barrow first. Nigel knows that Grom is dead, but he wants to see it for himself.

Mostly I think we will all rest easier if we can confirm that Benedikta is dead...
This message was last edited by the player at 16:11, Mon 12 Aug 2013.

Barrow, too. :) Yay for being chaotic good.

Okay, you can feel free to call me a terrible person if you want to, but hear me out (if it's an issue, please assume we had this conversation while on the road):

We're at Brovska now anyway, and we need to stay here at least long enough to hire miners. Maybe we should try to deal with the barrels first, while we're here? The alternative would be carting barrels of occasionally-active corpses back and forth, and that thought gives me the willies.

We can send Maurice to hire the miners while the rest of us see to the sale; with any luck, we can get both done fairly quickly and be back on the road to the barrows without the loss of much time.

Since we're talking about recovering a fellow here, I'll understand completely if what I just said sounds cold or mercenary or whatever, and I'll gladly go with the will of the group - I've said it before that I'm no tyrant. It just seems more practical to finish the jobs we can as we can.

Any thoughts?

I kinda forgot we had to go all the way to Brovska to hire the miners, I was thinking we were gonna leave from the inn we just stayed at and double back. Since we're in Brovska it does make sense that we might do it that way.

However, "with any luck" isn't really the way things usually go for us, so OOC I'd be slightly worried that something would happen to prevent us from going back to the barrow.

That said your character is the boss and your plan makes sense, so you can decide that we should take care of the barrels first if you want. I'd be okay with it.

I think nik has to convince the sentimental amongst the group :P

I'm easy either way tbh. From a purely time efficient point of view, the barrels sounds like the perfect 'first' job... but well if there's  achance of Grom surviving then the people who cared about him the most will probably need convincing that it's only worth going back to recover his corpse... and that it can wait...
:D

[Private to GM: Hahah, bringing him back as some kind of undead... would be hilarious and devilish :)]

I'm a little confused, please humour my lack of sense.


Am i right in thinking that Nik has just given me permission to go punch one of these guys in the teeth? Sporting his house colours?


I don't mind doing it, necessarily but is nik sneakily  using it as a deception technique? I don't want to let someone try to open the barrel while ogindur i away 'teaching some manners'....


I'm confuzzled ! help required ! :D

I don't think he was specifically asking you to go punch their teeth in, but if what the merchants were saying was super offensive and you wanted to intervene on behalf of your kinsmen you could. There are always other options besides punching in peoples teeth.

Unfortunately, your character and mine are not really the type to resolve situations with those other options...

Well, perhaps we can have a battle of wits with them...

I've there is poison in one of these cups... choos one...

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
I am a DWARF and heavily resistant to poinson DUMBASS!!!!!! :D

---

I've been playing my cards pretty close to the chest lately, which I suppose is a dick move but I just haven't found a good moment to lay it all out there.

I'll try to stay at least a little cryptic, in case the GM feels I'm straying into metagaming territory here, but I'd like to offer some small explanation.

Yes, Nik is absolutely authorizing you to go whomp-ass on those loudmouths. You don't have to actually beat on them, but to let them know they're assholes, that we don't like them, and that they'd best be quiet or else. His idea is to strut - to act so important that they are perceived as being particularly important - and use that bluff to get past any inspection.

Insisting that Ogindur wear the colours is to make sure that everyone knows the Rangers don't hide. Nik wants everyone to think we're too loud to be clever - an idiot noble/ignorant soldier trying his hand at marketeering. To make them think we're (or at least that Nik is) stupid. Hopefully that will make it easier to find whoever packed those barrels, and in any case to announce our presence to them so that we have a chance at nabbing their operators.

That makes sense. I was wondering why you wanted us to go beat the crap out of strangers, but Nigel follows orders so there won't be any complaint there.

Well, Ogindur is all for protecting nik's interests so he'll not be letting anyone get in the barrels.

However... he's a long-time army-dwarf that has racial pride. You can't be insulting the bearded-ale-monsters in his presence without him having a thing or two to say about it.

It's brilliant either way, IMO. Making a name for ourselves will be helpful in the long run as well as to make our presence known to the douchebags that apparently set us up.

Bjorn is basically indifferent at the moment, but just because there are no witches to burn . . . yet. Keeping an eye on our Wizard. ;)

I gotta say, I'm glad to hear a general approval; I was worried I might be going completely off-side and making you guys crazy.

As for the merchants specifically, Nik doesn't speak Dwarven so he doesn't know quite what they're saying beyond that it annoys his new buddy. When I built him I was going to give Nik "likes Dwarfs" as a Quirk because of their work-ethic and hardiness, but then I decided "dislikes Elves" for basically the opposite reasons was more appropriate. Still, he's got a soft-spot for Ogindur since he's been given Renate's hairpin. ^_~

I've been pretty mum on Nik's idea, I'm sorry, but I do want to play this next bit in Brovska a bit closer to my chest.

It's ok

:D I actually kinda like the idea of being able to play 'some things' close to your chest that not everyone is privvy to... it gives a bit of a "Oh wow" factor when it comes to fruition :D


////// edited ///////


Pride :D all about the pride :)

I'd guess army people might be worst for it ;) (well at least non-modern)
Dwarves too :D
This message was last edited by the player at 16:08, Wed 14 Aug 2013.

I'm getting married Sunday and going on my honeymoon next week, so I won't be online for a week starting Sunday. Colin has my permission to post for Nigel as he sees fit while I'm gone. Nigel will follow whatever orders Nik gives him no matter what. Just wanted to take care of this now while I was thinking about it.

congratulations.

I hope your wedding goes fantastically and your honeymoon faaaaaaaaaantastic

:D

Congrats!

Congratulations! ^_^

Also, don't worry... i won't let Nik get you killed :D

Congrats! Really excited for you man. Marriage has been pretty much my favorite thing so far in life :)

Colin, want me to just assign Nigel to you while Andy is gone?

In reply to Ogindur Thundersteel (msg # 118):

Good luck with that... ^_~

Sure, I'll take Nigel. :)

Ok, Nigel is moved over to Colin, and I've assigned Agathe to Andy for now as a place holder

Only moderately creepy. ;)

Woops, Nik, I was adding a bit onto my post in an edit when you ninja'd. Sorry about that.

GM N1NJ4

In reply to Chance (msg # 124):

Sorry to step on your toes there, Chance. No harm done, I hope?

Oh no, not at all, I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you wanted to change your own :)

Not jut your typical dwarf, eh! :)

Oops! I thought we were free and clear. Post edited.

Speaking just for myself, I'm ready to roll on the sewers right away - I've got plenty of powder and shot, a fine sword and a decent lantern; if they sell healing potions in town I'd be interested, but I'm not even sure those are for sale.

I'm okay to leave the wagons, too; these guys seem on the level. ^_^

A search roll, observation, or Urban Survival will let you all track down an apothecary with health potions.

All, let me know if I wasn't clear in my last post. It made sense in my head, but I wanted to make sure it made sense in the reading too.

Just to double check, are there two sets of tracks (one jumping, one to the right), or just one?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:06, Mon 09 Sept 2013.

That's correct, yes

Konrad, I also need a DX roll for a jump from you.

 grrr, i was hoping you would not notice that lack of response. ^-^

15:29, Today: Konad Magnos rolled 10 using 3d6. dex chk /12 minus any penalty's for being nauseous.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Tue 10 Sept 2013.

Nausea is -2 to all attributes so you made it (barely)

Plus, don't eat anything. :)

Did Bjorn find a switch on the plague pipe? I didn't roll for it because I figured it would be a secret roll, but all I have is Perception at 11, if it isn't obvious.

No, but assume the monsters appeared before you could give it a thorough once-over. The short time that it takes to flight the slime creatures won't really make or break the health of the city.

Need some input from you all.

It seems to me that interest in this game might be waning. Which is totally fine with me, and I think is the natural course of things. If my perception is correct, I can wrap things up in this dungeon, give everyone some closure, and we can set this campaign aside for now (maybe to be revived with a new adventure some time in the future).

Or, if I'm wildly off the mark, I'm good to keep on going for a little while yet.

Just let me know :)

 Interest in running the game onward?. I am fine with keeping if flowing onward as i have no heavy commitments to my time frame.

 Just had second thoughts about dropping a fireball into the midst of the melee combat.

 If i had to guess there might be some drain from the steam-punk game as players try to adjust to their new chars and get a feel for who they are, just a thought.

I'm still having a blast and I'm very happy to continue the game, but taking a break at the end of the adventure might not be a bad idea if people feel a need to recharge; give everyone a chance to clear their head, concentrate on other projects and, if the interest is there, write up the next adventure.

Campaign-wise, I'm okay to end this one if that's what the group prefers. I think it would be better to end on a successful quest than to just pull the plug abruptly, or to drag on after the spark has died.

The most important thing to consider is fatigue, both players and GM. Personally, I'm not tired of the campaign or the character, but I can only speak for myself there. I'm also a big fan of switching things up and keeping it fresh, so I'm not against the idea of bringing this one to a successful conclusion if that's what the majority prefers.

I vote to continue at least until the current quest is done, and then see how everyone feels.

I'll be happy to run with it as long as you want. :)

Sorry I feel this is my fault a bit. My new job is working me 60+ hours a week and my house doesn't have internet. I really want to keep playing and I apologize for holding us up lately. I'm getting used to posting from my phone and it shouldn't be a problem as much now.

I've also been a little less involved only because school's started up for me again and I'm busier. I'm still enjoying this game :)

Ok, great. I'm happy to continue along, I just didn't want this to become a chore from any of you :)

My original plan, that I'll stick to since everyone is still interested, is to finish up this dungeon, and then run 1 final leg from Brovska to Barak Varr. In the process, I'll try and wrap up any loose ends, and offer a fitting conclusion. Then I think I'd like to set it aside for a little while, to be picked up at a later date and a new adventure.

Please don't interpret any of this as my losing interest in the campaign. You have all made really compelling characters and I always look forward to signing on and reading what each of you have said and done. But I think a bit of a break at the end of this adventure will keep things fresh too.

Hey guys,


I'm obviously happy to continue things (as i've not been in here as long as you). I have just found you guys, a good set of roleplayers and... well... i'm going to stalk you wherever you might end up.



I think the game is cool :)

I've uploaded a quick map. I figure it might be easier than describing the tunnels, and where you can go. The X's mark the bloody footprints you had been following. The Star (kinda faint, sorry) the device, anything gray is stone you can walk on. Brown and assorted other colors are sewage or other types of ground cover. I did not put you all on the map because I assume you'll be leaving the room soon.

Is that a Hexographer map? Did you need to download any extra skins or objects (i.e. the star) for it?

Yes it is, and the star stuff came along with it.

I think there is a furnishing set of images, I may see about picking that up, but I can also add any .PNG image into the program for a map

I have no preference which direction we go first. Anyone?

 I suspect it would be better to go after the machines first (if we know where they are) and we should find the chaos agent at one of the machines.

I think the way we were going! :D

Ok, I'm thinking onward then. Update and map coming up in the next few minutes.

Once again, no preference on direction. :)

Ok, so, I had planned to run the next scenario with a map, but it is saved on my work computer. Since I'm a Federal Government employee, I'm not at work and cannot access it. I hate to drop something after I started it (even something minor like this map) but is it alright to continue on without it, at least for now?

Yeah man, don't worry about it. I hope they get that crap resolved quickly, so you're not out of work too long.

My feelings exactly.

 Verbal skills hopefully will suffice to allow us to visualize the area in question.

Yeah, no sweat. Thirding all that Nigel said.

Lets do it! :)

Whew,

Sorry for being AWOL, weirdly busy past few days. I'm back at work now though. No matter how people feel about him, the current SecDef really looks out for us. Government is still technically shutdown, but I am back at work, getting paid, and should be getting back pay for last week as well.

Anyway, I'll be updating things now.

Glad to hear you're back at work, and won't be missing any pay!

I echo that statement and again wonder why they don't have a like button in these threads. :)

In reply to Nigel Plaskitt (msg # 165):

Thirded. ^_^

Sorry, guys. Been out of town with family. ^_^

No problem,

Family comes first :)

What's the range (or just the range penalty) between Grigory and the closest Drone at this point? I'm not exactly sure where Ogindur is in relation to everyone anymore.

I think Ogindur remains in the same place, so he is three yards from the Drones, and you are 1 yard behind him. They are also now within the sconce light removing penalties to hit.

I think we're still waiting on a couple more, right? Real life always takes precedence, but I will probably act for those who haven't posted tomorrow, just to get stuff moving again.

Sorry, I'm a bit confused: did Nik take a hit in that last round, or did my defense succeed? The narration and the crunchy bit kinda turned me both ways.

no, sorry, I messed my tags up. You'll need to defend against both imps again, but you haven't taken any hits.

Gotcha, thanks.

That dodge was a crit wasn't it? That'd mean it rolls on the critical miss table right?

Is it possible to target the vitals of these drones, or would that require knowledge of monster anatomy?

Here's what I'll say:

Targeting specific vitals would require knowledge of the creature's anatomy. However, they are giant insects, with clearly segmented body parts. You may treat an attack on a body segment (between the Thorax and Abdomen say) as an attack on the vitals, same penalties, same effects as targeting the lungs, liver, or kidneys.

That's more than fair. Post added!

Sorry, folks. Didn't realize I was holding things up. XD

I saw Nigel rolled for first aid, but any other healing before we move on? Both Grigory and Nik have taken decent damage.

Is it possible to First Aid yourself? I don't have much skill in it, but it might be worth a try.

In reply to Nikolaas von Richtgraf (msg # 181):

I don't think so, but I'm not sure. Nigel can patch you up next if no one else does.

Yes. Hang on. :)

EDIT: 15:38, Today: Bjorn Jorgensen rolled 9,10,13,11 using 3d6,3d6,3d6,3d6. Minor Healing 15 (x2), First Aid 15 (x2).
Not sure how much damage they have, but that should help. The spells can heal up to 4 HP each.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:40, Tue 05 Nov 2013.

4HP puts Grigory back to full!

Just fyi, for the next few weeks I'm in full school mode so my posting rate may slow down. I'll try to keep up, but I just wanted to let you know in case I drag. Getting a masters while working full time is proving to be a trying experience.

I did that with a PhD.... it was 8hrs of work +2-4hrs more work... sucked bigtime
I know the pain :)

Thanks Bjorn!

Wow, MA's and PhD's? Quite the educated crew we've got here! ^_^

Dang, I'm playing with a bunch of edjamacated peeples (all I've got is a bachelor's degree in business). If you guys don't mind my asking, what is it you studied or are studying?

Whoa, I don't think I could ever do a PhD at all, much less while working full time on top of that.

My masters program is in Archives and Records Management. I know right? Hard to imagine a more glamourous field of study.

I did the masters and work thing too. Actually worked two jobs for a semester while studying and it near killed me lol.

I have a masters in Foreign Policy with an emphasis on East Asia

Archives and Records Management isn't so lame. That means a career as a Librarian or archivist, right? which is pretty cool in my book. I have a friend who works at the Library of Congress, which has come in pretty handy a few times because he can get me almost any book within a few days :). Good luck with school though! My posting rate may go down some too because of the house buying thing and American Thanksgiving coming up.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:37, Wed 06 Nov 2013.

Man... I got a BA in English and the only job I can find is answering phones!

Archive Management actually sounds pretty cool; I used to love going through the rare collections libraries when I was pursuing my degree - the smell of those old books, the peace and quiet, I'm honestly envious of you Grigory.

Except when it gets too quiet. Then it was downright spooky! O_O

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kj2bF8dDNs

The scariest thing about that was the Card Catalogue O_O

I remember, I was doing research at this one library, and it had those crank-moved shelves. I was right around the middle of the isle, when someone started cranking the shelf, and my isle closed. I tried calling out, but nothing, so I had to hustle down to the end, and out. Like some sort of scholarly Indiana Jones thing with the tunnel collapsing behind me. The dude that had nearly crushed me worked at the library and just shrugged and went on to re-shelve books without a word.

didn't even finish my BA yet ^_^'

Academia was my second home.

I kidna spent a lot of time working with it

Degree in marine biology
then degree in computer science
then a PhD studying the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence to computer security.

I work full time as a professional hax0r :D Commonly termed 'Security Consultant' my PhD was 'very' related to my work... so it was just like continuity.


Doing a postgrad course at the same time as work... destroyed any semblance of sanity that I once had :D

My God, your student loans must be atrocious!

Ogindur...do you work at a place called Cyberdyne Systems by any chance? I'm just worried I won't have my machine-proof bunker built in time.

Archivist is a possibility, but more than likely I'll be working with current records - that's where many of the jobs are right now. And that often means managing thousands of boxes of memos and financial records without any of the mystique of really old archives.

In reply to Grigory (msg # 195):

LOLOLOLOL

Hey gang, sorry I've been so quiet for so long. Been a busy couple of days.

With hex placement being as important as it is, are we waiting for the map to come up or should we go ahead with the initial actions?

The hex map is uploaded under 'Game map'.

Yup, hexmap should be up under game map. Occasionally you have to refresh the page, if the map is still showing an older version.

Game map should be updated. I had to hit refresh for it to show, so if you don't see a new map, try that.

I actually all out attacked last turn so that shot hits... what's the damage?

I missed that, see it now and apparently the dice gods decided to be more forgiving thanks to your honesty:

Today: Secret Roll: Chance rolled 3 using 2d6-1.

Thats pi+, which cancels out your 1DR in armor (3-1DR*1.5=3)

In reply to Chance (msg # 202):

I actually forgot, if you'll notice I rolled for dodge yesterday, then when I was copying over my previous bow roll I saw the "+1 aoa det." I was like aw crap, I got shot... I'm just glad there wasn't much damage. :)

Post up, and game map should be up as well

Well gang, this is my last day before I head out on vacation for a couple weeks. Good luck to all of us in this fight, and I'll see you when I get back.

(I'll certainly be floating around RPoL today, but I figured I'd say my goodbyes early, just in case.)

Have fun! this should be the last round of the fight, I'll NPC you along until you get back :)

Nigel is gonna be pretty upset if Ogindur dies, just saying.

Ogindur might be dead...

In less heavy news, I'm headed out to see the in-laws for Thanksgiving. I'll be totally unavailable tomorrow as I fly, and then may be slightly more available over the next few days. Will be back to normal Tuesday 3-December

Okay, so I'm totally digging the tense interaction right now, but I wanted to make sure you remember ooc that the city guard already cleared out Verangy from his mansion and actually asked us to check over the sewers as a show of good faith since we were already suspect for bringing dead bodies for him.

It's been a while since all that happened, but in the game it's only been half a day at the most, so I wanted to make sure we're clear on that. Otherwise, I think it's kinda cool that we have a few people who regard the law highly (Bjorn and Nigel) and a few who are much more mistrusting (Grigory and Nikolaas), indifferent (Ogindur ), or even hostile (Konad apparently).

 Umm, he does keep the law, but he has a temper(it says so on his sheet) and he does hate Chaos in any form, his motto is "light up a chaos demon a day" or something like that. He is a bit affronted that the guards did not go after the cultist's right away instead of waiting for the cultist's to almost get the machines going and poisoning the city, not to mention that is companion in the tombs is almost certainly dead now because the guards did not go after the enemy.

 Anyway that is this chars thinking at this moment.

I thought the guards were in the process of hunting down the cultists and just used the information (and skills) we brought as leverage to get it done more efficiently. No one knew what the cultists were really up to until we went in the sewers. Correct me if I've missed something.

In reply to Konad Magnos (msg # 210):

That makes sense, I just wanted to understand where you were coming from.

Bjorn - They did use our skills but I think it was more that they didn't want to go down there because it would have been a bloodbath. Better to send in some sturdier people you don't know. They did ask for help, but I'm not sure they actually would have gone down there themselves...

Either way, glad we're all clear on what we're thinking; didn't want any misunderstandings getting in the way of such an awesome game.

.... Why does that sound like Benedikta is still alive? :'(

And just when I thought we were rid of her too...

Howdy all!

I'll be making an IC post as soon as I can (maybe as late as tomorrow), but I wanted to let you all know that I'm back and Jamaica is beautiful. ^_^

Ogindur should be fine to walk out.

I'm also going intentionally a bit slow so Nik has some time to catch up in all their games.

Sorry for my long absence guys, and thanks very much for your consideration and patience; I think I'm pretty much back on track by now. ^_^

Okay, the bad news is Maurice critically failed his Merchant roll for resupply - I'm thinking the old fool got himself drunk during the victory celebration, spent too long flirting with a shopkeeper's pretty wife, and ended up throwing around money like a sailor on payday. I'm figuring the cost to resupply as being 50% extra ($750 rather than $500); is that fair? We can increase it if you'd rather, but that's the number I used going forward.

The good news is Nik succeeded his Miserliness roll, which means everyone gets paid on-time and with a little bonus thrown in. As usual you are all invited to invest some in the load itself, which will entitle you to a higher share. No one kicked in extra investments on this load, and that turned out to be a smart move with the Bugman's being less than marketable.

Payday
Bjorn: $1,000
Grigory: $1,000
Grom (funerary/memorial service, insurance paid to next of kin): $1,000
Konad: $1,000
Nigel: $1,000
Ogindur: $1,000, plus medical expenses are handled by the Count

As usual, Nik and Maurice's share will be bankrolled into the next load, leaving us with $10,510 to invest in goods. [Private to GM: Also, Nik has a bug up his ass about seeing Grom's ax sent to his family along with the insurance money. I won't propose anything in case you had plans, but I wanted to let you know that's on my mind.]

I'm torn on the investment. Smart money says wheat, but the best profit potential is the vodka. Very briefly looking at numbers (not my strong suit), it looks like we either take a chance on the vodka and maybe make a profit, or we play it safe with the wheat and see barely any return.

If we spend $10,000 even we can afford 625 pints (enough room for 175 more, or maybe a few bushels of wheat, if anyone feels like investing) ans still have $500 left over for lunch, gas and tollbooths.

Does that sound like a decent plan to everybody?

 Should Konad get a full share?, he has not been with the wagon as long as everyone else?.

I thought of that - shorting Ogindur, Konad and Grom all for a variety of reasons, and I totally would have done it had Nik failed his Miserliness roll. As it is, he's possessed by some sort of uncharacteristic magnanimity (probably owing to having survived what he was sure was a death-charge) and looking to spread the love.

:D


WEll, for marketting...

I guess the vodka and/or potatoes would be the best effort. You can get wheat anywhere.

The potatoes are perhaps the rarest commodity in the nation, especially if the town is famed for this type of potato.

That said, if the vodka is made from this type of potato then it shares the rarity and also is a 'finished' product leading to perhaps a good demand and decent margins.

That said, my guess is given the relative rarity it's to be sold as a special 'brew' probably for more discriminate/discerning customers (read: nobles, or status 1+ people)..


1) vodka
2) potatoes
3) wheat



thanks for the share :D

That's not necessarily true about wheat. Consider that Barak Varr is a Dwarf port, situatied in hill country infested with orcs. Not good soil, not much safety, and why would a dwarf want to farm? :p

Not saying potatoes or vodka are bad ideas, just that wheat is a necessary import for the dwarves.

well that definitely makes sense. I think i was a bit clueless about how far we were away from the mountainy dwarven areas :D


in which case wheat makes something good, for dwarves that can use it to brew :D

At the moment, I can't think of anything Bjorn would need to buy immediately. He'll probably just invest most of his share for the next leg.

Nigel doesn't really need anything either, he'd be open to investing in this stretch of the trip if that was possible, but last time the Count covered all the costs without need for guard investors so I wasn't planning on it this time around.

My plan is to save up enough money so that Nigel can open up his own fletcher's shop/market stall. Points-wise I'm saving all of them to buy Pip as an ally, I have 2 points saved, but I'm thinking I'll need at least 8 to get an ally built on 50% available constantly. Of course I could buy him as an ally built on 25%, then upgrade him later to represent Nigel training him as an archer if that would be okay. (I'd still need two more points though).

I think buying him at 25% would be accurate. Especially considering he's still a child. As he grows up, he'll get steadily better

I'll donate a point :D hehe

Ogindur will really just invest the money as the rest of the group decides. He's a little embarassed about the 'fall' he took at the climax of their endeavour and as a result is feeling 'easy' :D

We've still got plenty of room for wheat or spuds (675 out of 800 pints used, convert at your leisure). I would dearly hate to set out with less than a full load, so investors are very welcome.

As for Pip, we can sign him on as a page and drover and cut him in for a half-share (sort of like Maurice) on the next leg of the journey. The lads okay by me. ^_^

What about the strange subterranean tubers that this city specializes in? If those are highly prized by the dwarves, that sounds like what we should be transporting to me.

Wait, the strange subterranean tubers are the potatoes aren't they?

I feel like such a tard...
This message was last edited by the player at 01:26, Sun 15 Dec 2013.

Grigory would like to reinvest his $1000 into the caravan. IC, he'd prefer to stock vodka, but he'd probably end up drinking the stock then!

Grigory brings up a good point. Any of you with alcoholism may struggle not to drink the cargo.

I considered the Alcoholism problem, but I had hoped it was limited to good ol' Grom. If it comes down to it I'm hoping that Maurice and his blunderbuss will be a good enough deterrent, but Grigory is a pretty sneaky guy...

We'll make sure to buy a bit of extra for personal, that should shore up the men's willpower a bit. How much would it cost for a decent-sized keg of rum?

In the meantime, I'm not sure we have enough space on the wagons for $1,000 worth of wheat, but we could put that into 62 more pints of vodka easily enough (leaving us with space for 63 more pints, or whatever that translates to in wheat/potatoes). I'd be all for that extra investment.

And it also took me a while to realize the tubers were the potatoes. We blonde's should stick together. ^_~

 Hmmm, is this the time to consider if a new extra wagon or cart would be worth the cost vs extra cargo?.

In reply to Konad Magnos (msg # 233):

We could, but we'd need to hire another driver. Its not a bad idea really.

In addition to the driver, we'd also need the beasts to pull the cart and extra supplies to feed them. I think it'd be a pretty huge investment, if we could even pull it off.

In reply to Nikolaas von Richtgraf (msg # 235):

A wagon with 2 oxen is $3640 + the cost of feed. I don't think it's impossible, especially if all of the guards pitch in.

Ok, so any closer to a final decision? If you all wanted to go for another wagon, that'd be do-able. Then, with a fleet of three, you'd be in decent shape to start a more regular trade run

I'm in favor of that. With our recent pay, Nigel has $1300 to put towards a new wagon and cargo, with the money from everyone else we have enough to buy the wagon, oxen, and feed, so if Nik can afford to fill it we're totally good.

I spent all the cash on the 675 pints of vodka - near as I can figure, that fills 1.5 wagons, but leaves the Caravan Corporation with only $500 for incidentals. If we really want an additional wagon, wares, beasts and drivers I'm afraid the only help I can be is Merchant rolls to try and get us a better deal.

I'm all for it as an idea, but - and get used to hearing this as Christmas gets closer - I just don't got the cash.

There are five guards and we reach have $1000 to invest, that's enough to buy the wagon, animals, feed, and cargo (if we choose to fill it with wheat or potatoes). None of us will have any money, but we'll have a third wagon full of goods.

Sound like a plan? :)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:45, Wed 18 Dec 2013.

I'm game for that; I'm a big risk = big money kind of Count. We've at least got the $500 float for emergencies.

 Konad will take a chance and invest towards a wagon but he wants a clearly defined contract stating the share he should expect to receive of the profits of the cargo.

In reply to Konad Magnos (msg # 242):

Agreed. Obviously we get our initial investment back, but I'm not to sure what the profits will be on this load. For potatoes we're looking to buy $1000 worth (500 potatoes, a completely full wagon) and get $1500 back. The real money would be in vodka, so what we really need is everyone to post just how much money their character can invest, so we can figure out how much vodka we can afford (not a full wagon, I'll tell you that).

Our characters aren't going t to get all their money out of the wagon in one trip, but if Nik buys the wagon from us (paying back our $1000 plus some extra in addition to our guard pay), everyone should be happy. We'll all make a little extra money, Nik will own three wagons, and we might even be able to do it again.

I'm thinking if everyone puts in $1000 and we all get $1100-$1150 out we should be elated, that's a 10-15% return on investment. I dare you to find anywhere that will get you that IRL.

Just so long as the IC pay doesn't become an issue OOC right?

Too right, Nigel - I'd hate to see this company fall apart over money issues.

If you guys can put up the initial investment for the load and wagon, Nik can purchase it after the shipment is made and Maurice can try to get us a better deal on the sale of the goods. This could be a tidy payday.

Ok, so is the final plan for the rest of the party to buy another wagon and fill it?

Was the cargo going to be mostly Vodka, with potatoes taking up the remainder?

 Works for me.

In reply to Chance (msg # 245):

Affirmative.

I don't know if we all had $1440 or not, so he can be put in the third wagon of there's empty space.

i'm good with that :D

I think everyone has that amount to spend. Those of you who have been around from the start should have plenty, and the two new characters spent lightly enough on gear to easily eat that cost.

 Fine, as long as he gains on the contract he is content.

I think we're all on board with transporting the prisoner, yeah?

On an unrelated note, I'm trying to get a very straightforward Dungeon Fantasy (think D&D but GURPS) game off the ground. Both Andy (Nigel) and Jared (Chance) are co-GMs with a few others. The game is geared towards beginners, but since most of the beginners I had in mind have flaked, I'm starting to open the game up to other people I play with and like (that's you!).

Extensive knowledge of GURPS is not required at all, and there are many people who are more than willing to hand-hold as necessary and answer whatever "stupid" questions you might have. The game will be strict Dungeon Fantasy rules. As such, players will not be allowed to deviate from the templates without express permission. (Don't expect it.) This is more to help new folks get a handle on what solid characters look like and why. The pros write the templates, so yeah. I have listed in the game what supplements are relevant and why. If you don't own a particular supplement but want to know more about what's in it, send me a private message and we'll see what we can do.

If you're interested, shoot me a PM or RTJ. The game title is Venture - GURPS Dungeon Fantasy, and my RPoL sn is cltchrn. (I am the game "owner.") It is listed as NOT requesting players. Disregard this for yourselves.

Also, to keep things moving along in this game, please refer any questions to me in a private message. :D

Ah yes,

I was already in that game... but hadn't made a character yet. I was trying to make something that fit with what I wanted for a character and stuck precisely (as you guys requested) to the templates.

:D

What is the length of the journey to Barak Var on each path? If the riverside path is such that we can jet through in a couple of days with no need to untie our prisoner, I'd say do that one. If both trips will take a longer period of time, I'd say the countryside path would be better even though we might have more random encounters.

I suppose it is up to the newcomer to post a curious thought. I am not sure what the politics are in this town but has any considered the bag and what is in it?, sure they say it is a dwarf who was caught stealing something and has friends who will most likely team up with the Witch Hunter to get him back if he is what the sheriff says he is.

 We have a bag with something inside it but do we have any paperwork from the officials with his charges?.

 Just thinking outside the box.

The river path will take you about 10 days, the countryside path about 15 days.

Korad brings up an interesting point too. The people of Brovska have been friendly so far, but pretty much all the other places you've been to have tried to screw you all one way or another ;)

I was growing fond of the niceties... *sigh* ...It is Warhammer. Everything and everyone should be out to get us. :p

I agree, better the long and private road.

As far as expecting some sort of double-cross, well... yeah. It's pretty much par for the course, and in any case Nik really can't turn down the money. As far as paperwork goes, we must at least have gotten a bill of sale - I doubt it would include any official charges, but it'll prove we are who we are and make sure they know we're the guys to pay.

Also Bjorn, I'm very curious about a dedicated DF game; I'll be sending you a message soon, I'm just chasing my tail a bit lately. If you're already going please go without me, but if there's a little time left I'd like to at least look into it.

Hi all, sorry for the long absence. I'm back now, and going through the posts to catch up.

No worries, hope you had some happy holidays, and we're glad you're back!

Okay so the thread title for chapter 3 here is scaring me. Confrontations!? Why plural? Man we're in for it...

I was trying to be a little ominous, yes. *evil grin*

I'm sorry to have been gone so long and to have not responded to this question before now. Konad, I'm not ignoring you. I'll make a point of answering this question in my next post, which I'll be doing as soon as I get a few minutes.

No!

We can't pay them!
not after all the deliberation about profit, trade, merchanting and stuff! :D

:)

I know I may sound really mean right now, but this was all determined randomly.

Plus, if you can catch them all, word might not get out.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:26, Fri 10 Jan 2014.

In reply to Chance (msg # 266):

Suuure it was. ;)

EDIT: Wait a minute, how the heck did he even move? Grigory had a crossbow pointed at him and said if he said a word he'd die (Post #11). I'm assuming that would go doubly so for moving around. Are you sure they saw him?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:01, Fri 10 Jan 2014.

 No no, Nigel the scene is you shoot first then ask what the commander wants to do, not ask first before shooting. ^-^

I believe this might be relevant:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g82I7w3ENU

The dwarf took his step as the ringleader stumbled. If Grigory wants to shoot him for it, he can do that, and Stanauch will still step. But he told the dwarf not to say anything, and the dwarf did abide by that.

Dang... I was really hoping there might have been an easier way lol. Then again, with this party's luck...

We'll see what the good Count orders, but I don't think we'll be able to kill them all.

lol!

I hope I didn't ruffle any feathers by not pursuing; I didn't honestly think we'd be able to catch all of them, and I'd rather not get a reputation for massacres. Still, when we next get ambushed you can all feel free to say "I toldja so". ^_~

How do you want to handle the interrogation, Chance? Mostly Nik just wants to find out the nature of Stanauch's crimes and that of the men he keeps mentioning - are we talking about a gang of urban cut-purses or an army of bloodthirsty pirates, that sort of thing - and he'll bring Maurice along for to Detect Lies. Bjorn might be welcome as well, depending on whether the interrogation involves any bloodshed that needs patching.

On that note I feel like I should mention something that you would all know, either from your time with the Count or from Maurice's private conversations: Nik is big on justice. What I mean is that, since his honour is at stake along with his profits, Nik is going to see the prisoner to Barak Varr, even if that means carving through his entire gang to do so. Depending on Stanauch's crimes, however, the Count might just put up a lawyer's fee or bail bond or whatever for him once we get there. As always I'm totally open for differences of opinion, and I never want to just take the reigns of the group and steer us in my own direction; I just wanted you all to know what I'm thinking.

Think more Ben Wade's gang (3:10 to Yuma) or, if you haven't seen that, any sort of Old West Outlaws should do for the sort of bad guys to expect.

As far as how you want to handle it, I'll go along with whatever your group wants to do. Your prisoner is smug, and feels like he's the long suffering victim, in case that helps you with an approach.

So it's safe to assume (or assume that all we'll get from an interrogation) is that he's a fairly standard bandit-type with a gang of similar toughs, apparently guilty of things like highway robbery and the like? In that case, I'm happy to call that the end of the interrogation.

What I was really worried about was like a reputation for black magic or unspeakable brutality. If those peasants were just scared because he's the biggest badass on the hill that's one thing, but if they were freaked out that we had the Devil himself in our wagon I might have just run off with them! O_o

No, apart from a reputation as a feared outlaw, he's not some secret Chaos demigod or anything :)

While he is very guilty of general banditry and murder, the dwarves want he for something different, and you'd infer, something that would only be illegal to them.

Oh, cool, fair enough then; I may not agree with dwarven law, but I'm not about to claim some sort of moral authority on that front. I'm quite content to call the interrogation a success having learned nothing that wasn't on the wanted poster.

Still and all though, man did he have those bandits scared. Is anyone else really concerned about the type of criminals that would follow this guy?

If you to want to interrogate him Nigel has that skill and could get some better or at least more specific information out of him.

Honestly I can't think of any useful questions that I would want to ask him. Maybe the size, territory and disposition of his gang, but I don't see that as being particularly important. If you've got anything in mind, I say have at him.

I think the image I have in my head of what's going on exactly may be mistaken. GM, could you break down roughly who is where, and what skeletons are closest?

Thanks!

In reply to Grigory (msg # 280):

I thought you were in front, so charging the skeletons in the back might be counterproductive. I could be wrong though.

I thought Grigory was in front too, but he was the one who spotted the ones at the back? This is why I'm confused...

In any case, he'll charge at the ones closest to him.

Sure, sorry for any confusion, I had essentially pictured you all bunched up in a group at the corner with the torch. I've posted a map, let me know if you saw yourself anywhere else, and I'll happily rearrange.

Great, so I'll be running to the group on the right of the map (towards 23.34).

Colin, which group of skeletons are you running at?

straight ahead! :D

Lol, I thought Nik was charging the bigger group of skeletons. I'll help Bjorn now, but for the record Nik, I totally beat you. :)

I'm not really familiar with GURPS magic systems - does Bjorn have any D&D-style turning undead abilities?

Psht, I let you win Nigel. ^_~

I'm also not really up on my GURPS magic, but as I understand it Turning is either a function of the Blessed Advantage or a straight-up use of the Turn Zombie spell (which I'm not sure would work on skeletons, technically). In either case, Turning just prevents the creatures from coming within a certain distance, it doesn't really dispel them at all.

In reply to Nikolaas von Richtgraf (msg # 289):

Good to know, though even just holding them off for a round or two would give Nigel the time to work his particular brand of 'dispel' :)

If arrows are a dispel magic, I'm the best dang wizard ever!

JK. ;) Seriously though, if Konad could cast Flaming Missiles on Nigel that'd be super sweet!

It's okay, Ogindur will save the day :D

 Doh, i was of the thought it was like a flame bolt, hence the name flaming missile.

I do actually have Turn Zombie, but it takes too long to cast. I'll just use my trust flaming warhammer. ;)

If Nigel doesn't save it first. :P

Hey Konrad? need to know what you're planning on doing.

 On it.

Konad, we're waiting on your post I think.

 Not sure if Bjorn has identify or if there is another skill/spell that can be used to see if there is arcane power on the weapons?.

Only thing that might work is Occultism:

11:11, Today: Bjorn Jorgensen rolled 9 using 3d6. Occultism 12.

 Checking one of the skele swords out.

13:50, Today: Konad Magnos rolled 13 using 3d6. Occultism/15

In reply to Konad Magnos (msg # 301):

I just meant the only thing that Bjorn has. You could probably also roll Thaumatology or Hidden Lore (Magic Items) if you have it.

 Ahhh, ok, no hidden lore (items).
15:58, Today: Konad Magnos rolled 18 using 3d6. Thaumatology/15 Wow, would be good if it were for a stat. First time i rolled a triple 6's. Somehow i dont think i will find out anything on this weapon, which makes sense, why would a bunch of cheap skeletons be carrying around a magic weapon or even a masterwork weapon's?.

That's a crit failure. For all you know that's a ancient Khemrian sword of immense power!

What luck! Grigory always wanted one of those!

The sword is a Khopesh which uses Axe/mace OR Broadsword. It's about 2 feet long, not including the handle.

Rats... Grigory and Nigel both use short swords.

Grigory's got some training in Axe/mace, for those troublesome ROUS's that need the extra hitting power. But the Khopesh doesn't really seem to have any advantages over the axe or the shortsword, so Grigory will just keep it as a souvenir.

Bjorn has Turn Zombie. Creative use might make this interesting. What exactly is the layout? The long, narrow tunnels?

A little more detailed description (or a map if you have time) would be great, we could use Turn Zombie to herd them into each other and just mop up the ones the don't get hit. :)

Yeah. The chance of actually turning is just 1/6, but the area damage will be helpful.

I don't have time for a map today, maybe Monday or Tuesday if you want to wait. Here's a bit more detail in case it helps:

The tunnels are laid out in a square. Each side is 2 yards wide and 40 yards long. You all have come down at a mid point on one of the sides, and you may assume the exit is at another mid point on one of the square's other sides (but you don't know specifically where). So, from where you are currently, the tunnel extends to your right and left by 20 yards before it makes a right angle turn. Does that help at all?

In reply to Chance (msg # 312):

Yup! That's a crap ton of zombies. No way I have enough FP for that many spells. :D

This message was deleted by the player at 15:08, Mon 17 Feb 2014.

Tactics or Strategy would be good, I'd think, in this situation.

I didn't know which would have been the proper choice (Tactics seemed more relevant, but I honestly had no idea) so I just rolled once; I either succeeded by 1 (if it's Strategy) or 2 (if Tactics).

Also, sorry if it's not cool that I rolled once for two different skills; not trying to pull anything here, just figured this would be the quicker way.

No worries, I know you're buried at work :)

As long as we move slowly in ranks, we should be able to wipe them out since they can't see they won't be able to defend right? That'll mean we'll kill then one slowly but surely with Ogindur and Bjorn using their shields to take a lot of the attacks that do get through.

My vote is for option 4.

 I am willing to do what ever the group wants to try, just wonder if the undead creature types will attack if i fumble a casting?.

Probably. I'm more worried about running down your FP before we get to Benedikta. No matter which choice we make I think #3 is off the table.

Assuming All-Out Defense is an option, I think #1 is probably the safest bet but it doesn't really address the issue of how we get back out. That's the horrible thing about zombies - if you don't deal with them, they're always gonna be there. They're like dirty dishes that way.

I'm not in to Option #2 at all.

Option #3 doesn't sound too bad to me, assuming Konad has the FP for it - seems pretty quick and easy, but I don't know that we'll want to wait for him to get his energy back, I know we wouldn't want an exhausted caster when we meet Benedikta, and it still leaves the zombie hallway disturbingly full of zombies.

Option #4 is basically "trigger the trap". The good side is that we won't have to worry about these zombies ever again; the bad side is that we'll be fighting literally hundreds of zombies. Mathematically they're bound to get lucky and zap at least one of us. If we could come up with like a buddy-system (one guy Attacks or All-Out Attacks while his neighbor All-Out Defends him, supported by shooters from behind) I'd feel a lot better about this choice, but I really don't want to get buried in zombies. Seriously, I've had that nightmare before. O_o

All in all, I'm torn (ooh, bad choice of words...) between #1 and #4. Chance - is AoD an option for #1? Is a buddy-system doable for #4?

Anyone with shield wall training can block for an ally. So y'all should be able to easily stack up, yeah, and a few AoD while the others attack.

To me Option 1 seems like the best option for catching Benedikta before she escapes.

(Sorry about my AWOLness... again)

I <3 you all though :)

We're just on hold for a little bit here, Ogindur, but we love you too. ^_^

Since we have the time to call for a show of hands, what is everyone's favourite option for by-passing the zombie hallway?

I say #1.

Ok, I'm back. So it looks like option 1 then? Just wanted to double check. Also, Konrad, I moved your post to the proper thread.

Option one is fine, I just didn't want option three.

Can me crazy, but I don't think that's gonna motivate her to rush out and face us lol.

We're not so good at negotiations in this group...

He doesn't care. :D Fanaticism FTW.

Sorry, I'm a little spacially incompetent. Can we get a diagram to illustrate what the area looks like, and what area has been blocked off? Doesn't have to be an actual hexmap, I'm just a little lost and need a hook to visualize.

Thanks!

Ok, I put up a quick, rough, map. Let me know if that helps or if you have any questions (and feel free to blame my poor descriptions lol)

The descriptions I'm sure are fine, I'm just a little slow!

So our way forward (up on the map) is totally blocked by the guillotine blade, but we can double back and go left?

Grigory will try to be more careful as we go ahead.

You know it is blocked while you are standing on the trigger stone.

I'm assuming we have enough time to scratch our heads and puzzle this one out for a little while, so if it's okay with Chance I'm going to open up a discussion here.

I dunno about you guys, but I'm a little stumped here. I've only got two ideas, and they're both pretty stupid - we could try our luck with shields or cobblestones to try and stop the blade's falling, but that would almost certainly destroy some of our equipment and wouldn't be a sure thing for stopping the blade.

The other idea is to gather up some of the zombies (gross, I know, but hear me out) and either try to stop the blade from falling with a pile of corpses for cushioning, or else wedge the channels full of skulls and grue and pray that it slows the blade enough to let us pass under. I recall this method didn't work out too well in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but Indy had to worry about a whole ceiling, so... I dunno... maybe?

Anyway, the floor is open and it's unlikely anyone will come up with anything dumber than that, so don't be shy! Any thoughts?

A well timed run seemed like it was an option, but if anyone fails a DX roll or whatever Jared asks for to get the timing right, that person will get seriously messed up/dead.

It doesn't sound like there's a way to jam the pressure plates into the 'up' position, but if there were that might be an option.

 Any chance the blade could be "Welded" in the up right position.? If there is metal then it can be heated to warp it or even melt it enough to weld it in the upright position?.

How big is the pressure plate? If it's only a yard or two long, that should be a pretty easy jump.

Yup, pressure plate is only about a yard long. However, you all do not know how the pressure plates work for the other traps, or where they're situated. When I have a moment, I'll upload a map with numbers, in case y'all are intending to jump.

In that case, what if we send a scout (Grigory, I'm looking at you) to take the first jump, just in case we need to figure a way to pull him back?

Grigory or Nigel, I don't know who has the higher DX score, but either of us could do it.

Map uploaded with numbering, but it somehow decided to be giant... (just thought I'd warn anyone on a phone or slow connection)

Grigory is willing to give it a shot. DX 14, though no skill in 'Jumping' specifically.

In reply to Grigory (msg # 344):

Same here. So there's not going to really be a difference.

Ok, so who's it going to be?

Grigory volunteers!

Good luck to you!

I'll hold off a little bit before posting in case anyone else has any other ideas (I certainly don't!)

In the meantime - was anyone playing in that shortlived GURPS Rpol game in the Ghost Tower of Inverness? My half orc was killed by a really cool trap in that, and I'm starting to have flashbacks...

:D

I'll need some sort of bash roll from Bjorn and Ogindur, just so I'll have an idea of how long it'll take for y'all to progress through. After I get that, I can move stuff forward a good bit.

Just bash our way through...? My God, I can't believe I didn't even consider the direct approach.

I swear, the next character I make is going to be intentionally stupid just so I can play it right. >_<

09:45, Today: Bjorn Jorgensen rolled 11 using 3d6. Bash.

Dunno if that's ST, DX, or just my Mace skill, but it should be a success in any case.

Yup, that's fine. I brought you all up to the last door, in case you want to make any preparations, check for traps, etc.

I think we're waiting on Konrad and Bjorn

Heh. So I kinda assumed that Grom had been turned based on what Benedikta said and therefore tried to kill him...

Seeing Bjorn and Nik's posts I am now wondering if that was a good idea. The witch could totally be lying and he could just be enchanted and not turned, but I didn't think about that. I'm gonna feel really bad if I'm the one who gives Grom an honorable death... :/

I'm assuming he's a dead'un too; the disarm attempt is just step one in de-clawing what was built as an ax-based combat machine.

Don't worry about the details though - Slayers want to die, so either we're doing him a favour by killing him or we're doing him a favour by re-killing him. Dwarfs are weird people like that.

True. And if we kill him there really won't be any way to know whether we were killing a vampire or our mind-controlled friend, so we're in the clear.

I was thinking though, if he dies attacking his friends because he's been mind-controlled does it still count as an honorable death when we kill him? What if he's been turned into a vampire, does his getting killed and turned count as an honorable death or does it not count because he's undead now? So is his re-death honorable if he was the evil thrall/protege of a vampire master? I have so many questions.

See this youtube video by College Humor to get into my thought process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90TW-p3rkQk

LOL

Okay, now I'm conflicted... XD

Something weird happened when I added more hexes to the map and things re-positioned. I think everything is about where it was, but let me know if something doesn't look right.

Also, I don't know about y'all, but I'm excited for this fight.

In reply to Chance (msg # 361):

I've been looking forward to this, no doubt about it. >:}

I've never actually hated an NPC more than I hate Benedikta.

Agreed.

Pretty sure I've never hated anyone (real or imagined) as much as I hate Benedikta.

Absolutely. I'm really trying to figure out how I can get a villain at least half as affecting into my tabletop game.

I take that as a pretty big compliment, thanks all :)

I tried to make someone I knew I would despise if I encountered her in a game or book or something.

Also, Nigel I think we're waiting on you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:29, Thu 10 Apr 2014.

 But using Grom?, that is a really bad villain.

I've been planning that move for a while, since you switched characters Konrad

Posted sorry for the hold up.

Seriously, I think Benedikta has become self-aware and is infecting the die roller. JaJH, you've doomed us all!

In reply to Grigory (msg # 370):

I know, right? We're all witnessing the birth of the first RPoL Creepypasta!

I think we're still waiting on one or two to post. I will update tomorrow. Home sick today (flu) so I wouldn't have access to the map to update anyway.

Is Benedikta's position on the map correct? I moved to 05/05 last turn, and I might be standing right behind her... which I really, really hope is the case.

oops, I didn't catch your move to 05/05, but yes, Benedikta should be at 06/05

The number scheme is different since you updated it, but I should be a lot closer to Benedikta. I've be running forward full move and shooting the last three turns, so I could even be as close as Nik. I was thinking I was around 09/09 or 09/08 if thats okay.

Yeah, when I add rows on this program it messes the numbering all up. 09/09 or 09/08 are fine and make sense.

What program are you using, btw? You may have mentioned before but I've forgotten. Is it easy to use?