New OOC thread ....

I am supposed to be packing my van, ready to go away for the weekend.  But when the urge strikes ...

http://galinia.org.uk/the-green-friars

It is time for another RP thread and some more downtime.

I thought we might do a Trip to the Ball Game for one RP thread, but I am open to suggestions for another RP thread - just remember it has to be something that won't turn into a fight or adventure.

I have been blogging again ...

http://galinia.org.uk/life-goes-on

Now to turn it into a drinking game.

We should all play it in character

I have a bottle of homemade blackberry rum ....

And tell us just how good that is;  so we can enjoy it vicariously..

Well ...  I made 2x Blackberry Rum, 1x Rosehip Rum and 1x Sloe rum last autumn.

The sloe and Rose hip came out for the pirate event - and they were both sweet and silky smooth - very liqueur.  I opened one of the Blackberry at a 17th C Living history event, and that is drier, with a slight bite. More like a flavoured spirit - Just how I like it  :)

None for age, then two come along at once!

http://galinia.org.uk/so-what-is-roleplaying

I have just been reminded of the old Star Trek song ...

'We come in peace ... shoot to kill, shoot to kill, shoot to kill.'

 There's klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow, there's klingons on the starboard bow, shake them off, Jim!

It's Life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, not as we know it. It's Life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, Captain.

Finally back, and posts in all the adventure threads.  Thank you for bearing with me.

It was an excellent weekend.  The party rescued a bird man from a LN Cleric, cleared a village of trolls (and other baddies) then helped save the Bird men from an attack from a cloud Castle and troops of Ice Demons.  After that, they faced Rhemoraz and Ice Worms before solving the puzzles of the Icy Tower - all to get access to The Sky Fish.  The Sky Fish allowed them to storm the cloud castle, free the Cloud Giant from Possession, then chase the thing that possessed him from the castle.

Now they are rich  -  until they spend all their newly gained loot.  (at about this time next year :)

Sorry Guys, the last week hasn't been good to me ...  cold, bad back, sleep issues, bit of food poisoning, etc.    I hate getting old!

I am getting posts done today.

Keep yourself well!

Also, any extra XP for making a less than wise decision while wisdomly challenged?

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate! Happy Day for others!

And to you :)

Thanksgiving isn't a holiday here but,  to help my wife (who is American) celebrate, we have a get together on a weekend that is both close and convenient.  So we celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago.

Just a heads up that I am going to open the 4717 campaign round in the next few days.  Normally it would be closer to the Solstice (21 Dec) -  but I expect to be away from  home from 31 Dec through to 15 Jan (or so) - so it makes sense to start a bit earlier.

 I did most of the prep back in July / August and there are finance files on the website, with links on the top part of this page ...

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....southernregion:start

Just be aware that I haven't completed all the checks yet, nor fully updated the Player Information thread yet.

link to a message in this game

I have updated the financial details recorded for PCs in the Player Information II notice thread.  I expect to get the Fuzzy:Development threads up over the weekend - after I have updated adventure threads.

Where more than one PC has an interest in a business or estate -  I have  recorded the same thing for each PC.  Many entries contain links to spreadsheets on the Wiki -  they are up-to-date, but many still carry notes from last Campaign Round.

I'll try and make sure that I clean those out when I publish the next set of spreadsheets AFTER this campaign Round has been concluded.

Okay, finally had some time to look over the new Entourage rules and have 1 question:

For Entourage-Cohorts, it states that you "promote" Entourage-Assistants to Entourage-Cohorts when they are 4th level AND and at least 4 levels lower than you (which should always be the case, since you have to be 8th level to have a 4th level Entourage-Assistant). That all makes sense.

But, it also states that "Entourage-Cohorts have PC classes." How is that, since they are being "promoted" from Entourage-Assistants that have NPC classes? Is it as simple as their NPC class switches to a PC class (ie. a level 4 warrior becomes a level 4 fighter or a level 4 arcane adept becomes a level 4 wizard)?

I think a Trait is a fair price for a small amount of retraining :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:29, Mon 06 Dec 2021.

Makes sense to me, just wanted to make sure.

Guys, I will be away from home until Friday.  Restricted Internet access and no access to my books / resources etc.

Can anyone explain to me how a Trade Route increases a City's Consumption rate?

Do you mean the reason for it or the amount it changes?

The rules are here

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....t-house#trade_routes

The Consumption benefits go to the city or town at each end of the route. If more than one merchant house connects two settlements - the settlement only gets the best consumption modifier.

The benefits gained are 1 for Minor, 2 for Lesser, 3 for Greater and 4 for Major and given it's a benefit would it decrease the rate?

Since when is Consumption a BENEFIT? I always thought it was a measure of how many resources it gobbled up to keep it going?

Trade routes reduce a city's consumption :)

Aaaah, that's very different then. Makes better sense now.


Can V&A benefit from multiple trade routes?

Like a Minor trade route between Tusk & Mivon, PLUS a lesser trade route between Ringbridge and Jovvox, PLUS a lesser trade route between Feyfalls and Wyvern Bridge?

V&A can benefit from more than one Trade route, but not the ones specified.

Trade routes link Countries / Regions together.

Greater Mivon counts as one trade hub  (Covers Mivon/Jovvox)
Southern Region covers Tusk, Wyvern Bridge and Ringbridge.

Other options are Restov, Sirian, Fort Drelev and (eventually) New Steven.

I have just been reminded -  all of your Ch-raracters should age by one year.  And Entourage members, who are eligible, may advance a level.

Eligible means that the new level will NOT be more than half the PCs level, and will not be more than 5.

There has also been some discussion about Merchant Bases and Trade routes - so I thought some clarification was in order ...

Merchant Houses have three basic advantages over most other businesses

1. Trade Trains and vessels generate Special income -  and avoid the need to negotiate with the landowner.  This  advantage is for EVERY boat, Mule train etc.
   
2. Trade Bases get a Bonus Income,  to represent that merchant houses control over trade in a settlement.  It can't be shared.  However, with enough investment, the Merchant can get bases in multiple towns.
   
3. Trade Routes link different regions together.  They are a 'compound bonus' - the merchant aleady gets the Special Income bonus of their vessels  AND the Merchant Base bonuses for having some control of trade in two different places.  This is the icing ion the cake.  A merchant house may only get this bonus once for a trade links between two political entities (although they can get the best trade link)

I have written it up in a bit more detail and added it to the wiki .
http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....ant-house#advantages

The waterways that Wyvern bridge covers....does that connect to Restov or New Stetvan?

It connects to Fort Drelev and New Steven.

Can a Jetty handle a vessel the size of a Keeler, or does it require a pier?

A shallop is the largest vessel you can base at a Jetty.  Keelers, and anything larger, require a pier.

To help us all visualize the relative sizes of settlements, I had added a Settlement Status chart on this page

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....egion:start#overview

The Three listed in Green (Newgate, Wyvern Bridge and Apple Lodge) - I expect them to increase by one size category this round, just from Henry's contributions.

The Extended Villages section (at the bottom of the chart)  lists villages that I have 'maxed out' using the hamlets rules  :)

New Steven is a Large City? Or a Metropolis?

What is Fort Drelev categorized as?

New Stetven is a metropolis and the Capital of Greater Brevoy.  Fort Drelev is a town.

Beyond Fort Drelev, the river finds its way to Mivon -  although through very dangerous waters.

I want to update my Entourage members, but I am having a hard time finding the links to your Divine Adept class.

This page

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....r:npc_classes:adepts

Guys -  If you have a sheet in the Business Spreadsheet -  please check it.  This is a new spreadsheet that I put in place last campaign round to try and make my bookkeeping a bit easier.  However, I have found anomalies on two tabs now - there might be more.

Folks, I have a problem with my eye-sight at the moment - and the sight in my good eye is changing.  All of which means working on a computer is much more tiring than it has been recently.  Tie that in with covid & retirement issues -  posting can be quite difficult - so I am going to ask for some help.


In Combat posts, please will you specify, precisely, what weapon you are attacking with - Light Mace(+1) or  Short Sword (+2, keen) in your dice rolls or an OOC line that goes with it.  It makes my resolution of combat a lot easier.

Thank you.

That's not good - hope that gets better soon !  :<

No problemo - we have to work out all the variables anyway for the dice roll, so little extra effort to include the detail and save you reinventing the wheel.   Just nudge me if I forget and I'll get right on it, rather than you struggle through, cursing my name.  <grins>

Would it help to provide relevant details for spells, skill checks etc etc ?

I have a cataract which had deteriorated very quickly and normal NHS waits have been exacerbated by Covid.

Details and interpretations are always helpful :)

I have just updated the Who's Who  page  with new titles, adoptions and children!

NOTE:  Female PCs only become pregnant if they tell me they are pregnant.  There is a random chance for female NPC.

I have also updated ages for the children of PCs and NPCs alike. :)


http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....ionpeople#other_npcs

Merry Christmas all, hope you are surrounded by those you love and can eat drink and be merry.

Season's Greetings to all of you - whatever you celebrate at this time of year.

I'll get everything updated in the days between Xmas and New Year -  BUT  (Covid Willing)  I will be on Holiday for the first two weeks of January.  Which means I will be posting without access to me books / etc.

Merry Christmas, everyone, or happy holidays of whatever form. I hope this is a happy time for all of you.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Happy Holidays to all

As a Christmas present to myself -  I spent some time thinking about farming in The Stolen Land.

http://galinia.org.uk/agriculture

I have updated the descriptions of settlements - to check  my description of your town, select Tusk or Midmarch, then the details for your settlement.

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....southernregion:start

Spreadsheets in the next couple of days.

And now I have updated the spreadsheets.  Specific pages linked from …

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....egion:start#overview

There is a new Settlement Status spreadsheet on the Overview page.  It gives relative status of places and people.  Don't take it too seriously :)  While the numbers are right, it is really just me playing about to get an overview etc.  It might not be there after the next campaign round.

I have also changed the rules, so that a boat's Defence Points are count towards defence of their settlement.  I could see sorting out armies getting very complicated!

Great update from the Southern Observer!

Congratulations to Marik and Cyrus for their elevation to Lord. And also congratulations to Ethankos for his elevation to Knight. Best wishes to the families who have added new members whether through birth or adoption. And peace and prosperity to all those who continue to sow and grow throughout the local communities.

This is the last day before my vacation - so lots of packing and prep, but little posting.

I expect to be online most days, but only for a short while, and I won't have access to my books and reference material.  So you should only expect short 'conversational' posts from me.

Back to normal in about two weeks.

I hope you have a great vacation. It is clearly long overdue and well-deserved.

By the way, in case I forgot to mention it before, I love what you are doing here! :o)

Thank you  :)

I had a few minutes while taking a break from packing and moving furniture around (the bathrooms are being refurbished while we are away)  to resolve the Tusk Scrymball League.  I have just added the following paragraph to the Southern Observer post.

Enjoy the vacation.

Drink a little, eat a bunch. Sleep in late, at least til brunch.

Checking in, having login and post issues, so let's see if this one sticks

I'm back.  Two adventure threads updated.  I will update the third one later today.

I know I have Adoven's trip to Restov to run.

If you think I made a mistake with anything in the Campaign Round ...
If you have a question, I haven't dealt with ...
If I have left you hanging anywhere ...

This is a good time to tell me  :)

Technically, it is Tobias making the Restov run. Adoven is far too busy to negotiate every contact.

When I go on holiday, all the static and general noise in my brain slows down, and I start thinking about different things.  Thus time it was a bout a game that I might want to run in a few years time.

http://galinia.org.uk/looking-a-long-way-forward

I look forward to seeing that new Galinia campaign develop over the next few years. Do you already have a basic world map to help put places and events you mention in context?

Funnily enough ....


http://rp.baileymail.net/lib/e...ld:greater_hann_.jpg

You have a very expansive, thoughtful approach to world & setting building.

Were you influenced by any particular novels?  Or real world history?  Both?

A bit of both, I think.  However, you need to remember that I ran the first game in this 'game world'  about 40 years ago - and 'The Strongholds' was built using the stronghold rules from the 1st Ed DMG.  *grin*  So long ago that I had to go back to my paper records and scan the map, when I started to analyse the cities.

My whole approach to D&D comes from my early reading, coupled with a long-standing interest in history.  My interest in fantasy started with fairy stories (as a very young child)  I learned to read very early, and read the various 'bedtime tales', followed up by Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm.  Then my father brought me a book of Norse Myths - and I have been collecting mythologies ever since.  I have a collection of books that covers Norse, Celtic, Greek, Roman and other mythologies - including African and Australian folk tales / mythologies.  The collection includes various anthologies covering British folk tales and stories about elves and similar.

That lead to Lord of the Rings and Raymond Fiest's books (in particular) - although there are a number of other authors that I admired.  All of them had really tight world settings - they were Low Magic (and often historically feasible) for the majority of the population, with real Heroes as the exception.

Then there are my historical interests.  I have spent well over 30 years re-enacting battles from the 17th Century  and recently branched out to 18th century with a few Pirate events thrown in for good measure.  However, I am not really interested in lists of battles and their details, so my research has always revolved around  social and cultural aspects of the settings.  For example, I researched knitting (in enough depth to have a conversation about the development of the 'purl' stitch), I have read about the development of spectacles and lenses, and once researched the history of the cabbage, because of something I saw on a webpage.

I always found the published game setting fairly bland and flavourless, especially when TSR, Paizo etc, started adding so many supplements to boost their income.

I think my work background (Computing and Teaching) has fostered a love of research and detail - which also informs the approach I take to world building.

Now you know why I protect my games settings so much -  and deny all sorts of 'really cool' abilities.  :)

Although, I forgot to mention something that had a big influence in the way I try to build things into the settings I develop.

A few years ago, I spent some time writing Persistent Worlds for the Neverwinter Nights computer game - and that taught me to write in world design elements that encourage players to interact with them, and then role play around them.  The more chances you give players to RP, the more they will RP.  Quite often without realizing that they are doing so :)

I agree totally with this.  And it is part of what makes this game stand out, compared to many.

And that published settings are often lacking.  Most of the best games I've played were either home brew, or a case where the GM had his personal stamp well in evidence on the pre-written material.

 I'm a huge fan of the filled-in-detail approach to gaming, not because I enjoy memorising nonsense, but because it's amazing where inspiration for a cool idea can come from. I played a Church Mathematician once because I read up on how bloody arcane roman-numeral accounting could get - everyone assumed I was an inquisitor in disguise, but no, just an accountant and that was even rarer.

 And, like most long-term roleplayers I'm probably on like, a dozen watchlists for my search history alone (why yes, I did try to calculate how many catfish I would need to dispose of the corpse of one young child a week, and yes that is a thorough history of anthrax weaponisation testing on Gruinard Island I was looking up, why?).

 A lot of this stuff is just fun.

*grin*  Thank you.

I enjoy the detail - but I don't expect anyone to try and memorize it, which is why I have such a stupidly large website for you guys to look through, and I am always happy to point people to the right pages or expand on the content.

A large chunk of the detail on the website has come from questions or comments that players have made, as they either highlight areas that are missing, or that need expanding.

I often find unusual characters are often more interesting -  especially when they are underpowered, although they can't be too underpowered.  We found that out in a game using characters with NPC classes, who all had a level or two of commoner - I still think it would have worked, if we hadn't used the commoner levels, but just stuck with the other NPC classes.  Underpowered Characters make you think carefully about how you will use  the equipment and abilities available to you.

And as for searches, I have had to cut back on some of the more 'questionable' military and dangerous web-searches recently.  Yes, Officer, I know how to build an atomic bomb, I know a lot about small firearms, but I have deleted all those files and web searches about the manufacture of explosives.

When I was a teenager (some 50 years ago)  one of my friends had  a book that contained 'recipes' for all sorts of explosives.  We made all sorts of stuff that is probably illegal now (and might have been illegal then)

It is amazing what you find  :)

I thought I had lost access to the online version of this, when I set up the Galinia Blog -  but this is the first game I ran online, first at PBW, then it moved to RPoL.  It started in 1999, on the PBW prototype site -  efore it was made public.

http://www.baileymail.net/j-bailey/RolePlay/Galinia/

The images to the left of the text are clickable.

So for the next three days I'm going to be in a remote cabin in the Canadian wilderness. I won't have access to wifi.

@Maple - Enjoy :)

I agree with this too, totally --  it's one of a number of reasons I took a liking to the cleric class(before 3E), early on, albeit I don't think they were under powered, per se.  But, aside from the healing, the spell list always led me to think more about how to best use it, than the mage list did.

I've got that now, with the multi classed cohort I'm running in Vik's group.   She's not as powerful as the single class PCs, but kind of has just the right amount to make it interesting.
**
Maple, have fun --  I'd give up wifi for a few days of that!  The Canadian wilderness is beautiful.

 That's more or less how Vova is working out... I mean sure, a divine/arcane caster can be scary with the right combination of feats and spells...

 ...neither of which Vova really has. And all the things about him that are the most fun are almost entirely unconnected to his spellcasting. ^_^

So is it too early to sign up for "Return to Galinia" ?  :>

I played in the original campaign on PBW over 20 years ago now.  I wasn't in right at the start, but joined soon after to take the role of Edgar the talking raven and still have all my character/game notes sitting on my current computer.  A talking raven was just a little different to the standard Fighter/Thief/Wizard/Cleric Human/Dwarf/Elf/Halfling that I'd played before ...

... and I loved it.   Probably the campaign that opened my eyes to playing a role as a character rather than seeing the game as a puzzle to be solved by if not always smart then hopefully lucky choices.  Edgar wasn't equipped to take on the foe in the usual dungeon-bashing manner, but despite, or more accurately because of that, he/I became involved a lot more in the planning, discussions and relationships unfolding around.

Oh yes, count me in !  ;>

PS: and our illustrious GM is spot on in his suggestion that the books we've read informed our world design choices.  I started with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, of course, but thereafter my own major influences were Moorcock's Eternal Champion saga, the Thieves World anthologies and Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant ... which go a long way to explaining (excusing ?) the differences in our approaches.  Probably just as well I didn't come across Terry Pratchett until a bit later ! <ROFL>

I remember Edgar affectionately.  I think we had a sentient dagger in that game for a while as well.  Edgar was, in part, the inspiration for a couple of Avian characters that I played later - Ean, the sentient Magpie, is still one of my favourite Characters.  You might remember Peter Gasgano, my Sage NPC?  He went on to play in another game (as a PC) and has cropped up as an NPC a number of times since.  Most recently as a  pseudo-immortal known as The librarian.

I'm not sure if I will be going back to Galinia (although it is a potential adventuring area)as I am currently fascinated by a colonial/pirate concept.  But who knows how I will feel when we get there.  I certainly don't.

... I'm NOT playing the pirate captain's parrot !  Oh all right then ...  ;>

Ah, a Norwegian Blue. Beautiful plumage......

*grins at Brother Frug*

For those of you who are interested, The last blog post led to a follow-up as I analysed what I had in more detail.  I should warn you that it is a long post, and is written primarily as an information source for me - rather than something really intended for publication.

http://galinia.org.uk/looking-a-long-way-forward-2

Looks like an interesting combination of gods.  I'm into this kind of thing, pantheon integration;  will have to give a deeper read...

I quite like the idea of that the Trades' Guilds in Urgon could be organized and administered by clerics of Abadar and enforced by inquisitors dedicated to St Cuthbert.

In reply to DM (msg # 86):

Hey guys I have some bad news

Hi broke my elbow last night and I have surgery Thursday morning to fix it

After that is two months of rehab so I don’t know how active I’m going to be

I’m sorry for screwing this up but I hope to return as soon as possible

Just keep me in your thoughts and I’ll let you know more when I know more

Ouch.  I hope it all goes well for you.  RL comes first, we will still be here when you get back  :)

In reply to Kiera Raincutter-Solanus (msg # 87):

When I broke both arms in Dec 2017, it took me about 1 week after surgery before I could type on my tab with minimal shaking.

In reply to Kiera Raincutter-Solanus (msg # 87):

Ouch! Definitely sending good vibes your way! I hope it all goes well

Ouch indeed. I still vividly remember breaking my elbow when I was a kid. Take it easy.

I'm really sorry to hear that, Kiera. I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Best wishes, Kiera, ouch!  Sorry to hear! Rest up. Have really missed your wit & enthusiasm, having been out of the group for awhile.

I have been thinking about religion (in games!) again.

http://galinia.org.uk/religion-again

 It appears as though he is doing something. Your mileage may vary as to whether or not this constitutes 'a plan'. ^_^

Thought I’d posted an update here.

Week one of my cast is done I am starting my second week. I had surgery a week ago on the 17th and they put lots of hardware in my elbow- pins screws and plates.  Recovery’s been going OK but I do miss you guys lots.

A week from today or yesterday I have another appointment they’re going to takeoff my hard cast and replace it with a brace to help me start rehab and getting strength back in my elbow.

My fingers feel fine I can flex them and flex them just fine. The thing I’m waiting on is to see how hard it’s going to be to get my hand rotation back because if I can rotate it again I am hoping to get back to the keyboard.

It’s gonna be a long while before I can pick up anything really heavy with it but I am hoping a computer mouse is actually going to be good for rehab.

I’m using talk to text as much as I can but the finer points like coloring text and doing dice rolls are still kind of hard. Plus I’m limited to what talk to text has for a word database before editing.

But still I’m hoping for good news next week.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.  Don't worry about colours -  we can live without those :)  And I can do dice rolls for you, if you like  :)

I scheduled to have eye surgery later today.  Not quite sure what the recovery time will be.

take care of yourself
This message was last edited by the player at 10:42, Fri 04 Mar 2022.

I had my second eye surgery today, last time it took about 4 days to come good but another two weeks of steady improvements.

In reply to Kiera Raincutter-Solanus (msg # 96):

Good to hear!

And Domitius, don't pick up the Aldori dueling sword again till you can see properly.  You might carve up something we value or want to keep by accident.  ;)

Mine is looking good :). In the recovery area - and I can see out of both eyes.  Even better, I am getting annoyed at a Wordle that I can't do!

Everything seems to be, pretty much, back to normal  :)

I can see well from the eye they operated on - which is a massive improvement, as I was virtually blind in that eye previously.  So it is just a case of dealing with the psychological effects of the aftercare.  I am NOT a good patient, and I get very frustrated with restrictions and strict medication regimes. :)

I might be a bit grumpy (grumpier than normal) over the next couple of weeks.

Exactly how far away is the bad guy (from Cass)?

5' squares.  About 70 feet :)

Thanks that is about what I thought.

Woohoo, fireball!

Yeah :)

But honestly, I need at least one long-range single target spell.

Fireball!  In a tar pit ......

Hmm, perhaps I didn't quite think that through. But, the target was up on a raised platform, right? So maybe the fireball won't catch the entire room on fire?

Long range spells do seem something of a rarity.

I sense Wizard on Wizard combat may be afoot.

The last few weeks have been interesting.  Restricted as I recovered from surgery (a damn sight more than I thought I should be)  I have been working a lot on my NWN world - which might actually find its way onto a public server soon.

That started me thinking about mines, dwarves and how they connect with the underdark / darklands.  This is the start of that process.

http://galinia.org.uk/dwarves-...-underdark-darklands

 Mines are never as interesting in games as they are in reality.

 Take tin mines for example - I grew up around them, being Cornish. The one my father worked in operated with its furthest face a mile out under the Atlantic ocean with the faces oriented with the way the ore lay in the ground, about thirty degrees off the vertical. Immense sheets of ore taken out in near-vertical cuts, linked by narrow (through granite) tunnels, ventilated by fires built in chimneys above ground.

 https://min-eng.blogspot.com/2...rrow-pioneering.html

Yep  :)  Sounds like awfully unpleasant work, even in this day and age.  Historically, it must have been much worse.  Fortunately, our (in game) mine owners will never need to experience the discomfort that their staff feel.

However, I would like to add a bit more variety, to the way mines are specced in game  :)

 Hmmm.

 The main distinctions would likely be between hard rock and soft, deep pit and shallow with the former in each case rather harder to get going and considerably more profitable on account of it, with accordingly higher risks.

 Not to mention that having disciplined and skilled workers with useful racial traits like dwarves or kobolds would make one hell of a difference.

As well as -  Location of markets, quality of seam, overall value of the mine, secondary  metals, associated gemstones etc  :)

Although, I am not trying to get anywhere near that complicated.  I just want something a bit more sophisticated than - Gold Mine, iron mine - and then treating them all the same  :)  I am more interested in  a bit of flavour and the effects on the economy and will be  mainly for the  NPC mines.  It will aid my understanding of metal and ore distribution when I build NPC mines.

AD&D 1(and 2) have a fairly simple set of rules for prospecting -  which look as if they would  work well enough for PCs prospecting.  Realistically, I am not thinking about running a PC based prospecting adventure, but I want a way of adding a bit of fluff/flavour to the world.

Much like I give PCs a range of different boats to buy and have  different kind of farms  (There are general farms, cereal farms, sheep farms, ranches, vineyards, and even a small section on cash crops).  All about adding another small RP option to help PCs develop their characters in game.

However, like everything else in the campaign rules, I will try to make it so that PCs can play without any extra rules hassle.  Although, like all of my campaign rules, I will try to find a way of giving the PC a small, extra, reward for the RP / Background / Fluff they invest in.

I am sorry if it feels like I haven't been paying attention over the last couple of weeks.

First,  my eyesight is settling down, after me eye surgery, and I think I am going to need a pair of customized screen glasses.  But I think things are still changing slightly -  so I need to leave the optician visit for a couple of weeks.

Second, I decided to start hosting a Table-Top group again -  after a few years off.  So, I am now two weeks into a new table-top group, with two familiar players and three I have never met before.  Then I discovered that I need to do much more prep work for Skull and Shackles than I thought I would.

I am, however, becoming an expert on The Pirate Life, ships in Pathfinder and Pirate philosophies.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:51, Sun 10 Apr 2022.

Skull & Shackles is a helluva lot of fun!!!

No worries. Best wishes with your eyesight.

As per the game, there is always an ebb and flow to gaming based on those other aspects of life. It all works out in the end. Hopefully you are having fun with things.

Having somehow made it through the first book of Skulls and Shackles, it can be unpredictable fun, so your tabletop if gonna have a blast. Yarr!

*grin*  It is very early days for us this week.  The Dwarf Barbarian will get to 'meet' Owlbear  - although he doesn't know it yet.  He has already cut up a few arms at arm wrestling - and beaten everyone at Slippery Pig.

It is an interesting party

Dwarf Barbarian (who is the party's BA Baracus)
Human Rogue  (Faceman)
Elf Druid of  Gozereh
Dwarf Cleric of Gozereh
Elf Wizard

The last three haven't quite found their roles yet :)

I will be away this weekend.  I will try to get updates into posts Thursday or Friday.  I leave Friday PM, back late on Monday.

*grin*  My first real weekend away this year and the first big battle re-enactment for ages - and first time I will have seen some of these guys for over two years.  I might not be sober all weekend.

It is about time that you got into some more mischief.

Guys, I have had a cold for the last few days -  and it has been stopping me thinking clearly.  I have been  doing fiddly little things, rather than resolving posts or combats (for which I need a clear mind).

Bear with me for a couple of days longer  :)

Rest and recuperate!

I am getting new glasses soon -  with the correct prescription for my post 'cataract operation' vision.  Hopefully, that will help when I am sitting at the computer.

In the meantime, I have blogged on Societal Culture - partly because I have been thinking about  Dwarf Society in this game, and partly as a following from my previous post on Dwarf Mines.

http://galinia.org.uk/societal-culture

I rather like Sir Terry Pratchett's take on dwarves.

Dwarves don't really love gold....they just say that to get it into bed.....

That works for most Dwarves I know  :)  Do what ever they can to get the gold, then let it go (spend it) as soon as a nice toy is available.  After all, there are always more goldfish in the sea ...

 I remain delighted and staggered by the way Pterri's dwarves went smoothly from one note Tolkien jokes to a fully fleshed out, interesting and narratively rich culture with pretty much no clear dividing line.

And now, the next stage of Dwarves ....  That should get them out of my head for a while.

http://galinia.org.uk/dwarves-of-the-stolen-lands

Marik and Dom (in particular) might be interested, as it will inform the way their entourages act in future.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:23, Tue 03 May 2022.

On top of a surprisingly busy week, I will be away from home until Sat 21 May.  I will have access to the internet but no access to books, so posts are likely to be conversational, rather than combat resolution etc. ...

I get to play with cannons for a couple of days, then spend the rest of the week at the seaside!

As I was working through my emails, I happened to check the Drafts folder and found an email from 2014 -  about a Classless D&D type system that I was working on.  Eventually, we decided that the rules, while they would work, didn't retain enough D&D-ness for our liking - so I abandoned them.

If anyone is interested, I just shared them on my blog.

http://galinia.org.uk/a-blast-from-the-past-classless

I played in a story that used classless D&D, once.  In theory, it sounded good.

In practice...yikes, it was so mechanics heavy!  Keeping on top of my sheet was almost like homework.  Eclipse, I think it was?

I'm gun shy, now.   But if yours isn't like mental masochism, I might have a look.  ;)

Initial build is a bit complicated, but levelling up isn't TOO bad.

I spent a while (a year or two) analysing skills, feats, traits, class abilities, etc - and balancing them.  So you can buy any skill, from any class, and combine them as you wish.

The problems come when you try to create really individual characters, rather than class equivalent characters.

There are about 40 pages of rules -  but they assume that you have access to the D&D / PF rules for explanations of the various components.

PS - be nice, I had input from two of the players in this game  :)

In reply to Alisa Medvyed-Solanus (msg # 134):

I'm in an Eclipse game right now on RPoL, and I couldn't agree more. whew.

The plans for my next game are starting to come together.

http://galinia.org.uk/a-long-term-game-plan

I think, when I run that game, I might try and recruit a couple of co-DMs to write and  run some adventure sessions.  It would be nice to get back to co-operative working again.

For sure!

Looks pretty interesting GM; our old D&D campaign featured a hobgoblin empire.   That's kind of nostalgic...

So,  I've been doing more work on the shipyard - and started on the Naval Shipyard section.  So far, I have added a Light Galley - which really doesn't feel like much.  However, I had to rework Officers and crew templates to  make them work alongside the Skull & Shackles ship combat rules.

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....oats#naval_ship_yard

Now, the question for you guys -  Do you want me to add a Naval Shipyard to the Campaign Rules for The Stolen Land?

It won't produce much that you can use -  Just Local Patrol Boats, Area Patrol Boats and Light Galleys.  Everything else that I have planned is  purely 'sea going'.  Even the Light Galley is going to be restricted, compared to most other vessels.

These vessels will not produce any Economic or Special benefits, but they will have defence points.  Because of the Defence Points you will need permission from Tusk Council (or Henry in Midmarch) before you can build them -  and there is an argument that they should be restricted to the state, rather than permitted for private ownership.  But that, as always, will be up to you guys.

I vote yes. I hope to bring shipping to Silverton by whatever enterprising parties are interested, and have always been in favor of naval defense.

OK, That has made me think about defence points and the Army ...

http://galinia.org.uk/the-military

Any and all thoughts welcomed.

Just done a quick analysis, and it looks fairly OK to me.

Safiya might choose to upgrade her forts to Fortified Manors  (That makes the troops 'Home' army and defenders).  Although, it would be good to have some troops to send to a foreign war.

Tusk City might choose to build a few more Forts, Barracks, Garrisons -  to increase the number of troops they send to a Foreign War

But apart from that -  it looks quite well-balanced.

I have put the spreadsheet about 1/3 of the way down this page http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....egion:start#overview


The SS doesn't look very pretty -  but it was just a basic analysis to see how things looked.

I was tempted to look back over the threads, earlier on today.

The first group was sent to Varnhold in March 2019, and some characters have not been back to Tusk/Midmarch, except in Fuzzy threads, since.  Over three years in that section of the AP already – although we are on the last stretch now.  Well done for sticking with guys.   No matter what the modules says - I will NOT do that to you again.

Then I went to look at the earliest posts.  The first post was March 2016 – and some people have been with us since that first post.  That is one hell of a long time – although I know of longer games.  *Looks at a couple of the players here*  Thank you.

When the characters get back from Varnhold, we will have completed half of the AP.  Just another six years (or so) to go.  I think I had better slow down on the new games setting that I am working on :}
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:37, Thu 02 June 2022.

The next campaign round starts in about 2 weeks time, so time to think about spending your BPs.

Already spent. ;)

Next thing ...

I would like you all to review your Items / Wealth  and send me the total value in a PM. You should include all magical items, any other major items (worth more than 500gp) as well as any coins, gems, jewellery, art works etc.

I would also like you to tell me if you have taken Rikka up on her, very generous (but only once per character) offer to sell you a single magic weapon  or Armour at cost price.

You should also note that she will exchange  Magical Weapons and Armour on an 'equal basis.  If you give her a small sling +1 and (for the base price difference) she will swap it for a magic weapon that you can use.  Or she will enchant your weapon to the same value  (up to +3, which is her crafting limit).

Then I will do a WBL check across the group.  I expect that some people will be over WBL, while others will be below WBL guidelines - I try to give the right amount of treasure to a party -  but how you split it is down to you guys.

I will balance things up a bit when I have the figures in.  I will not publish names or values -  however, I will publish a basic overview.

Gosh, I haven't yet figured out what I have to work with. I think I can push my plans forward in Mivon, Restov, and Wyvern bridge. Luckily I still have to clear the Island before I have to worry about expenses in Candlemere.

Oh jeez, I don't even know how many I have OR what I'm gonna do with them.

Time to wikidive!

I have reworked the Defence Points and Standard Troop Type pages on the wiki, to bring them  more in line with the notes that I published recently on my blog.

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....ystems2:build_points
http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....sscombat:lighttroops

It allows me to define Foreign Army Troops (sent away to fight wars)  Home Army Troops (Stays at home to defend the nation) and Defence troops who are always at home to defend the city.

It means that your cities, towns and settlements remain defended, even when you send troops to fight a foreign way.  We also know what troop levels are available to defend Midmarch / Tusk from an invading army, without leaving your towns vulnerable.

I will apply the formulae (inherent in the system) to the various settlements soon, and publish it.

It won't make any different to the basic campaign rules, although it means I can review the Mass Combat rules and come up with a slightly more sophisticated system.  However, that won't change significantly either - I am not a lover of wargaming on RPoL :)

So Domitius wants to upgrade his troops to Aldori standards, would it cost 1 BP per defence point to do so and 2BP to take them to Aldori Chasseurs a Cheval?

No  :)

As an Aldori Sword Lord, Dom can recruit Aldori Troops directly at no extra charge :) Although a Downtime post, talking about going to Restov to recruit Aldori for your newest defensive development, would be in order.  :)

A few things to note:

• Most Aldori houses will maintain a mix of Aldori and conventionally trained troops - even those far out in the new Aldori homeland. I see the Yitis as having normal Private Guards on their boats (for example), with just a  few trained with the Aldori Duelling sword.  There is a status element there for the guards.
• Aldori soldiers are the Equivalent of Light Foot, rather than Town or Private guards - we might want to create a new Individual Spec for Aldori Guards (with a decent perception score).  That said, under the Mass Combat rules, all light troops are treated the same.
• Minia, you will automatically qualify as a Swordlord with one more level - and will be eligible to recruit Aldori troops if you develop  a building with development points.
• Others with Aldori Links (which might be a little as using a duelling sword) might also qualify - although if you do not meet the 'qualifying standards' on this page we need to talk about it :)

Apologies to my group for slow posting ... Covid finally caught up with me 2 years on and it's sapping all my energy for the day by about midday :-(

Get well soon, Rana.

Yes; Covid is no joke - take care of yourself, a game can wait..

The Campaign round has started.

This means it is a new year -  which means that you should age all of your characters (PCs, Entourages, Cohorts) by one year  :)

Entourages might be eligible for an extra level.  Entourage Assistants can have up to 1/2 your levels (but max out at L5).  Cousins and Allies can have up to 2/3 of your level -  and progress beyond 5 (very slowly)

The Downtime thread allows you to make character background posts, or to craft.  Either, or both, are eligible for experience points.

Player Information has been updated, but if you are unsure of how many BP you have to spend - or how to spend it -   talk to me  :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:19, Fri 17 June 2022.

Gotta dig out my notes to know how much I have to spend. Where are the spreadsheets for Mivon and Jovvox and the new capital? All my 'local' income that doesnt need a 1.5* adjustment?

You can find the V&A spreadsheet on this page

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....region:business_orgs

FYI, I have just added a new troop type - Aldori Guards to this page.

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....troops#aldori_troops

Two things.

Where is Shrikemouth?

Do I need to discuss my expansion into Restov in any of the Fuzzy threads?

Shrikemouth is just inside the Tusk Hex, on the far side of the River  Shrike.  It is intended to provide a ferry service between Tusk and Barleboro.

You can see it on the first map on this page . http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....:tusk_city#tusk_city


Your Restov arrangements can be managed in the Private thread.

Recently, I said I would analyse troop numbers, in light of the new  interpretions I have been working on.  I get ...


Foreign (Foreign Army) = The number of troops you would be expected to send if we decide to fight a Foreign War.

Home (Home Army) = the number of troops you would have to send to defend the countryside, if you are fighting a foreign war.  If there is no foreign war, you can add in the Foreign Army troops to this number.

Defence -  not so useful, but an overall number for the troops that would be left to defend towns and cities - in case of a foreign war and invasion.  This is your full defence rating from the spreadsheets.  If a siege appears out of the blue, and you are not fighting any wars, you can add in both the Foreign and Home Army troops as well.

I might have to read those new troop type rules after all.  ;o)

Basically ....

Watchtowers (including those in city walls) and private guard (house guards, mercenaries, Fortified Villa's etc)  provide the home army.

Other  buildings with defence points make up the foreign army.  If there is no foreign war, they are deployed with the Home Army.

However, every Defence point counts again for defending the home city, on the basis that there are militia, ancillary troops, armed civilians, etc attached to each one.  But those 'extra' troops can't be deployed outside their city.

The only anomaly is Marine troops and armed vessels.  They always stay home (and  don't count double) unless there is a specific waterborne conflict.

It is, in some ways, a simplification of the system I was thinking of using  previously, where I got complicated in trying to split defence points between Military and policing roles.

So Dom controls a mercenary base which is foriegn and fortified manors give home army.

Nope.  Mercenary bases are (effectively) private Guards for hire  (seeing as there are no wars going on).  So Dom controls 5 units of Home troops.

Sword Schools are Home Army, but Military Academies are Foreign Army?

As semi-trained troops, both are home army.

Absolutely undecided on where if anywhere to post. Adoven handles the house point allocations

There is no need to post anything, unless you want to make a downtime post.

I was asked about where places were in relation to each other.  There isn't a decent map of the Whole area that interests us - and the best available option is a mash-up of three or four different maps.  I have cleaned it up a bit, shrunk it a lot, and added rough locations for the towns that we have added.  Then loaded it to replace The Main Game map.

It isn't pretty, but it should (just about) be clear enough to let you see geographic relationships between places.

Nicely done.

I often find myself only stuck in the valley of my (dis)content. *winks*

Thank you.  It irritates me (a bit) there isn't a better quality map, and that I can't  make one :P

As an aside, I shall be stuck in a valley most of this weekend.  I am off to the Chalke Valley history festival, representing a militia man from about 1685 - which means I should get to fire cannons  a few times over the weekend.  One of my friends runs a Historic Kitchen, and will be recreating 'fast food' from the times of the Romans through to the modern age.  It should be fun

OK I'm jealous now, I have been hearing about the Chalke Valley History fesutival for the last couple of years.  It's on the bucket list.  I blame the Holland brothers.

It is my first trip to Chalke in 40 years reenacting :) and I am looking forward to it very much :)  Unfortunately, I don't have my 'authentic' tent ready yet, so Iwill besleeping in the camper, about a mile away from all the action.  At the top of a hill, no less, so the walk back, after a few beers in the evening, is not going to be fun!

If you come over at the right time, and I might be able to set you up with a participant's pass.  So long as you don't mind sharing a really old-fashioned tent with a grumpy old man who farts a lot  (after a few beers)

Don't we all after a few beers though?  :P

OK, I think every group has a post -  but there might not be any more posts from me until Monday.  Lots to do today (including my tabletop group this evening) then camped in the middle of a field for the weekend - with limited access from my phone.

Can Defense points be added in a foreign city? I'm wondering if I need patrol boats or merc guards to protect Trade routes or City bases?

Yes ...  and  No.


As 'foreigners', both Yasmin Aldori-Yitis and Berta Roth  (at the moment) 1 defence point each, although they can have up to 3 defence points.  They are (currently) the only two foreign houses to have any defence points - and they were only allowed to own those after a decision by the Southern Council that they had made consistent  investment into the region -  and shown themselves to be 'resident' in the areas.

That isn't quite true, Lutz Stigmar (sort of) has one Defence Point as well. However, that is permanently assigned to Marik's control, as Lutz is an Entourage-Ally of House Aeris. It is a mechanism for allowing Marik to control dwarf troops, as permitted, through his Dwarf Entourage.

Up until The Southern Council decided to add the Grade of  'Member' to the Southern chapter, only those people who have shown their loyalty to Tusk/Midmarch by fighting for the region, exploring the region etc - were allowed to have defence points.  These  Knights and Officers (who are all PCs, exPcs or Cohorts) are allowed to have unlimited numbers of defence points.  However, even then, unless they are the landowner, they need to get permission first.

So, technically, foreigners can build defence points in Defence Points in other cities.  Practically, they have to prove themselves, one way or another,  to the local rulers.  For Yasmin Aldori-Yitis and Berta Roth, that has meant multiple years of investment in the town coupled with a willingness to show that they are resident in the area, and a bit of politicking on the side. Lutz, on the other hand, signed a binding alliance contract with House Aeris.

I have linked the list of members of the Southern Chapter below.  You will see that every character listed there is an NPC who has been active in the game.  Even Pemar (Henry's cousin) has had roles running bits of Delem for house leMasitre, although he didn't have a very public role.

(http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....members_of_the_order)

Addendum:  Personally, I might add my defence points to the vessels based in Tusk/Midmarch and use those on the longer runs.  Then concentrate on smaller, unarmed, vessels in foreign cities.  That shows your commitment to the new city, without looking threatening.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:36, Fri 24 June 2022.

I might opt for that except that a City base cannot exist without a vessel of Keeler size or larger.

New Stetven is on a large lake that can handle all sort of local trade - including keelers and larger.  Mivon and Restov have wide rivers, and local villages / hamlets where you could trade with a keeler.  I am not going to argue with the concept of a keeler working locally, around any of those ports.

Trying to find patrol boats and other defensive craft. Where are they listed?

They are on the Strongholds Military Development page.

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....strongholds:military

Note that you cannot allocate them to a commercial Jetty / Wharf, but need a Military Jetty to house them.  However,  a single Local Patrol Boat can be stationed at a Community Jetty.

Am I reading this right? The 2 bp for a military jetty includes a local patrol boat? You get both for 2 bp?

No :)  The defence point comes from the marines who guard the military jetty.

But the write-up says it.

Jetty - A Military Jetty is used as a base for small patrol vessels and can support up to 6bp worth of vessels up to 30 feet in length. It comes with a local patrol boat and its crew.

Grin.  I'll rewrite that when I get home.

Just to annoy Dom  :P

Chalk Valley History Festival was really good.  It is laid out like a music festival -  with various stages, although they mainly for people giving history talks - only one small music stage (and that was an interesting range of 'old fashioned' styles). The 'Food Court'  ranged from a NAAFI style café and traditional English tearooms, through to modern international takeaways - however it also had a full restaurant on-site, as well as bars and ice cream vans etc.  There was even a public a camping field -  with showers and glamping tents as well.  The full Monty!

However, all of that it was supported by about 30 living history groups and historic displays - ranging from Iron Age through to post WWII.  There was even a 50s style funfair and a steam engine display, alongside a number of vintage cars and vehicles ...

Very different, and quite strange in some ways.  But brilliant.  I might see if I can go back for the whole week next year  (rather than just the weekend).
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:09, Mon 27 June 2022.

Sounds great, perhaps some day I'll get there.

For the campaign round, that we have completed arrangements for

WSM
House Solanus
Marik
Safiya
Cass
Marceline
Rana
Most of V&A
Some of The Church of Abadar

Let me know if you disagree, or if I have missed you out – and I can check.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:16, Mon 27 June 2022.

Check me on this.

Adoven may not be a SwordLord, but he is one of the top duelists in the Midmarch region, being a proponent of what I think is called The Magic Hand style? And he uses a rapier, not an Aldori blade.

He would not be participating in the Aldori council thread, would he?

No.  That is pure Aldori Duelling Sword users.  You know what snobby bast...   errr …  people they are  :P

Minia's let in but Adoven's left out. Truly a sad day for House Lodovka-Sud

I don’t see Swordlords growing in the same propensity as other lords in Midmarch. Adoven is something of our Lord Marine.

I have just posted a list of settlements and their relative sizes.  It covers the main settlements in Brevoy, Southern Region and your neighbours.

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....:general:settlements

Hey all, my apologies for disappearing. I got horribly sick over the weekend and spent the last two and a half days in bed. But I'm up now and at about 75% so catching back up.

RL and health always come first.  Hope you are feeling fully better soon.

In reply to DM (msg # 195):

Wow. Ringbridge is considered a City. Does that mean that I am getting the benefits of a City base there?

Yes, I already changed the SS.  I was a bit surprised when I saw that as well  :)

And now I have added a Great Boatyard to your Off-the-shelf ships page -  although I haven't yet integrated them into the merchant or Civic Defence rules.

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....s_old#great_boatyard

None for ages, and then two come along at once.  I needed a bit of a break from spreadsheets and updating webpages -  so this is how I intend to treat races, should I ever get my home-brew world up and running.

http://galinia.org.uk/race-in-the-hann-empire

I have updated most of the settlement pages on the wiki  (all except Tusk and Barleyboro)  you can find both Tusk and Midmarch linked from this page ...

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....southernregion:start

.. let me know if you spot mistakes on your page.

Updated? Looks like Tusk is back to being a Small City, and Ringbridge is listed as a Large Town.

Tusk hasn't been started yet, the council are still working on its development plan.  :)  I've fixed the Ringbridge description.  *grin* I know I miss things, which is why I ask :)

I have just upgraded the Wiki to a new version.  It looks OK to me, but if you spot anything that looks strange -  then please let me know  :)

I am off to a Folk Festival tomorrow - and won't be back until late on Sunday.  I'll try and get substantive posts into groups  (where you are ready for them)    BUT no other 'serious' posts until next week.

Both Minia and Maple's players have left the game to deal with RL issues.  Maple is already 'back at the farm' and Minia will join her at the end of her current campaign.

I am sorry to see them  leave, and have said that they are welcome to come back when the issues are resolved.

Speadsheets are up.  Please check over them -  but  remember I am away until Monday, so don't expect immediate changes :)

1)Not that I'm complaining, but I thought I only qualified for a Minor trade route with Restov(special 1, consumption 1). I have a City Base in Tusk, true enough. But I've just started building in Restov and only have a Local base there (at present).

2) In Ringbridge you added my Large Warehouse and My Regional Market. What I do not see is the Keeler I built in Tusk and sailed to Ringbridge as it's new Home port. The presence of that Keeler bumps the Base in Ringbridge from Town base to City Base.

3) Wyvern bridge had a warehouse and shipping office added. The base ought to have improved from Local Base to Town Base.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:31, Wed 06 July 2022.

Thanks, Adoven. I have made those changes in the master spreadsheet for those towns/cites --  and will republish them when I am in a position to close the campaign round.

I was asked a question about Entourage Wealth, a subject that wasn't covered well in the Campaign Rules.

http://galinia.org.uk/entourage-wealth

Contains my latest thoughts.  This is your chance to make comments, suggestion s, etc - before I write this into the rules  :)

Would something like a Military college be assumed to have access to HQ arms and Armor, or do you need an actual shop that you control?

Realistically, I'm not going to object if someone makes a half decent case.  Mil college is (probably) OK, depending on what you ask for  :p

And I think that is the end of the campaign round!  There is a new Group 0 map, showing the disposition of the land,  and a new 'overview' info-graphic-thingy on the Southern Page.  Everything else is linked from there, although  you might have to drill down a couple of levels

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....southernregion:start

I just have the Southern Gazette post to finish ...

You’ve been busy.

*grin*  I started at the beginning of June ....

And thank you for putting so much thought and effort into this game for all of us to enjoy. :o)

I had a look at the entourage wealth post. All makes sense to me, although I only have one entourage ally so it won't really affect me much at all.

I have not looked over the entourage/cousin WBL yet. On my own I spent gold to improve Robert's armor and weapon to something appropriate for his new position(s).

I have just added the Entourage Wealth rules to the wiki

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....ge2#entourage_wealth
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:29, Sat 16 July 2022.

I looked at my own WBL. I am thinking of stealing the buckles off of Adoven’s shoes.

Hahah. I slay me.

Naw, I'll do it......and you won't even see me coming ....

Great. Now I am a poor, impoverished merchant without any shoe buckles.

Lord Mordane’s ass.

*grin* I'm not too worried about WBL for you two, or the  rest of your group  :)  You are nearly at the end of that dungeon ....

I don't think my WBL has changed since the last time you asked.

Oh, you meant the slaying part. I think Henry keeps a few resurrection spells in tow for just such an emergency. Just in case Jensen fails to babysit me adequately.

This dungeon HAS an end?

Woohoo. Loot!

Adoven, I suspect it hasn't.  Cass, it does have an end -  just a few doors away ...   And, I think, Andalon might have a scroll ...

As I said earlier -  we won't ever do a whole book of the AP in  one go again! I have learned my lesson. Fortunately there are isn't anything else like Varnhold in the AP -  well, nothing that I can't split up between parties, or manage differently.

No worries. It has been fun. And the fuzzy time has allowed us to keep abreast of things as needed.

Oh, so Candlemere will be easier than this? Thank goodness, I was worried....

Candlemere was nasty last time around, because you weren't at the right levels and didn't have the right people with you.  As a group, you kept avoiding my hints to explore in the other direction - which would have taken you to the Lizardfolk.

Now you are more skilled, and if you take Ethankos and Marceline ...

So the will-o'-the-wisp we encountered was the ancestor of the evil Lizardman King?

Something like that  :P  Although that might not be all the story :)

Dammn -  I got the settlement size calculations wrong in my SS (and the settlement size page)  the only place affected is Ringbridge (it remains a Large Town)  However, seeing it is my mistake, I will leave any City Based benefits in place for Ringbridge based businesses.

I've been stuck off work and in pain by bursitis, sorry to say

Feel better. :)

Lora went to see a specialist who diagnosed her with bursitis at some point. He suggested that she drink tonic water for the quinine (quercetine?) content and she did find relief from that. As she began to have more specific problems with sciatica, she switched to CBD oil which she swore by for both issues and took one dose in the morning and one in the evening.

Whatever you find to bring you relief, I hope it is a quick and lasting solution.

@Viktoria ... sorry to hear you've been feeling poorly and are in pain.  Never a fun time when that happens.  Hope you're back to "fighting fit" soon!

I hope you feel better soon.  We will still be here when you do.  RL always comes first  :)

I have just updated the Military Strength page

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....nregion:southernarmy

Has anyone Looked at the Shopping in Southern page recently?

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....ion:southernshopping

Is it worth me maintaining it?

The Swamp Witch - Elga Verniex, resides outside Reedham, and can manufacture constructs.


What kind of constructs?

Some had better go and ask her  :P

So are any interesting in joining the fuzzy adventure to visit the swamp witch?

 Sure!

 I mean, he's more likely to be someone you trip over in a gutter along the route, but you could find Vova anywhere. ^_^

Just  make a post in the Fuzzy Thread  and I will start something up.  You can  be  in a fuzzy thread at the same time as any other threads.

We seem to have hit the Summer^(*) Slowdown  -  every thing I am in is slow ...

(*) - and a Winter Slowdown in the Southern Hemisphere.  It happens every year, but it still surprises me :)

FYI - I'm going to be away this week.  Leave tomorrow morning - back sometime Friday.  I am playing pirates, well,  I am playing the opposition to some pirates.  All of which means next to no internet -  but a damned good time.

Someday gonna create a character called Drunken Gunner in your honor.

I have a mate who plays that role  :) Kevin plays a drunken sailor called Ezra, staggering around all day with a tankard full of booze singing sea shanties and ranting.   Sometimes he has a mate with him,  who he performs semi-pro with  :)  Other times he finds a willing wench, to act drunk with him.

Compared to that, my roles are all very boring nowadays.  I mainly sit on a campsite and talk about history - often with demonstrations of Muskets and swords.  Occasionally, I  fire my musket, or act as crew for a cannon.  I don't even do sword fights any more, let alone any of the other (more physical) combat elements :(

I have just upgraded the wiki software - if you notice anything that looks wrong on the website - please let me know.

I have done some checking, but I haven't visited every page  :)

Hi there, I'm Jim and I'm looking forward to gaming with everyone.

I guess I should hook up with other Lebedans at some point and talk house policy, if any.

Welcome to the game!

Indeed, welcome.

Welcome, cousin! (I mean cousin in the sense that anyone remotely related is considered a cousin in this world.)

I'm not sure whether anyone in Tusk and Midmarch has any strong connections to the Lebeda family hierarchy or their politics. At best we would probably have a family contact or two who might be able to give us a slight edge or an introduction to someone useful, especially in business matters and in the city of New Stetven.

In reply to Veralish Lebeda-Teralabran (msg # 248):

And welcome cousin.v you will find the Lebeda-Ondari in Ringbridge, although my, few, contacts are all in New Steven.

This message was deleted by the player at 13:57, Wed 03 Aug 2022.

I am getting to the thread posts  :)  I have had a really bad cold this week, which has left me feeling a muzzy and not thinking very well.  It still hasn't gone away, but I am feeling a bit more 'with it' than I was.

Be glad it's just a cold. My wife and I were hit with COVID. It's lasted two weeks so far.

Yep.  We had Covid at the start of the summer.  It isn't pleasant.  Hope you are feeling better soon.

I thought I had a cold until the doc told me it was COVID.

Vitamin B12 and Iron might not be a bad idea. Fighting infection uses up iron and the B12 allows iron uptake into your system. I was crap for weeks until just a day or so ago.

Now I'm just as dumb as I normally am!

Gonna be traveling this week. So posting may be sporadic. Please feel free to NPC my character as needed.

I am away this weekend.  Probably back Tuesday.

I think I have caught up.  However, if you think a thread that you are in needs a response, or that a Privaet Message hasn't had an answer - remind me.

Sorry folks - my son came down for the week, and he took all of my time and energy.  I am getting on with the posts now.

My Tabletop, Skulls & Shackles, game has made me think about Pathfinder Navies ....

http://galinia.org.uk/the-navy

I have never been convinced that seige weapons actually would work, the sea air getting at tension cables etc makes them a ticking time bomb.  I don't recall it happening except maybe with the Romans.

 Given the ubiquity of exceedingly low-level magic, it's entirely possible that any siege crew worth its salt would have someone in it with the Magical Talent or Nature Magic trait and access to 'Mending' (you can get shockingly high levels of power from rope within the weight limit here), which would make these a less horrifyingly failure-prone option.

TBH, There are quite a few things in the D&D and PF rules that I am not sure about  :)

AFIK, the Greeks had catapults at sea, as well as greek fire.  But I am no expert on that subject.  As for ropes at sea, sailing ships rely on natural ropes for sails, sail management, anchors etc etc. The ropes need replacement, but they last a long time.

From my own knowledge, I can tell you that natural rope guy lines on tents shrink and get tighter when it rains.  If the same happens with ropes on siege engines, it is just a case of managing the tension for the new properties of the rope.

Ironically, within the ship-to-ship combat rules, the siege engines don't have a huge effect  - except as anti-personnel weapons or to damage the steering device / sails making it easier to board.  Ships have hundreds of HP, and hardness to overcome -  a ballista does something like 3d8 damage.

Pirating comes down to hand-to-hand combat between the principles, while the crews fight it out amongst themselves.  Just like most other combat situations.

I don't really intend to use the fleet combat rules, in the same way as I don't intend to use the mass combat rules for armies.  PF is a roleplaying game, not a wargame :)  I have even simplified the Ship Chase and Closing rules, to stop it becoming an hour-long dice rolling fest ...

 I want to define some backgrounds for the new game I am planning (for after this one has finished) and I thought some of you might find this amusing.

At least one 'house' goes right back to Galinia (the first game I ever ran on-line, that started in 1999) - some go back even further to paper based campaigns that I ran 30-odd years ago.  Some are based on well-developed NPCs, other on PC that I played :)

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku.php?id=factions:start

There's almost no extant records of a ship-borne siege weapon actually sinking a ship. They could however penetrate the side of a galley and hit the rowers making it almost impossible to manouevre and thus set the target up for ramming or boarding.
This is why monoremes and biremes did not do as well against triremes in many cases as not being decked their rowers were able to be targeted by archers or slingers.

In reply to Veralish Lebeda-Teralabran (msg # 267):

Which fits quite nicely with the rules, as they have been implemented.  And even better with my 'quick' version of the rules  :)

One of these days I will add powder weapons - but probably just for cannons!

There has been a bit of a break in games preparation.  We don't have another Kingdom round for a few months and I think I have my head around my tabletop game - at least for the next 2-3 weeks.

That leaves me time on my hands,  and that means my thoughts turn to -  campaign settings!  (Yes, I am sad)

So here is the latest offering.  It is deliberately ruminative and rambly - and is intended to help me understand the problem, rather than to provide a solution :)

Therefore, I would be grateful for any comments or suggestions that you might have.

http://galinia.org.uk/campaign-rules-extension

My first thoughts on anything like this is the land rights, it's a hangover from my training.

The Spanish New World colonisation was really a case study in how not to colonise anything. Realistically, the big problem any monarch or princeps has is that unless they're using absolutism as a base model, and really authoritarian absolutism at that, they could easily be making a rod for their own back by sending off a subordinate to colonise something who suddenly finds mines, arable land, trade routes and so on but then decides to not share it with their overlord. The most controllable colonisation systems, although just as nasty for the colonised as any colonisation system, was the Magna Graeca of Classical Greece where a city state (polis) created a daughter city somewhere and the founding cult of the city was inextricably linked to the colonising city. Everything else seemed to have ended in tears :)

But by the very example of these we can see people did try and they did fail to control colonies, so really this inevitable conflict might want to be factored into the campaign.

Yep  :)  However, it is only inevitable if the players decide that it is :)

I have a 'nice' governor planned already - and she can play nasty :)  Politically astute and related to two different 'Royal' houses (although they each rule a city-state, in an empire made up of much larger land blocks. Although, you should think of The Empire more as a trade confederation rather than under the control of a single Imperial House.  The only real binding force (other than trade) is the Raven King of Armes - Great Herald to the Empire and arbiter of Royal and Noble status. Who just happens to be a long-lived high-level druid, with some nasty tricks up his sleeve.  Most of the time he is disinterested in politics ...  but ....

Going alone is a possibility -  but you could set the whole Confederated Empire against you.  However, there are political tension in the Imperial Council that could be exploited  :)

More likely, I think, is that a group will establish an independent state within the empire :)  I intend to make it tough enough that a single PC will not be able to set up a viable state alone - but I have been wrong before.

It might be fun if there's a countdown before imperial troops arrive to revert ownership to the crown. Players can change this countdown by various actions so you spend your time trying to keep your lord happy while working together to create a viable demesne of their own.

Just the exploration/surveying adventure would be fun although a lot like the present campaign. And of course there's all the fun of ill-worded holding definitions that make arguments of ownership fun. You could have scads of well-connected NPCs also carving out their own demesnes who bicker over who owns what, all trying to get the ear of the governor or trying to pull a swiftie and seize extra land when she's not looking as a fait accompli.

One historical event I've always liked was two lords were each given a parcel of land,  one on one side of a stream and one on the other side. One guy wanted more so he shifted the course of the stream so all of the land was on his side. The court decided that by the law he was right, he owned that side of the stream and the matter was only settled permanently by the other guy ambushing his party on the way home from the court and wiping the stream-mover's family out.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:49, Mon 26 Sept 2022.

One of the difference in the new setting, is that players will have a better idea of what to expect and random encounters will be somewhat different.  There is an ulterior objective, and political manoeuvring, behind this colonisation (although the characters will not be aware of it.  So there will be  old maps available, and some elements of scouting will have been done beforehand.    There will be more 'ambassadorial' work of making agreement with the tribes that are in the way.  After all, you can't obliterate every tribe of every type of humanoid - certainly not at low levels.

And there will be all sorts of NPCs.  Longer term players will tell you that some of my NPCs are very well-developed, and almost all of them have long term personal objectives - and they negotiate with that in mind.  That sort of thing will continue :)

House Lebeda has claimed a mighty victory! I have slain a mud pile!
Not sure how to put that on our heraldry . . . :)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:07, Mon 03 Oct 2022.

In reply to Veralish Lebeda-Teralabran (msg # 274):

Can I suggest ....

http://rp.baileymail.net/lib/e...alish-coatofarms.png

I shall proudly bear that into battle!

I almost spat coffee all over my computer with that one!

I decided I needed a bespoke Hell Knight Order -  although it didn't actually need that much 'bespoking'.

http://galinia.org.uk/the-mamluka
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:21, Sun 09 Oct 2022.

I would appreciate your thoughts on this.


Every-so-often, I get questions about how Cohorts, and NPCs get experience, and what sort of treasure they should get.  Where treasure is concerned, it is complicated and there is no standard method of allocation (even between PCs) suggested in the rules.  It gets even more complicated, in this game, because we have PCs, Cohorts, Minor Cohorts and entourages (of various types) to worry about.

Experience

This is the system that I use for allocating experience.

• PCs get full experience for adventuring, roleplaying and story awards.  Because I can’t be bothered to work out complex  formulae -  I award Cohorts full XP, until they reach their level limit -  then they don’t get any more XP until they are allowed to advance.
• Secondary Characters - Major NPCs, ie PCs that I take over in the middle of an adventure, a player’s secondary character (there are a few around still) or Entourages (with PC or prestige classes) who  can benefit from XP, get half XP - if they are adventuring with the PCs main character.  However, if they are adventuring without the PCs main character, they get full XP.  In both cases, they get full RP XP (again, unless there is a level limit in place.  All Secondary Characters can gain XP from buildings and businesses assigned to them – BUT at the cost of XP that the main PC would normally gain.
• This is intended to keep players main characters as the ‘stars of the show’, while still rewarding good plat with their secondary characters.

I have a Spreadsheet that lets me track XP for the 40 (or so) characters who can benefit from it – and the only complicated bit is working out the Campaign XP, which I allocate after every Campaign Round.

At the moment Jensen, Barbatius and Socha are at their level limit, while Gabriel is collecting Campaign XP.  Entourage Allies and Cousins collect Campaign XP, RP XP and some ‘Fuzzy’ XP based on responsibilities handed out to them.

Treasure

Treasure is a bit different – as treasure distribution is always down to the party.  However, I always recommend the following guidelines.

PCs get a full share of the treasure, while NPCs get a half share.
Cohorts travelling with their ‘patron PC’ do not get any treasure – it is down to the patron to equip their Cohort, in the same way as an Animal Companion or Familiar doesn’t get a share of the treasure.  However, as a player, I have always tried to make sure that Cohorts get the minor items that PCs don’t want -  and often give my hand-me-down items to the cohorts of NPCs who have travelled with us.  Major items still go for sale, with the proceeds distributed to the PCs.

I would suggest that you treat other secondary characters in the same way as NPCs.

Cohorts, or secondary characters, travelling without their patron PC, should, in my view, get a full share of any treasure, as they will, most likely, have played a full and independent part in the scenario.

 I should have been equipping Vic first, Vova second. ^_^

That kinda fits in with the DMG 2nd Ed rules on NPC(s) Henchmen (which I'd equate to Secondary Characters here) which state:

"[Henchmen] earn half the experience a character would normally get.  They also expect their fair share of treasure and magical items discovered - more if they took a significant risk."

While this might imply a full share, I'd argue that for balance we'd want to equate "fair" with a half share of treasure, so their wealth by level has a better chance (level limits do mess with this, but ...) to keep pace with their experience level - ie both advancing at half rate.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:50, Sun 16 Oct 2022.

Yeah I agree though if we are off risking our necks without the boss around then full xp and share of the treasure seem appropriate.

As Vova needs crossbow quarrels I'll just have to 'borrow' someone's spell book to cut parchment flights for the bolts. Just cast your spells around the holes.

A word of warning ....

I'll get both active threads updated, either today or tomorrow - and try to get a post in towards the end of the week.  However, it is our annual Birthday Dungeon next weekend.    For anyone who doesn't know -  players start arriving at my house Friday afternoon.  We play (almost continually) until Sunday lunchtime.  Then I am knackered ...  Some of these guys have been playing at my table for well over 20 years (on and off) -  so it is great fun, with old friends, but can be really hard work.

Before they get here, I have to prepare a full dungeon for a bunch of 9th level characters - with next to no chance to research / read-up while they are here.  So my focus, next week, will be on that game ...

After a good discussion with me, Veralish's player has decided that this game isn't for him - and that is fine :)  I've done it myself, and I think it is a good way to treat a game.

However, Kendrick's player has stopped posting (not for the first time) and (for various reasons)  we have recently lost Maple, Minia and Kiera.

As far as I can see, we have 11 PCs and 4 Cohorts left in the game. That is too many for two parties, but not enough for three parties.  Therefore, I will shortly start recruiting again, to try and bring back to 3 groups.

I have just published the advert on Players Wanted.  If you know someone who might be interested in this game, please let them know  :)

link to a message in another game

Hey folks, I'm one of those who responded to the Players Wanted and will be joining you as Tobias Cotton, a curious halfling merchant

Hello everybody! I'm another one of those that responded to the players wanted and I'll bring some much needed "scottish" influence.
Though man have you guys written a lot... its difficult to navigate all of that.

Don't try  :)  I'll point you to the relevant places when you need it.  Even I get lost around both the game and website, occasionally.

Welcome, new folks!

Hope you enjoy yourselves as much as I do and get to stick around. If I can be of any help, please let me know. I am something of a merchant myself. ;)

Welcome all, as our beloved Lord Mayor (aka Cass) has said if you need any help feel free to reach out.

While you don't need to worry about it yet - I have started working on the next campaign round.

FYI - Henry intends to give up personal ownership of both Westgate and Eastgate.  While there are plans for Westgate, Eastgate has been transferred from Henry's personal holdings to the Provincial accounts.  All the villages in the provincial accounts are available for sale ...  Although you would only get the Infrastructure -  businesses will still belong to whoever built them.

At the same time, he is claiming Hexes 6 & 11 as an addition to his holdings at Newgate.

Hello folks, another new face here. Excited to adventure with you all, and maybe reclaim some old dwarf holds in the process :)

Reclaiming old Dwarf holds? Sounds good, hope we'll be good neighbors.

Drezin, I think we need to talk at some point.

In reply to ~Hargrym Silverhammer (msg # 295):

We definitely should! I'm still in the process of getting my sheet done, but should have ample time on saturday to get things going.

Hello and welcome new people!

@DM will attempt an IC post in the next few hours, spent the last few days dealing with my ISP charging me the same bill 4 times in a row. Clerical errors!

Will get a new IC post tomorrow, want to continue the introduction but today and yesterday were busy :)

No problem -  I ask a post (or two) a week in this game  :)  Although more frequently is welcome as well.

Been a busy week, but will be able to get a post up tomorrow :)

The campaign round will start soon -  at the beginning of December.  I have updated your finance entries in the Player Information II thread.  If you think I have missed you -   PM me.

Hey, where can I find a list of things I can do with these BP? Is there like a list of buildings I can build? Is there anything else I can do with BP? I know that I can invest in other people's holds but I don't think I've enough for such a thing yet.

Have a look at the games links, the campaign rules will give you info on the buildings etc.

As Dom says, the Campaign Rules are in the Game Links at the top of the page.  But this is the page ...

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....paign_systems2:start

Star off with the Stronghold rules  http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....s2:strongholds:start - but for the time being, you can skim down to the Keeping Things in Balance section.  That and Stewardship are most important to you (to start with)

In effect, you will see that Settlements are controlled by three main factors

Economy -  how economically active your settlement is
Loyalty -  how much you people like you and your management
Stability - a combination of lawfulness and security.

You have to keep those 'in balance'  which (at the moment) means within one point of each other.  You can 'manage' up to a three point difference, but we;'ll get to that later.   If you aren't in balance, I get to roll on my  'Bad Things Happen' table.

Then flip down to the Urban section for more details about Towns and possible developments.

Once you have looked at those -  PM me, and we can talk about farms and other developments.

During the campaign round, you will get the opportunity to ask other characters to invest in Westgate.  If they choose to, you will need to have some BP available to make sure that everything balances out at the end of the Campaign Round.  So keep it a bit flexible, and have a number of possibilities.

That said, you want to make sure you can spend all of your BP, if you can.  BPs in the bank don't earn you anything, because the bank doesn't pay interest.  :)  On the other hand, The bank of Abadar does lend BPs to characters - BUT it does charge interests (and high interest, in modern terms).  People can spend years in hoc to the bank ....

Happy Turkey Day everybody.

Guess I should add I was also one of the fresh recruits. Zyre will be signing on as your new local mercenary/bounty hunter.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:10, Fri 25 Nov 2022.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I should be good to go, just need to select what spells to prepare for our adventure. If anyone has any spell-tips for a 5th level Cleric about to head into the wilderness to look for some crazy person, I'm all ears :)

In reply to Drezin al Golka (msg # 307):

Time to drop into The Wild Woods  thread then -  and chat while you decide on your spells.

In reply to Drezin al Golka (msg # 307):

Fire domain for that sweet sweet FIREBALL!

On a serious note, depends what kind of caster/character you're going for. Buff machine, healer, etc. For general suggestions...

1st: Celestial/Infernal Healing- Best out of combat heals you can get.
1st: Shield of Faith: +2 AC to someone of your choosing never hurts.

2nd: Hold Person: If the target fails the save, its generally game over for em.

3rd:Prayer: Every +1 helps if your being generous to the party.
3rd Remove Curse/ Remove Disease: Never hurt, but generally you can wait till the next morning to give people their shot.
3rd: Trial of Fire and Acid: Never seen this one before, but 1d6 fire and 1d6 acid a round for 5 rounds is not bad.

Water Walk can be invaluable, if you're going somewhere with lakes, rivers and/or mud.

I get a fair bit of mileage out of Summon Monster III.

Grace can come in handy.  Burst of Radiance can be a pretty good AoE spell (especially against the evil).  Communal Protection from Evil, if you suspect the kind of Fey who like to charm.    Trail of the Rose, if you think you may get lost.

In the 1st lvl bracket, Stone Shield is good for quick, extra AC.   Know the Enemy, and Shadow Trap, have both had their uses as well.

Thanks for all the feedback and help!

Will be able to make an IC post tomorrow :)

It is time for the Campaign Round once again -  4719 this year.

For new players, this is the time we spend those BPs and develop the game world. Players who want to build a development, you need to post in the threads asking for permission from the land owner.  Landowners will respond directly in the thread. Most players will be able to find their BP 'wealth' in the various spreadsheets  (ask if you can't find them)  But I have also updated the Player Information II thread.

If you have already made arrangements with other players in Private Messages -  you still need to go through the process and make posts in the campaign threads - because that is where it is all formalized, and where I take information from when I update the spreadsheets.  IIf it isn't in the campaign threads, there is a good chance I will miss it.

Not quite sure which areas will be covered by which threads yet.  Theold has taken over Westgate, Henry has moved Eastgate from his personal holdings into the provincial holdings and Dom will be starting up a new Marchhold, based on Varnhold.

With the introduction of Highways connecting the major trading hubs (Tusk, Wyvern Bridge and Newgate) -  I have added a Carriage Park and Carriages to the list of commercial developments.  They work in the same way as a serai and mule trains - except a carriage park can only hold four carriages - and the returns aren't as high :)

It is supposed to represent a stage-coach / mail-coach type development to allow faster, regular communication and transport between the hubs.

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....2:busorgs:commercial

As always, comments/thoughts/views are welcome.

Which fuzzy thread are we using for Ringbridge improvements?

This one

link to a message in this game

Hey all, want to apologize for being quieter than usual at the busier part of the year, got caught out and have Covid and am dealing with that. Do not recommend.

Get your shots and stay safe everyone!

I hope you are feeling better soon.  Covid is no fun :(

Sounds like House Lebeda is making a move in The Great Game.

My wife has just told me, that seeing as I work from home and my only work colleagues are  Henry leMaistre, Wyn Roth and few others - that I can't have a work's Christmas do.  She wouldn't even let me buy a big tin of festive chocolate biscuits to share with them.

I have been working on a liust of alchoholic beverages made in Southern REgion.  If you think I have missed yours -  tell me  :)

---

Beers & Ales
Many towns have a local ale, that doesn’t travel very far.  The following are the premium ales that you might find served at good bars.

• Poacher’s Pale (Roth Brewery, Tusk)
• Cheerful Delver Stout (Devale Brewery, Varnhold)
• Honey Beer (River Run Brewery, Tatzleford)

Tonic Wines
Many towns have a Country Wine (made from a local berry mix) that doesn’t travel very far.  The following are the tonic wines that travel well enough that you might find them served at good bars.

• Apple Tonic (Apple Lodge Brewery, Apple Lodge)
• Old Sightblinder  (Rainbow Hall Monastery, Reedham)

Wines
All wines made with grapes need to be made in a proper winery (as opposed to a craft winery)  This is the list of ‘proper’ wines made in the Southern Region.

• Grapes of Roth (Roth Winey, Outpost)

Spirits

• Dragon's Breath, Schnapps (Roth Distillery, Tusk)

Sorry Dom has been quite,  even having issues with my good eye, its slowly improving and hopefully I'll be back properly in a day or two,

Ouch.   Take care of it mate.

I intend to close the Campaign Round down on Dec 24th.  That gives me a few days  between Xmas and New Year to put the spreadsheets back together and make sure all they are up-to-date.  Then (hopefully)  publish them at the start of the new year.

Note:  I am going on holiday, starting 9 Jan, for a couple of weeks.  January is cold in the UK -  but warm in the Canary Islands  :p

Dang.   Development threads to close on 24 Dec.  Downtime will stay open longer.

Apollogies for the absence also, unexpected job hunting

Ouch!   Hope you find something soon.

:(

Never a good time for that, and around the holiday season makes it even more stressful.  Best of luck finding something soon!

Thanks!

Any last bits to do as far as development goes?  Do you have those last couple of BPs that you need to spend?  If so, please think about posting them now.  I would like to start finalizing spreadsheets and cross-checking them.

While that will (more or less) finish the process for you - I still have to correlate them, post them, and then update the website.  I hope to be finished by the end of January.

I have also been reminded that the is Entourage time,

Any entourage, who is not at a level limit, may advance a level - Max level = Half your PC level or L5 -  which ever is the lower.

Characters, who are entitled to, may also take a new entourage.  There are limits to the number, and type, of entourages that you can take - and you can only ever take one new entourage per level.

See this page ...

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....s2:people:entourage2

Anyone else getting

This page does not exist anymore
You've followed a link to a page that no longer exists. You can check the list of old revisions to see when and why it was deleted, access old revisions or restore it.

When looking at the campaign rules

My Bad.   I reoorganised the site, slightly, and forgot to change the Game Link,  I have done that now.

However, if anyone has it bookmarked (etc)  the new link is  ...

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....paign_systems2:start

In reply to DM (msg # 330):

Given we've just joined, I'm presuming that neither Esme nor Sorna should be advancing?

Fraid not  :)

Not a worry, as expected :)

Don't worry Tobias, you're not the only one whose been absent. Though if you're in the Texas area, my job would probably be willing to pick you up. Clients dumped everything on us since its the end of the year, even got 3 projects that need to get done over the xmas weekend, thankfully I don't have to work any of those.

That said, I still need to make a post in the tusk thread to get rid of those BPs I got.

Appreciated, though fingers crossed I have something lined up now. It's a tricky time for folks to be hiring a CTO

Merry Christmas all hope you have a good one.

Thanks Dom. Have a wonderful time, everyone, however you celebrate this time of the year.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas -  and may the New Year be a good one for all of you. In an unusual fit of seasonal goodwill, I have decided to give all of your characters (including cohorts and entourages) a Christmas present.

You may each take a Light Weapon -  with a +1 magical bonus as a gift from the DM  :)

---

FAQ

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)

May I sell It ?  No.
May I get a one-handed, two-handed or ranged weapon instead?  No.
Can I add the plus to another weapon?  No.

---

Not all that many children born to significant people this year.

- - Rosimyra Primrose, Child (0), Daughter of Magatha Primrose (Mayor of Silverton), Gnome
- - Thomas leMaistre, Child (0), Son of Pemar and Mia de leMaistre (Leaders of Wyvern Bridge)
- - Dragos Yitis, Child (0), Son of Yasmin Yitis-Aldori.

Remember that this is a time when all of your characters (apart from the new players) age by a year.  This includes PCs, Cohorts, and entourages that you control   :)

I am starting to finalize spreadsheets after the Campaign Round.  If you have any BP that you wish to spend -  do it very quickly, otherwise they will be classed as 'banked' until the next campaign round.

I hope to publish the spreadsheets before the end of the year -  once that has happened, I will only change errors, rather than add any new developments.

Once that is done, I have to get the various webpages updated - and I will try to do that before I go on holiday -  on 9 Jan.

Sorry for the silence folks, been really busy with all the holiday stuff. Meant to make a post about it, but it fell through the cracks. Will re-engage with the game shortyl :)

Development threads are now closed for this campaign round.  It means I get to start on all the secondary spreadsheets.  Anything not spent, goes into your treasury for next campaign round.

Downtime is still open for a bit longer.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:18, Sat 31 Dec 2022.

Happy new Year all!

That last 2 weeks has felt like the weirdest blur even without the holidays, hope everyone was safe and healthy and the trend continues for y'all in 2023!

Happy New Year Everyone! Blessings!

Happy New Year, everyone.

I hope 2023 will be a wonderful year for all of us.

Happy New Year  :)

Happy new year.

The cast list is growing -  and I haven't culled it for a long time.  So over the next little while I intend to remove some NPCs (that I am responsible for)  who haven't posted for a long time.

For example, I will remove all of Kendrick's Entourages from the cast list  (although I will keep Kendrick) I'll keep all of their info on in Kendrick's sheet, just in case I need them again.  The same with Kiera's entourage.

Can I ask you to look at your list or entourages -  if you aren't using them to post, I would like to remove them from the cast list  :)  That doesn't mean  that you lose them.  The NPCs will still be there, still do their jobs -  but won't be able to post on their behalf.

Looking through the cast list, I can see a couple of entourages that have 'passed their use-by-date' - in that they were relevant, but now their part of the game has become so established that they don't need to post any more.

Still planning to use both Esme and Sorna, FYI

Entourage-Cousins or Entourage Allies - who have reached level 5 and need to rely on experience to advance, can gain experience by posting in the Downtime or Fuzzy threads.

If you get together as Players - you could arrange for your Entourages to meet in a bar for a chat.

Here are a few possibilities for downtime posts.  They aren't exhaustive -  and any aspects of town or country life is fair game.  Just remember not to use names of existing PCs or NPCs (unless you own them or have permission from their player)  There are a number of ordinary people around -  Labourers, bar servers, washer women, children, waifs and strays, crafters, guards, guards corporals etc. who you can use in your posts.  Make up names and occupations, as you see fit, so long as the jobs aren't significant.

1. There are always minor skirmishes in towns villages and hamlets with bandits, goblins, wild animals and minor monsters.  These are generally put down by the guard patrols -  however, your entourage might be a militia member and travelling with the guard.  Or meet a bandit group, while travelling with some of your house guard.  (The Entourage doesn't need to be a warrior)
   
2. There are fights in towns and cities between locals -  maybe at pub closing time, or a 'domestic', perhaps just a falling out between two neighbours that comes to blows.
   
3. A trader might have caught a street waif stealing from his market stall.
   
4. A divine adept might conduct a wedding, funeral, naming etc. or bless a new building, project, journey etc.
   
5. Any caster might create a minor item (if they have the feat), or a charm, or go with an ordinary member of the public to perform some minor spell for them.  or even have a philosophical discussion whith one of their other colleagues.
   
6. An expert might have trouble balancing the books, or have lost something - either at home or at work.
   
7. a meeting of a society, or a drill session with the local militia.

For ordinary members of the public, guards, guard corporals (leading the patrol) you can make up names, and basic professions .. etc)

The Dragon's Den might be a good thread for RP -  Rana is in there chatting to the bar staff.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:15, Tue 03 Jan 2023.

Or, if you want an alternate, come party at the Nereid's Nectar!   Sadly we lost the player/character who started that establishment. But she was my character's BFF, and I have plans to keep it alive.

Including talent shows, and even a gaming night, where you can play an rpg within an rpg.   Stay tuned.  ;)

Bureaucrats and Bankers?

I have started working on the website - and there will be a few changes.

The Narlmarch now has its own page, which covers all the developments within the forest, as well as Bar-Z.  That means that Tatzleford, Oldkeep and The Nature Reserve - as well as Bar-Z are all covered on that page and its associated spreadsheet.

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....gion:narlmarch:start - for that page.

Sunsmarch will (eventually)  have its own page, and some of the other pages will be reorganized slightly.

Phew.  I think that is it for today.  My eyes are starting to object!  Sunsmarch's page ....

http://rp.baileymail.net/doku....gion:sunsmarch:start