Here is the place to chat and develop your characters outside of the game.

Yay, I'm in!

Yay, I'm first player to comment!

...Wow, there are a lot of us, 10 players!

Okay so I told the GM I'd be willing to play whatever class the group needed. So, what does no one want to play?

(P.S. I also said I'd like to play Arcade Duelist if no one had any preference about what they wanted me to play, because I've never tried that (nor seen anyone try it!). But let me know what y'all want to play!)

Welcome players! I received ten applications that met or exceeded the minimum quality I was looking for. Surprisingly, there was also almost no overlap in the classes people were requesting to play. I added all of these people because often times people end up being unable to play for whatever reason. But, if at the end of character creation we still end up with ten players, I figured I would run two different group in different parts of the dungeon. Then if people leave later, it will be easy to combine the two groups.

For now you can introduce yourself, your character, and start building your character sheets (which I will unlock shortly). You can start building bonds with each other as well, as that oftentimes help inspire character building.

You were the only one who requested Arcane Duelist, so feel free to keep that class if you would like.

Hello hello! Twessa, Gnome Cleric* at your service!

(like Istvan I said I'd be happy to switch classes, Twessa's character is pretty solid in my mind and she could easily be flavored as anything).

For Bonds/already knowing each other purposes...
- Twessa is from The Frozen North
- She's travelled south to convert people to the faith of Sagrae, Dragon Goddess of Grace and Gentility. There's a story that goes with that.
- She's a sucker for a bet!
- She hates how its hot every day down south.
- If she offers you food or drink, expect something overly flavored of fungi and grasses.
- She's wary of trees, not having grown up with them.

Hello folks! I'm very excited to explore the wonderous dungeon with (some) of you.

Gania, so far, is a desert tribeswoman that got bonded to a fire spirit (or elemental or something). So far I'm open on whether it was intentional, for good of the tribe, some freak accident or who knows what.

But the fire inside her is difficult to control and after lashing out against the ones she loves and hurting them badly, she exiled herself and is looking for a way to rid herself of the flame.

She likely roamed the world searching for wise men, artifacts, places of power or anything else that she caught the wind of that might help her. So far nothing has, but she could have met a number of you during her travels. The Tapestry is her final resort and she's all in to exploring it for as long as it takes.

Mechanically, she'll be a Barbarian, an Immolator or some hybrid of the two.

P.S. I can't wait to explore the cold/hot relationship between Twessa and Gania. What is Twessa's disposition towards aiding Gania to get rid of her curse? Does she have a reason of her own to seek the Tapestry?

Mm, I see what you mean-- and another consideration is that with 10 people, even if we're divided into squads of 5 or whatever, no one's likely to cry and say "oh noes we don't have a magic person" or "we're missing a tough fighter" or whatever! Okay, I'll expect to stick with Arcane Duelist...

Yay, made the cut! Elven Ranger, at your service.

GM, do you have any ideas on how tapestry is accessible, or should we brainstorm them?
Is it new or ancient?
Static or moving around the world?
Constant or appearing in intervals (or at random)?

Hi, I'll be playing, Sierpinski, a neutral human wizard.

I intend to take low-offense ongoing spells, and generally to take any other option besides losing them after casting.

The GM assures me that dead characters will be replaced quickly, so I don't care if my character dies.

It is ancient and is a physical object. Attempts to destroy it have been unsuccessful. Feel free to brainstorm how it is accessed, and where in the world it is at this moment.


While it is true that characters can be easily replaced, and I won't hesitate to put the characters in life-threatening situations, please at least attempt to keep them alive. I would prefer to not have a revolving door of PCs. If it happens, it happens, but it should not be a goal. ;-)

Human Druid from the great plains. Chaotic rebel-rouser who sees civilization as a way to prevent individuals from controlling their own destiny.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:47, Mon 07 Jan 2019.

World-wise, we have:
The wast desert, where the Emberstorm tribe lives.
The Frozen North where the Sagrae, Dragon Goddess of Grace and Gentility reigns.
The great plains.

Atalanta, I look forward to shunning the civilization together with you.

Why do others seek the Tapestry?

I'm thinking that maybe someone got control of it and is demanding a fee for it to be accessed? Maybe there is a war breaking out over it.
Or they are looking for those desperate enough to seek it and allow them access under the condition (and a magical oath) that they will bring back something that the holder of the tapestry desires?

Hello all. I'm playing Tobias Hiller, a human country farmer turned paladin.

Tobias comes from a large family owned apple orchard. He lived and worked there most of his life before joining a nearby city's garrison for some extra coin. Their orchard can only bring in so much money, and sometimes they hit a rough patch if a harvest isn't so good.

He has only recently been blessed by his god. So while he knows how to fight, having learned from the garrison, he is still learning how to use his holy powers.

His god isn't one of valor or battle. His god is Ajanna, the god of Family Hearth and Home. Ajanna appears as an old but strong motherly woman. Tobias sees himself more as a family man. A caretaker. Even before his god called upon him family has always been important to Tobias.

He was called upon his god because his younger brother, Sydney. Tobias had no idea what has become of Sydney, but knows he has to bring him home. With his family's blessing Tobias set out. For the first time leaving his hometown.

Tobias has been traveling for only a month.

Maybe we need a Gazetteer thread to keep track of places and gods...?

We definitely need a thread to keep track of all the lore we've came up with.



Perhaps I have showed you a secret rite of the Land, or

You have tasted my blood and I your. We are bound by it?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Mon 07 Jan 2019.

If the GM doesn't want to, I'll volunteer to write it/update it/keep track of it...?

Be my guest. I have never been great at note-taking.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 11):

I will attempt to keep my character alive, but I won't go to great lengths. In particular, I won't discuss the relative merits of any plans anyone offers, though I will add things to them, without negating the intent. I'd rather keep things moving than talk about them.

Should we brainstorm here, and only when we have a idea we all agree upon, post in the Setting Information Thread?

Cause I have a few ideas I want to propose for the Tapestry.

1. The Tapestry had been found on a border between three powerful kingdoms/countries. I like the idea of having more than two factions fighting over the tapestry. Two factions means war. Three means politics. This could mean there's tension around the location, but no open warfare.

2. It is attached to a large machine that continuously weaves more and more of it. (It's an ever growing dungeon after all) No one knows how the machine works or if moving it will destroy the tapestry. So it must remain at the border, continuing the political tension.

3. There is an "entrance" located on the machine for would be adventurers to use to access the dungeon. Their "being" is then woven onto the Tapestry. Inspecting the Tapestry in detail can reveal other adventurers moving through the dungeon like small embroidered caricatures

Hey there everyone! I'm Lydia Smokestone the Neutral Human Immolator. The latest in a long line of very well regarded jewelers. Every time I see an immolator they're always played as pyrophiles with an unhealthy desire to just burn everything. So this time I want to take a more sophisticated approach by having her come from a well off family and have her focus more on elegance of flame rather than it's pure burning potential.

Out of curiosity, are the plains you come from more like the great plains of the USA with buffalo and gophers, or more like the Serengeti with lions and elephants? Or somewhere else?

Also, have you decided on the physical tell that you retain when you shapeshift?

Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise to wake up to . . .

Hello everyone, I'll be playing Brynn, and posting from the other side of the world, so expect me to have some catching up to do when I get up in the morning.

Brynn is a Human fighter, somewhere between neutral and good. Four years ago, she took up her father's blade, the black axe named Coldheart, and left home to seek her own destiny. She's never looked back. Like Tobias, she led a simple life, growing up on a farm in the dense pine-forests of the near-north, but since then, she's been hardened by the road and the life of a wandering mercenary, and the things that she's done in pursuit of her own legend have dulled the light in her eyes . . .

On other topics, Sierpinski sounds like the sort of person who owes me their life, whether they admit it or not.

I could also definitely see her believing that Tobias is soft, but I will make them hard like me.

Hmm, so since we have an Immolator, I guess Gania is a Barbarian... and Uri must be either a bard or a thief...

I like that. Tobias' trusting/kind nature would definitely look soft to someone like Brynn.

On the other hand. How does Brynn feel about her own family? She hadn't looked back when she left. Does that mean she resents/forgotten them? To Tobias that would look like Bryn's misguided behavior endangers their very soul. After all family means everything to Tobias and his god.

That would make their views contradictory to one another. Which would be really interesting to play.

In reply to Tobias Hiller (msg # 25):

Her relationship with her family is so, so much worse than that...

Yeah, that sounds great. I can see them fighting shoulder to shoulder a lot, even if their relationship outside of danger is a lot more tense.

Ok, trying to catch up!

Atalanta, Gania, what do you think of having all the nature types come in together? Harlin's backstory is currently quite fluid. But I think it would be fun to have him roaming the savannah, counter to elf type. So I need some kind of tribe of plains elves--I'll work on that. I don't want to be another exile.

His alignment move is "combat an unnatural threat" so that's fairly easy to weave in (no pun). And might be trying to help Gania.

Suggested outgoing bonds:

Atalanta is a friend of nature, so I will be their friend as well.
Tobias does not understand life in the wild, so I will teach them.
Twessa has no respect for nature, so I have no respect for them.*

*I've seen this "no respect" over-played before to the point of it making me uncomfortable as a player. I'd play it at a lower level, things like gibes and maybe sarcasm.

I also have
I have guided _______________ before and they owe me for it.

---

For the Tapestry, I like these ideas from Tobias in particular. Making it a machine would get Harlin's attention.

Hey all, hippy dippy good-aligned human bard here.  Pleased to meet you, glad you don't have to guess my name!

If you've ever met me before, you've probably heard the story about how the lute I play is all that was left behind after my father mysteriously disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I don't have any good ideas yet for who goes with which of my bonds, but I'm happy to take volunteers for any of the following:
This is not my first adventure with ___.
___ trusted me with a secret.
___ does not trust me, and for good reason.

Serengeti.



Lion ears and tail.



Sounds good to me. I think one of the Bonds I proposed to Gania would work for Harlin as well:

Perhaps she had showed him a secret rite of the Land, or

She had tasted his blood and him hers. They are bound by it.

I'm picturing some sort of great, arcane machine, reminiscent of the cube from hellraiser and any iteration of "ancient alien" tech as the source of the tapestry. When it was unearthed, it was already millenia old, so much so that the oldest civilizations in the world are still trying to puzzle out where it came from. In addition to geography, it's probably at the heart of its own set of ruins that make controlling the area difficult on its own, further complicating any one nation's attempts at controlling it. The thread that makes up the tapestry is incredibly rich and beautiful, but nobody has tried to sever any of it for a few hundred years. Stories still circulate about the disasters that befell the last group to attempt it. Few have even thought to question from whence the thread comes . . .

Uri, I actually like the idea that you know a secret about Brynn, whether she trusted you with it or not.

Anyway, I'm seeing two rough groups forming, which actually look quite well balanced.

Group 1:

Atalanta (Druid)
Harlin (Ranger)
Gania (Barbarian)
Istvan (Arcane Duelist)
Tweesa (Cleric)

Group 2:

Brynn (Fighter)
Tobias (Paladin)
Sierpinski (Wizard)
Lydia (Immolator)
Uri (Bard)

Both groups have a couple of meaty frontline warriors. Both have some people who can provide support, and both have a couple who can either fill multiple roles, have specialty skills, or the ability to provide ranged/covering fire (sometimes literally). I don't know how hard and fast we'll be treating these groups, but these seem to me like a good place to start, at least. I tried to keep in mind potential bonds people had already brought up, but there's room to shuffle some things around. Thoughts?

Brynn ninja'd my post. I was about to suggest groups, and we came up with the exact same lists! I also like that idea for the tapestry.

---

Going off of which bonds and synergies seem to be forming between characters, I am considering these for groups. Assuming everyone is still here when we start, of course. I figured knowing who is in which groups could help people focus on who to form connections with. It is fine if everyone from both groups has met at least once before though. Perhaps at an event just before both groups ventured into the tapestry?

Group 1
Istvan Vanoson    - human arcane duelist of Emberstorm tribe
Twessa Dumdellin  - gnome cleric of the dragon god Sagrae
Gania Flamekeeper - human barbarian with fiery traits of the Emberstorm tribe
Atalanta          - human druid of the plains
Harlin Greenarrow - elven ranger of the plains

Group 2
Lydia Smokestone  - human immolator jeweler
Uri               - human bard, hippy dippy
Tobias Hiller     - human farmer/paladin of the hearth goddess Ajanna
Brynn Rhunsdottir - human fighter and veteran mercenary
Sierpinski        - human wizard with low-offense magics

Groups look great. Although I definitely won't mind Gania running into Lydia at some point.
Machine weaving the tapestry is great take.

Here are suggested bonds for me:

Twessa is puny and foolish, but amusing to me.
Harlin’s ways are strange and confusing.
Atalanta is always getting into trouble—I must protect them from themselves.
Istvan shares my hunger for glory; the earth will tremble at our passing!

Istvan, how did a desert nomad train as an arcane duelist? Any thoughts/wishes for his and Gania's relationship? Friendly, competitive, hero&sidekick?


Harlin, if I might suggest: Going that Twessa doesn't understand the life in the wild, and that Gania doesn't respect nature. And he might have had guided Istvan.

Maybe Isvan traveled the world before to learn his dueling skill and had met Harlin. He returned (together with Twessa) to the desert, only to find Gania going nuclear and staring a search of her own.
In the meantime (or before) Harlin and Atalanta met and started working together. The two groups ran into each other and realized their common goal to get to the tapestry.

Makes sense to me. For my Bonds, perhaps:

Twessa smells more like prey than a hunter.

The spirits spoke to me of a great danger that follows Istvan.

I have showed Harlin a secret rite of the Land.

Gania has tasted my blood and I theirs. We are bound by it.

Oh no, everyone in my group hates civilization! But...that just means its a greater challenge to convert them! Aha! :)

@Lydia - People from Twessa's township hidden in The Frozen North infrequently travel south with gemstones for sale, and Twessa herself travelled south in the company of those traders. Maybe Twessa knows Lydia for that reason, and further the Smokestones have a generations-long trading relationship with the Dumdellins?

@Harlin - The `no respect' thing might be a tricky fit, as Twessa is more ignorant than disrespectful. She's fine on home ice, spearing fish and avoiding polar bears and harvesting edible moss, lichen and fungi, but she doesn't know what a lion is. I guess its up to Harlin to decide if thats `no respect'.

Alternatively, `I have guided Twessa before and they owe me for it' could be a good one for the same reasons...maybe Twessa was entirely lost in some foreign territory and Harlin helped lead her back to a road/to town. It'd certainly help me explain how a servant of Sagrae ended up with the wilder crowd. Up to you, really! :D

@Gania - Puny+Foolish+Amusing works from my perspective! Twessa is a world class dunce in many areas the rest of her fivesome would have learned as children.

@Atalanta - I'm fine with `Twessa smells like prey'. She totally does.

Here's what I'm thinking of for Bonds:

BONDS
Atalanta has insulted my deity; I do not trust them.
This seems inevitable to me, given Sagrae is a goddess of civilization. Is that OK with you?

Harlin Greenarrow is a good and faithful person; I trust them implicitly.
Tentatively picked in case Harlin favors the `I saved Twessa from sinking in quicksand/being eaten by a tiger/dying from heat exhaustion'

Gania Flamekeeper is in constant danger, I will keep them safe.
She's fighting a battle against the dragon spirit within! It would be a shame for her tale to end early.

I am working on converting _____________ to my faith.
This one could end up being Istvan, but I might leave it open for actual play.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:54, Tue 08 Jan 2019.

Atalanta, maybe switching Istvan and Gania in your bonds? Although, spirits might now something that we don't...

Twessa, I actually opted for Neutral, not Chaotic, so there's half a battle you won't have to fight.

Background-wise, I'm still debating on how to handle Gania's heritage. How's this sound to everyone:
Each generation in Emberstorm tribe, Flame twins are born. One is the keeper, who passes it on to the next generation. Other is the watcher, who guards the tribe. Gania's sister is the champion that is training with their aunt, the current Flamewatcher. Gania was prepared to bear the next pair of twins into the world.

She couldn't come to terms with it, and her connection with the fire within her was disrupted.
While the shaman sent her on the journey to repair the bond, she actually wants to sever it completely.

Atalanta, Twessa, feel free to put me in those bonds of yours.

I... don't really like bonds in DW (part of the problem is they sort of force the role-playing in directions I often don't like, another part is RPol attrition and disappearances happen and then one is often left holding the bag), but I sort of like those.

I like the following Arcane Duelist bonds:

X  broke up a fight I was involved in. I was probably going to lose, but they don’t need to know that part.

 X  and I are regular training partners.


The second one seems right for Gania...

Then there's this...

X seems like they would fold at the first sign of trouble. I don’t trust them.

I was thinking of Istvan and our wizard? Istvan might have a thing against non-weapon-based magic-users? Then it would be cool to prove Istvan wrong...?

ALSO I JUST HAD ANOTHER THOUGHT: GM wants us to write our PCs' words and thoughts in color. But there's 10 of us... maybe we should call dibs now?

Maybe say what color you want and I'll put it in the info thread so late-comers can see what's already taken?

Dibs on blue! (basic blue, not dark blue... Although if anyone else had their heart set on blue let me know and maybe you can talk me into dark blue?)

Green.

We're in two groups, so maybe there can be some overlap.
Either way, I'd go with Goldenrod

@Gania & @Istvan, a tricky part about that heritage is that it seems to say that if Gania dies, then she and her sister are the last Flame twins? Do you think that might make it so she's been warned to not get in fights or die or something? Or that Istvan is a sworn protector?

Or given I already put down Gania as an `I must protect her' Bond, maybe Twessa's had past contact with the Emberstorm tribe that saw them trick her into an oath, which as a Lawful cleric of a Lawful goddess she'd be stuck in. Maybe Istvan tricked Twessa into a contest she lost but had been confident of winning? How does that sound?

Also, dibs on Pink!

Edit: Or Istvan or Gania or another Emberstorm promised Twessa that they'd tell her a way to meet a dragon (very high on her motivations), and its by going into the Tapestry. She had to swear to help Gania for the information/invitation.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:55, Tue 08 Jan 2019.

Claiming darkgreen

For color I'll go with Red.

I still have 3 other bonds to fill out. I'm unsure who of my party will fit in each. Tobias hasn't traveled long, if he met any other player on his journey it would mean they recently just met.

Though I like the idea that maybe they met Tobias before his journey, when he was still only a farmer or even a garrison guard. Maybe they met while passing through his small hometown.

It'll help if we knew why each of us are seeking out the Tapestry.

Here are my bonds.

_____ has stood by me in battle and can be trusted completely.

I respect the beliefs of _____ but hope they will someday see the true way.

_____ is a brave soul, I have much to learn from them.

Ok, here's what I've got from others' posts. I took Tobias out for being in the other group, but left that one blank.

Atalanta is a friend of nature, so I will be their friend as well.
________ does not understand life in the wild, so I will teach them.
Gania has no respect for nature, so I have no respect for them.
I have guided Twessa before and they owe me for it.

Atalanta has shown Harlin a secret rite of the Land.
Harlin’s ways are strange and confusing to Gania.
Harlin Greenarrow is a good and faithful person; Twessa trusts them implicitly.

---

Works for me. Atalanta?

This definitely can be a problem. However, when we do an End of Session and resolve bonds, if you have a bond with someone who is no longer in the game, I still let you gain XP from the bond you had with them and allow you to replace it with a new one.

Also, everyone should keep in mind that you are not required to stick with the bonds on the character sheets. Feel free to make up your own if you have a different way you would like to be bonded to a character.


I agree. What are some peoples's reasons for seeking out the tapestry? Are you merely aiding someone else who has reasons for entering? Do you have reasons of your own? Someone tell me, which group currently has control of the tapestry, and what is the reason they are sending groups of adventurers into it? Do you know what happened to the last group who entered?

Tobias - You are looking for your brother. Do you think he may have entered the tapestry to find riches to support your family?

Twessa - You seek to see a dragon. Have you heard that there is one within?

Gania - You seek to sever your connection with your inner flame (if I understand correctly). Is there a reason you believe entering the tapestry will help you achieve that goal?

Makes sense to me. Atalanta's general reaction to religion is "The Land is the oldest deity" etc etc, anyways. Also, regarding Twessa smelling more like a prey than a hunter, I can't help but imagine what she'd say when she first heard Twessa's name...

"Wait, your last name actually is dumpling?"



That certainly works for me, although I think it makes sense for Atalanta and Gania to have had altercations before Gania decided to keep her out of even more trouble.



Both works for me as well.

Oh yay, okay, great idea!



I may do this for my 4th bond...




Okay, then, let's pin this down, and I'll record them all for you in the info thread, DM. I think I'm just going along to help Gania.

EDIT: uh, but that could make this thread a little busy... I encourage you all to just message me with your reason for entering the tapestry
This message was last edited by the player at 17:44, Tue 08 Jan 2019.

Looks like aqua is still open, so I'll take that.

Brynn - I like your idea.  Up to you if you shared the secret voluntarily or not, but be aware that if I think you're holding back I may try to weasel more info out of you :)



I could take this one, if you disagree with my naive insistence on fostering peace among hostile groups

Thank you. I really appreciate the record keeping you have been doing. It takes a big weight off of my shoulders.

Whereas it's just the sort of thing I like, so I don't mind keeping track at all! I've done it in a couple of other games before now where the group is building its own world.

Let me know if there are any other sets of details/info you would like me to keep track of!

If we aren't locked to the Bounds described in the playbooks, we can write new ones or modify current ones for Tobias. Some bonds described in his playbook feel fitting for a paladin more zealous and valorous than he is.

Brynn’s misguided views endangers their very soul.
  [I'll keep this one as we agreed before. I only changed 'behavior' to 'views']

I respect the beliefs of Uri but hope they will someday see the true way.
  [This will work. Even Tobias will have limits to helping every creature he comes across. Sometimes there will be those he deems unworthy of help/redemption.]

Magic is entirely new and foreign to me, because Sierpinski knows much more than I do, I have much to learn from them.
  [I like the idea that magic is common enough that people like Tobias would know about it, and heard various tales regarding it. Many contradictory and amazing tales. Now that Tobias was blessed with magic of his own, he would look to someone like Seirpinski for some sort of guidance. Ignorant that his divine magic is different to Sierpinski's arcane magic.]

---

EDIT:

On Uri's end, I could take this bond of his.

This is not my first adventure with Tobias.
  [You could have traveled through my hometown before. I like the thought of Uri visiting my town's tavern and having a few drinks with Tobias. Ending with some drunken shenanigans that got them in minor trouble. As breif of an adventure it was, it was still an adventure for them nonetheless. The Hiller Apple Orchard makes the best Cider this side of the western hills.]

EDIT 2: I actually misread your post Uri, I changed my response to match what you wrote.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:30, Tue 08 Jan 2019.

I'll take purple.

I was thinking, perhaps Lydia (or her family) are helping to finance our group's journey into the tapestry. Brynn was hired to lead/insure her safety (I am sworn to protect Lydia). Then, a ragtag group of people with their own interests in the dungeon forms together. Tobias certainly has his own goal, and Uri could be brought along with him.

Brynn certainly won't claim her own motivations for seeking the tapestry. It's just a job, after all. She certainly seems drawn to it, though . . .

Coral for me please!



I think this works absolutely great. My thoughts is that she is old enough to desire he own means in the tapestry, so while she's using family money to bankroll the expedition Lydia is doing it herself.

---

As for bonds I was thinking these could be interesting:

Uri has felt the hellish touch of fire, now they know my strength.
[My thought behind this being that perhaps she has heard rumors of my family's powers, or has seen one of my more rough and tumble brothers brandish flame during a bar fight.]

I will teach Tobias Hiller the true meaning of sacrifice.
[I feel that she sees a god of hearth and home as a deity to coddle the weak masses. Fire in her eyes had lead her family to where it is now, and they have given up much to reach their privileged and powerful status.]

Sierpinski has felt the burn of my cutting comments.
[To her, her power is something of an absolute. Her force of will, and burning ancestor has conditioned her to respect shows of force. As a low-offence wizard I think she would view you more as a magician than an actual arcanist.]

Friendly. Pals. Peers... Though I suspect she may be a bit more assertive and him a bit more laid-back...




I'm fine with all that


EDIT: everyone who hasn't done so be sure to message me about why you want to enter the Tapestry... and your color if you are one of the few who hasn't already done so...
This message was last edited by the player at 00:58, Wed 09 Jan 2019.

I'm loving how everyone's reaction to Tobias is that he's weak/soft. I'm just a good ol boy who loves his Ma, Pa, and 4 other siblings. Nothing wrong with that. He'll show you all that strength lies in ones compassion.

---

Here's what I propose for Tobia's final bond, for Lydia.

Lydia lived life of wealth and privilege, I need to show them the meaning of hard work.
  [An upbringing of a well regarded jeweler family is vastly different from that of a orchard farm family.  I think Tobias will see Lydia as a pampered girl. Especially if his first impression of her is that of a caravan leader spending money to get what she wants (ie A caravan and protection to the Tapestry). He'll see her money first and draw assumptions.]

I just looked over everyone's character sheets and it seems most people are close to ready to start. I did notice that several people were calculating their Load incorrectly though. It should be your class's base load, plus your strength modifier. So if your base load is 10 and you have a +1 to strength, your maximum load will be 11. Take a moment to double-check and see if yours is correct on your sheet.

---

Other than that and a couple more completed character sheets, all we really need before we start is one more piece of the setting. Who is sending you into the tapestry, and why? Here are some possibilities to get your creative juices flowing.

Who:
Researchers
Merchants
Eccentric benefactor
Religious faction
ruler of the land
Criminal who smuggled you in
Guild of textile workers
Other

Why:
Someone got lost or went missing
Update maps
Recover an artifact
Discover clues of its origins
Capture rare beasts
Collect wealth
Reach a specific area within
Establish an outpost
Other

Edit: Additionally, we know there are three nation's contesting the area the tapestry is located. What are these three nations? Which one is currently in control of the tapestry?
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:53, Wed 09 Jan 2019.

You might think it wasn't much of an adventure, but the lyrics to my song "Fruit of the Fairy Queen" disagree ;)



Sure, I've had more than one gig go badly.  If I saw someone throwing fire I'd probably be dumb enough to call them out for harshing the mood.  No hard feelings, of course - it's all fuel for the muse.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:09, Wed 09 Jan 2019.

I feel like we established (or at least strongly implied) that no one is in control of the Tapestry at present.  But the generals of Tozenyor believe they have a strong advantage at this point, and their confidence may be causing spies from one or both of the other nations to report this back as if it was true.

Of course, it's possible that the magic of the Tapestry allows it to send out inaccurate information to those who seek it.  Illusions, delusions, take your pick.

I vote for these...






I would love to answer this too, but it's bedtime and I don't want to hog the creation process. But if no one answers this by tomorrow morning, I'll answer this too...

For our group two, the narrative I'm sort of seeing is that Lydia wanted to go into the tapestry to claim some wealth and fame to call her own, managing to convince her family to bankroll the expedition with promises of returns on their investment. To that end, an overprotective family member (or just Lydia herself) hires a mercenary to see the young woman through. Brynn starts making arrangements to gather a small group (Lydia's funding isn't bottomless, afterall), so they end up with this unlikely alliance. She might have met Tobias in the past, turning in a bounty to the garrison he worked in, and Tobias would likely jump at the chance to join an expedition, considering he's searching for his lost family. Uri comes along to help out his old pal, and Brynn finds and pays for the services of an arcanist to keep them informed as they delve into the world's most dangerous dungeon, bringing Sierpinski onboard with the promise of a share of the treasure. What follows is our certainly disastrous expedition to danger and near certain death . . .


The Tozenyor legions are certainly in the lead, but if they think their conquest of the area is a foregone conclusion, they're likely to find their hopes dashed rather quickly. Their foothold into the ruins that house the Tapestry's arcane loom has proved tenuous at best, and their regimented soldiers have proven woefully unprepared for the sort of improvisation necessary for surviving in the crumbling and potentially ever-shifting architecture of the ancient city. Perhaps the magic of the loom itself seeps out into the surrounding area, making it behave just slightly less like the rest of the "real" world.

Of course, the fact that they're under constant pressure from the golem army of the Galdrik empire of dwarves doesn't help, either . . .

* * * *

On a completely different note, I think I'm going to redefine my signature weapon a bit. Consider we've got a gnome cleric to a dragon god in the other party, I think it'd be a little fun if my (potentially sapient) runic axe just so happened to hate dragons . . .

P.S. I also went over my sheet and fixed a few things, changing some stats around as I get a better idea of where I want the character to start and where I want them to go. I'm not 100% settled on any of it, but I like it for now.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:06, Wed 09 Jan 2019.

I'm liking the world-building going on. Keep it up!


That's fine. Nobody's character is going to be locked into its final form until they make their first in-character post

As the spirits require Gania to make the journey, the tribe trusts them they will keep her safe. If worse comes to worst, her sister can also bear the next pair of twins. It would result in a gap when there is no Watcher, which isn't common but had happened.

Gania had traveled quite a bit following various rumors of magical people, places and items, but none were able to do what she seeks (get rid of the flame). There was no information that there is anything in the Tapestry that might help her, but she's gambling that it's large enough place that she's bound to find something.


The Tapestry's loom is located on a plateau in a very interesting position. The Tozenyor empire and the Draconic North have a short border next to the Western see. For the rest of their span, the Mountains that hold the dwarven kingdom are wedged between the two. And the plateau holding the Loom is at the end of the mountain range. Thus the three realms all wish to claim it.

The remnants of the city in which the loom appeared had been abandoned for centuries, and every side in the conflict has stories on who populated it before, and why it was abandoned. One thing is agreed upon, none wished to venture into the ruins, but the treasure is too big to pass on.

The human army, well trained and with complex war machines, has set up camp and had restored the roads from their border up the rocky slope and towers along them, supported by the trebuchets and catapults based at the foot of the mountain.

Dragons circle in the sky above, while a sea of kobolds mills on their side of the mesa, lead by draconian captains. Every now and then, groups of dragons will deploy a company of kobolds up.

Finally, dwarves dug tunnels from their system to the pre-Loom uninteresting part of the mountains and the golems march through them.

P.S. Which means it might be Sagrae's church that sent Twessa (as a somewhat neutral party) to investigate, especially when they heard that she had gathered some companions. And they want to find out not only what is the origin of the Tapestry, but the truth behind what happened to the city hosting it. Did its builders also create the loom? Did someone flee the destruction into the Tapestry?

I might have missed something, so let me know if you're waiting for anything else from me (applicable to everyone).
This message was last edited by the player at 14:00, Wed 09 Jan 2019.

I approve of this, and ask permission to add it into the info thread as official...

I like Gania's Tapestry plot but I'd make a couple of refinements...I picture Twessa's people being from an Arctic Coast/Siberia-like Frozen North, but what if The Draconic North is volcanic like Iceland - thermal geysers keeping the flying lizards warm and so on. Maybe legends that dragons were first born from the volcanoes!

Sagrae visited Twessa in a dream, demanding that she resolve the issue caused by the Tapestry before dragons stop working together and come to blows, and to prevent the artifact falling into the hands of the greedy Tozenyor or those lowly dwarves. Twessa was left with the feeling that this wasn't so much a divine request as it was an expectation that she remedy a situation for which she was being held personally responsible, for reasons only Sagrae knew.

Twessa suggested to the travelling Emberstorms that even if the Tapestry couldn't help Gania, perhaps the fire spirit within her might be tempted to abscond to the volcanoes and leave her alone.

(Twessa would want to approach the Tapestry by parleying with dragons, as opposed to passing through dwarven lands or those of Tozenyor)


TL;DR - Twessa is on a divine quest from her goddess; has been commanded to `resolve' the `problem' with the Tapestry, whatever that means.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:04, Wed 09 Jan 2019.

That all sounds good to me, with the alterations Twessa suggested.

I was thinking maybe each of the three factions managed to stop warring just long enough to agree to each send in a group of adventurers into the tapestry. Maybe the dragons side sent in Twessa's group, the humans sent in the 100% human party, and the dwarves sent in their own party earlier that may or may not contain Tobias's brother. The parties would all be hired as neutral parties, but sponsored by different nations. All with the goal of gaining insight into what the tapestry actually is, so that they better understand how valuable a location the plateau actually is.

Tobias Hiller will play an important role in the events to come. I have foreseen it! In order to probe the boundary between life and death, I formed a mental bond with a convicted criminal who had been sentenced to be hanged. The man's last thought before death was of a paladin of Ajanna, and the name "Tobias Hiller." I acquired the man's severed head and questioned it, demanding to know more, but it claimed to have no memory of that final thought, or any such person with the name or description held therein. And the dead have no reason to lie.

@Atlanta - lol at the dumpling joke :)

If you're ok with it, I've revised Twessa's bond for you to be more of a paranoid/prey like response. I had a thought that when Atlanta is bored in their travels, perhaps she separates from the group and practices stalking Twessa from long grass, or bushes, or trees, or the sky.

Atalanta is always watching me; I must be wary of her wild side

@DM - being an official mercenary for dragons is definitely Twessa's cup of tea!
This message was last edited by the player at 15:17, Wed 09 Jan 2019.

FYI, I haven't been participating much because of a spike in ill health. I am following along and will chime in as I'm able, but it may turn out that a lot of Harlin's backstory is developed in play.

In other words, don't hold things up on me right now.

That's my preferred way to do it anyway. I've never seen pre-written backstory matter significantly, mainly because no one else reads it or remembers it if they do.

Anyway, I hope you feel better soon.

Updated the info thread with the following:


THE WORLD:

--NORTH: The Frozen North, where Sagrae, Dragon Goddess of Grace and Gentility reigns. It's an Arctic Coast/Siberia-like place, but also volcanic like Iceland - thermal geysers keeping the flying lizards warm and so on. Some legends say that dragons were first born from the volcanoes...!

--EAST: The mountains, home of the Galdrik empire of dwarves. They have a golem army...

--SOUTH: The great plains, home of the human Tozenyor empire and its politically-powerful generals...

--FARTHER SOUTH: The vast desert, where the Emberstorm tribe lives...


Also added the Tapestry info...


If any of this needs changing (or if you want more details added) let me know, here or by PM...
This message was last edited by the player at 16:06, Wed 09 Jan 2019.

I think we have just about enough information to get started. Hopefully we will be able to begin tomorrow. In the meantime, make sure you have made all of you tweaks to your character sheets before then, and pick a speech color if you have not yet done so. In the first post for both groups, I will ask each character a question to help set the stage. Get ready for adventure!

I like this better, actually. Atalanta's motivation for doing so is likely just doing it for the heck of it, or maybe she's trying to toughen Twessa a bit in her own way.



I'm sorry to hear that. Get better soon!



Me too, tbh.

I'm liking everything so far, and looking forward to some friendly (or at least "friendly") competition between the two parties.

In reply to Uri (msg # 72):

I, for one, always love a bit of tension in (or between) my adventuring parties.

I think I'm all set. Hopefully we're as prepared as we can be for whatever awaits us. I like the idea that each party is entering the tapestry at the uneasy behest of a faction, even if most of us have no real intention of honoring or owing these kingdoms anything. I can't imagine Lydia is terribly patriotic for this human nation, and Brynn's here for work.

I sort of imagine that, given the nature of the ruins and standoff, adventuring parties have always been able to slip in. This time, the nations are attempting to hire mercs to go in for their interests . . . which would be a good idea except that adventurers are pretty universally out for themselves.

..Speech color?

I dislike colored speech to the point that I will limit quoting my character to avoid using it, but I'll take orange so we can move along.

The dungeon master has mentioned to me privately that-- like most GMs-- he has reserved orange for imparting OOC information.

In reply to Istvan Vanoson (msg # 76):

Then never mind.

...

...Maybe Sierpinski is mute, performing all his magic with material components and gestures (and writing things on paper? And maybe burning it afterwards in a flash and a puff of smoke?). A man of deeds, not words (?!)

An interesting concept but no, thank you.

I updated the RTJ and Expectations thread to note that Orange is reserved for GM use. I should have done that a long time ago. Oops.

Sierpinski, your color can be black then. The color of standard text. It may be a bit more difficult to pick out your character's speech, but it is a relatively minor issue in the grand scheme of things.

Cool, thanks. It won't be crucial to pick out my character's speech.

Brynn said she was gonna take purple.

Must have missed that; thanks; I'll add it now--

I had group one's post just about ready to go, but then lost half my work when I went to save it. At least it should go faster the second time...

On another note, I feel I should mention that for this game I don't plan on using any secret text. If there is a thing that only one person knows IC, OOC all the players will know too. That way we all know the entire story, the same as we would if we were in the same room together.

Hopefully that made sense. If not, let me know and I will try to clarify.

I use google docs to prep my posts if I'm not on mobile. Maybe that'll help save your writing next time. Dunno how many times my own time writing got interupted cause of bad luck, only for google docs to save it all preemptively.

I like that theres not gonna be any secret text. If we are conscious of our metagaming, knowing all the info could help us write a better story.

Thank you for this. It shows trust in the players and their desire to make the game better for everyone involved.

Ditto.

Wow, Istvan, that's one way to start a campaign.

Don't worry, we'll hep...after the DM is done with you.

Tobias, Uri, I foresee a pattern of you two attempting to see the best in "people" as Brynn makes preparations to lay into them with her axe in the most efficient way possible should things turn south.

The good thing about falling over alongside a gnome is that the gnome can actually reach stuff trying to attack you!

In reply to Twessa Dumdellin (msg # 92):

I didn't realize gnomes were an option. What is the gnome move for a cleric?

I negotiated it with our DM!

Basing it on the Human Cleric/Wizard moves being much the same, and using the logic that that made the classes' racial moves equivalent, I modified the Elf Wizard move to something gnomey/Twessalike.

GNOME
Even the gods know the value of gnomish hospitality. Sanctuary is a rote for you.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:30, Fri 11 Jan 2019.

In reply to Twessa Dumdellin (msg # 94):

Thanks.

Don't worry if it comes down to it Tobias won't hesitate to take up arms. It's just at the forefront of his mind to diffuse a situation before it can escalate. If its already escalated, sword first, apologizes  later.

In reply to Tobias Hiller (msg # 96):

Did you feel like Uri was escalating things?

Nah, that was more of Tobias taking the lead so if anything does escalate he's already up in front.

I'm thinking Tobias would see himself more as a shield for his allies than a deadly swordsman. Best way to accomplish that is to be the center of attention.

In reply to Tobias Hiller (msg # 98):

While still enabling and supporting others taking the initiative at times?

Of course. Tobias isn't the arrogant type to think he always knows best. He will step back and let others take the initiative if they know better than he does. But figuring that Tobias only knows everyone on a surface level, it'll take time for him to know when those situations arise.

Tobias sees Uri and Brynn taking two opposite approaches. Brynn to ready a fight, and Uri to befriend. Tobias agrees that it's best to diffuse the womans anger before it gets out of hand. But he's not so foolish to not see the danger and opts to stand between the woman and his friend.

In reply to Tobias Hiller (msg # 96):

I certainly wasn't implying that you wouldn't throw down when the time came. More just that, while Uri and Tobias are trying to resolve things peacefully, Brynn will always be quietly readying her axe just in case. As far as she's concerned, she was hired to see Lydia through an endlessly changing murder-world, and that's exactly what she intends to do.

Did anyone in either group actually remeberd their rune? Do we need discern realities or some other roll for that?

Yeah, this is looking like a good group dynamic so far.  But of course things wouldn't go south in the first place if people would just try to listen and understand each other, you know? ;)

We can assume at least one person caught enough of a glimpse of it to recognize it in the future. No roll needed. There are plenty of other, more interesting, ways I can make it difficult for you guys to find your way back out of the tapestry.

Glad to hear it. I didn't even try, with INT a my dump stat . . .

Brynn, Sierpinski will take the time to examine the statues once it's clear where they stand with this woman with the wavy hair, assuming she doesn't tell us what's going on.

In reply to Sierpinski (msg # 106):

I figured. Generally, brynn's assumption is that she vaguely monstrous thing if ready to kill is all, so she's looking to sierpinski to rattle off useful info about how to kill them. She's not going to attack until it's clear things have turned South, but when it is, she's bringing her axe down hard and fast.

Okay, though he's generally not going to have any useful information until he's seen the thing in action, on had a chance to interact with it or try things on it.

I will have to reply to Group Two's thread tomorrow. Sorry for the wait.

Atalanta, I would guess that's Strength for Hack'n'Slash. I'm curious what the DM will say.

Edit: Although "Charge" might be a special form move...
This message was last edited by the player at 19:55, Sun 13 Jan 2019.

Charge! would get you in close enough to hit without having to defy danger. Once there, Atalanta can either use Hack and Slash, or expend another Hold to use one of her other moves to deal damage without a roll.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 111):

Cool!

Brynn, I can see you and I are going to get along fantastically ;)

In reply to Uri (msg # 113):

I hope you don't mind, but brynn is happy to let Uri pursue peace. Keeping the group alive is her only objective, and if Uri is angry at her afterwards... Well, sometimes that just means she did her job.

Personally, I love seeing dynamics like this. I promise I won't always destroy your attempts to parley a situation, though.

Question:

--I like the way things are going, but... When we all reply to a DM response... how does time work?

I mean... I attacked the claw-thing.

Twessa kicked it away from her and Harlin.

Did I attack it, and then she kicked it away after that? Or will the DM decide the timing of things on a case-by-case basis every time? Are 5 actions happening simultaneously in quantum space-time until the DM comes along and puts the events in the order he or she or ze wants?

I'm just trying to wrap my head around it, because I feel it will be useful to me (to all of us?) to know in the future... or should I be telling myself that it's just a game and I should really just relax?

For a PBP game, it's probably best to not worry about it too much and just let the DM resolve it in the way that they find to be most dramatically appropriate; having each player waiting on the GM to make a reply to the last action before they post take way too much time in a forum game.

Heh, what you just described as being too time-consuming is totally what I actually do as a GM on RPol. I suppose it does take a bit of time sometimes... That's another reason I'm interested in how this method works...
This message was last edited by the player at 16:09, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

I'm hoping it's just the latter. I think the looser we can handle positioning and timing, the easier and more fun this will be.

That said, PbtA games really benefit, I find, from players directly backing up others' actions, rather than just piling on their own. I don't have a good way to that in general, and I'm certainly not setting a good example in my group, but the more we can build directly off of what others do, instead of just doing another thing, the better.

Exactly... my brain is asking me, for example, "How can you ever use the Aid move if you don't have a good grasp on how time works in this game?"

I tend to take the order of actions into account, but ultimately go with what makes the most sense and feels right. The Aid move is one that I am especially lenient with, time-wise. As long as we haven't already moved past the action, feel free to say you were helping with an action and make an aid roll, so long as it makes sense and you describe how you aid them.

Well, one thing to consider is that it's not necessary to "use" moves the way one might use abilities in another game. Just do what you'd do and if it makes sense (to you or someone else) for that to trigger a move, then it should be rolled. If it doesn't make sense, then don't. Fiction drives the moves, and just because you don't roll something doesn't mean you don't accomplish something.

Other than that, I'd handle it just by reading what has come before and acting in support of that. Along those lines, if someone is clearly trying to Aid you ahead of your stated action, you can support them by then trying to do the thing they're hoping to aid you in.

I’m sorry if i messed anyone up, I was guided by Twessa’s sense of ‘what the hell do i do now’ after losing her spear and general intention to stop people from being hurt.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:26, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

I'm comfortable with that, but... we 5 move, and then you move. So.... I guess that leaves two options:

1. We wait to see what other people are doing before we post what we're doing, in case we want to Aid (but that'll slow the game down), or

2. the only other way I see to do it is something like this:

--I post that I attack the claw.
--Twessa posts that she tries to kick the claw, and misses (didn't happen, this is just an example)
--I post AGAIN to say that I'm trying to Aid her by doing what I already said I was doing, and describe in more detail how that works...

Would this work and/or be allowed...?

(PS Twessa don't worry, I'm not being critical, just thinking about things like how Aid will work in this format)

This could go in more than one way, as I suggested.

If you want to aid, describe aiding. If you really don't know what you'll be aiding on, be general. If you can't help them (as with, say, a spell caster casting a spell) you can defend them, or you can just stay the heck out of the way. It's not necessary to roll something on every turn.

If you have some idea what they'll need help with, be more specific, and then it behooves them to write a post that makes yours work. If you say you're helping them, and they say they're doing something that blocks or negates that (even if you've tried to be general) then I guess maybe don't worry about aiding them in future.

But, if you aren't going to aid someone, and post before they do, it still behooves them to act in support of what you posted, as much as possible. Otherwise, everyone flies off in different, possibly contradictory, directions.

Yes, there are worst case scenarios where this doesn't work, but with everyone acting in good faith and trying to make things work, it works. That's already the only way Dungeon World works, and pretty much the only way any other RPG works.


Changing your attempt to damage the thing into an attempt to aid someone else's attempt to damage the thing? Seems reasonable. Leaving it as is would also be reasonable.

Ideally, as I see it, if you post that you're attacking the claw, posts following yours should either support that or at least not interfere with it.

Yeah, I agree that's an option...




Yes... but I'm, uh, already seeing that not exactly happen, for example over in y'all's thread... which makes for hilarious role-playing, but... just sayin'.

Building off of what Sierpinski has already stated, I think in that example it would make more sense for you to attack the claw, then, when you see Twessa attempting to kick it, you also try to Aid her. So you would make two rolls. To attack and to aid.

It is fine to make multiple posts before I make a reply if it makes sense. Especially if rolls aren't needed or the rolls you make don't have added consequences. But if you decide to do multiple things at the same time, you can make several rolls at the same time. Like if you Defend, Spout Lore, and Discern realities all simultaneously. Just know that if you fail all three, I may make three GM moves against you simultaneously too.

I may not always wait for everyone to post an action before I post either. Dungeon World isn't really meant to go in turns. Action can focus on one or two people for a while, and then shift back to others. It just so happens that everyone has been acting simultaneously thus far, which is perfectly fine too.

Lydia, for example, hasn't posted yet. But if she shows up and makes a post for Group 2 in the next couple of days, we'll just say the action was revolving around the other characters at first. Perhaps she needed to regain her bearings after the transport, or maybe she was just observing silently, waiting for the correct moment to act. She faded into the background for a bit, but that doesn't mean she isn't there.

I said "ideally" and I admitted that I, for one, haven't done that very well - a wizard in a mostly-combat situation with no active spells simply might not have a good way to aid anyone directly, and so is better off staying out of the way or trying to work on a parallel problem. Sometimes not contributing another action is a good choice, if it would likely be divergent or contradictory or blocking.

Acting in support (either to aid, or just help someone else's post make the most sense), rather than acting to bring one's particular specialties to bear, takes practice. I'm saying I think we should practice that, rather than putting any kind of timing convention in place.

Building on what the DM said, I think one thing to keep in mind about AWE games like DW, which is very different from other RPGs - even other rules-lite RPGs like FATE - is that there's no such thing as action economy. There's nothing saying that you can only do one thing, or make one roll, before everyone else has acted. And that's fine, because as the DM pointed out, taking more actions also mean taking more risk - for each action you fail, the DM gets to make a move against you. So as long as it makes sense in the fiction, it shouldn't really be a problem.

Right. Along those lines, lots of actions simply don't trigger moves and rolls (the same is often true even in rules-heavy games, actually), so even if someone "does" several things in a post, only some might trigger moves - or a player might trigger moves they didn't realize they were triggering and be required to roll.

Okay, I think I've gotten enough insight on the process for me to take it on a case-by-case basis from now on, but I'm reassured that the process as such seems pretty relaxed. Carrying on... :)

Welcome to Istvan's club, Brynn.

Istvan is still pondering whether to call it the

TA DAAAAAA! Club

or the

YAY, XP Club

or maybe just the

1, 1 Club

In reply to Istvan Vanoson (msg # 131):

Just making sure you realize, anything 6 or under gets XP. I realize the specialness of the snake-eyes club, but the second suggestion made me want to check!

Yep, I gave myself XP on my character sheet for that one (EDIT) but I also realize it's anything under 7
This message was last edited by the player at 13:51, Thu 17 Jan 2019.

There are misses, and then there are spectacular misses. Rolling double 1s is the only way to get into that special club.

The Snake Eyes Club

In reply to Tobias Hiller (msg # 134):

Well, we clearly got bit . . .

Anyway, Istvan, we'll keep our exclusive club until everyone else has catastrophically failed with us.

This is obviously better than 2 of my three ideas but I still like

the TA DAAAAAAA! Club

Ahem

?

In reply to Istvan Vanoson (msg # 138):

Just that I named it before Tobias did :)

Got cha.

It wasnt bolded though, haha. I shall take partial credit

Seems fair.

So, DM, what are the weapon tags for a short, jagged stick?

Staff Broken Spear; close, two-handed, 1 weight

And for Twessa's convenience:
Short Sword; close, 1 weight


I'm not quite sure I understand what you are trying to do Twessa. Just gain general insight into the nature of the tapestry?

Kind of, yes. Like, we’re in a hollow, but how real is it, can you see patterns of weaving when you inspect the rocks, can you differentiate things from outside the tapestry from parts of the tapestry, that sort of thing

Whoo boy, that dice roller is not on my side today . . .

Since I've now rolled double double 1's, I move to be made club president.

Seconded

I hope to get replies up today for both groups, but we will have to see how much free time I get.

Group two, I hope you don't mind my using your failed rolls as a convenient way to remove Lydia from the game. She hadn't so much as logged in since we began, so I figured it was time to bring your group down to four. And I saw an easy and thematic way to do so within the narrative, so I took the opportunity while I still had the option.

I sort of figured that was how she would be written out, anyway. Ultimately, I think it makes for great drama at the start.

Kinda sad we didn't get to play with her character even a little, though.

Uh, Harlin, read the post right before yours

Yes, I know. Only one of the questions overlaps, and I figure the DM might give us different answers to that one.

https://www.reactiongifs.us/wp...ed_with_children.gif

Heh. And especially since Atalanta and I interacted with the scene differently.

The gorgon had gorgonzola cheese...

And that anti-toxin should come in handy for med use, eh?

I'll get me coat.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Just so G1 knows, I'm holding back replying so Atalanta or Harlin (as first up the rope) can take point on making a deal - or killing everything, your call :)

In reply to Twessa Dumdellin (msg # 160):

Heh. I'm probably going to attempt Parley, unless Atalanta posts first and makes it moot.

I'll get a post up tomorrow, as I've had an exceedingly lazy day here. It'll probably be easier to post after Uri and Sierpinski anyway, as Brynn doesn't have a lot to act on at the moment...

DM, is a target with their back to me and running susceptible to Called Shot, even though they're aware of me?

In this case you can go ahead and make a called shot. They aren't really expecting you to shoot at them. It would be a separate roll for each target though.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 164):

Ok. I'm going to give other players some time first.

If everyone else is like me, none of us want to start the violence, but all of us expect it to start any second.

But we're all hesitating so we're not the one to start it.

The impending violence seems so fated that even though I've got decent CHR, I still expect that I would just make things worse if I tried to Parley at this point.

I think I already broke the Parley option. I just meant that I'm a weekend poster and not everybody is. But I'll be happy to start the violence later today if nothing else changes.

I know what you mean, but I'd say that was more of a group effort...

Sierpinski is standing by to help Tobias in his efforts to communicate peacefully, but please don't take that to mean that I, the player, am in favor of a peaceful resolution. I'd much prefer that we have made a terrible enemy, a la Dorothy killing the sister of the Wicket Witch, with whom we cannot reconcile or parley.

I am hoping to get a reply up for both threads today, but am not sure if I will have enough free time. We will see. Thanks for your patience though.

This is actually my fastest-moving game both in terms of GM updates and player postings, so no worries at all.

Exactly what she said. Thank you for the communication, but you're doing a great job, so no need to apologise.

Curse you GM, how dare you use this crying 'child' to tug at Tobias heartstrings.

I know this might be a really bad decision but I gotta play it to how my character would act... Tobias isn't the kind of person to just go hack'n'slash everything. I will recruit this youngling as a follower if I can.

...and if a fight does break out, well I will figure something out. Hopefully.

Thanks for the note on the roll, and I mostly only meant that it was a failure when I didn't have a literal Gorgon on top of me. Still a bit sad to see that tasty xp go...

I'd like to wait for Twessa to say her piece, as she managed to broker the negotiations. Hoping no one is waiting for me. I know Atalanta is in animal form so it makes talking difficult.

Likewise.

I IMMEDIATELY REGRET MY DECISION, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?

Great question! I'm not spilling the secrets in this thread though. ;-)

I was legitimately shivering as I read that.

Don't forget Twessa's guidance spell. Definitely want to find out what's in his coin purse...

...If it's just coins, I guess Twessa's goddess wants us to rob the guy

Sorry about the slow reply, should be back to daily now :)

Awesome! No need for a Parley roll here though, Twessa. This is still a part of your earlier Parley, so you're good. If the situation changes enough to require another one, I'll let you know.

Phew then!

(Also I wonder if the Nogrog’s gaze turns stone into people!!)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Mon 04 Feb 2019.

You may be onto something considering you correctly guessed what it is called. ;-)

Weren't you saying earlier that you didn't want this to be too easy? ;)

Say, I was wondering, what are your guys's thoughts on having druids be able to speak when in animal form? The rules don't specifically say that they can't, and I don't think it would be unreasonable to assume that their Spirit Tongue ability would allow them to speak no matter what form they are in. And in a play-by-post format, it can be a drag to have extended periods where you are unable to effectively communicate with your companions.

Atalanta, I will give you the final say on the matter since you are the one it would affect the most. I thought some of you others may have some insights I am not considering though.

Very true... I did kinda set myself up for this turn of events.

The monstrous visage of it all really took me by surprise thought. Love it.

---

I'll wait for everyone else in my group to respond to Spire before writing my post. I want to know what questions Uri and Sierpinski might ask. Then we can decide where to go from there.

This. Because of this, I vote to allow it broadly, with the druid's player having a veto option for their character.

Sorry everyone, the lawful cleric collected the loot.

No, it's fine. Can we Aid spellcasting? Especially us non-casters, or casters with different source of powers?

If you can make it believable within the narrative, sure, you can aid spellcasting.

I did think having to converse only through body languages as an animal would be hilarious, but yeah, for a PBP game that would probably wear out sooner than the form, so I think the ability to communicate in animal form would probably be best.

Group Two, I am going to give Uri a bit more time to answer Tobias's question before continuing on in your thread. Hope you don't mind.

I don't mind at all.

Is Group One nearing the end of a session? We've had two fights and two other hostile encounters.

Sorry, busy weekend.  I've posted now.

No worries. I've been pretty busy the last couple days myself.


That seems reasonable. We will do an End of Session after my next IC post.

I love IT Sphinx. She doesn't get paid enough to deal with us humans.

Rangers, what are you gonna do?

INT or CHA is going to be their dump stat.

New session now?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:24, Tue 12 Feb 2019.

Love the picture Atalanta. It is perfect for their current situation.


Yes, Group one can do an End of Session. So everyone choose one of your bonds that you feel is resolved (completely explored, no longer relevant, or otherwise). Ask the player of the character you have the bond with if they agree. If they do, mark XP and write a new bond with whomever you wish. In my games you can do this with as many bonds as it applies to.

Once bonds have been updated look at your alignment. If you fulfilled that alignment at least once this session, mark XP. Then answer these three questions as a group:

-Did we learn something new and important about the world?
-Did we overcome a notable monster or enemy?
-Did we loot a memorable treasure?

For each “yes” answer everyone marks XP.

Twessa, I feel like we did a great job with "Harlin Greenarrow is a good and faithful person; Twessa trusts them implicitly."

I think that's the only one for me.

I also feel I hit my alignment move with the crab-thing: "Endanger yourself to combat an unnatural threat."

My thoughts on the questions:

-Did we learn something new and important about the world?
Yes--just by going through plus Atalanta's aerial scouting.

-Did we overcome a notable monster or enemy?
Definitely with crab-thing!

-Did we loot a memorable treasure?
No.

---

4 total XP if no dissent. Best case I'm still 2XP short of level 2. But I can probably get in a couple bad rolls before we have a rest . . .
This message was last edited by the player at 14:02, Tue 12 Feb 2019.

BONDS
- I agree on the bond with Harlin! Demonstrated.
- Twessa took a hit protecting Gania, but I don't feel like she's been protected from `constant danger' yet, so I'd prefer to keep that rolling.
- Atalanta I haven't been wary enough of!

As for other people's:
Not sure on Harlin's `I have guided Twessa before and they owe me for it' yet. Call in the favor! ;)
Atalanta's "Twessa smells more like prey than a hunter" - I don't think its come up yet?
Gania's "Twessa is puny and foolish, but amusing to me." There's been the comedy of errors surrounding Twessa breaking her weapon and losing her armor within minutes of entering the Tapestry, but Gania didn't laugh


ALIGNMENT
It doesn't feel like I demonstrated the Lawful Cleric thing enough so I won't count it.

And I agree with Harlin on the group goals

(3 total XP for me then if no dissent)

Istvan, it looks like I've got a slot coming free and I'm well set with the others. Any ideas? I also still have "________ does not understand life in the wild, so I will teach them."

Sure, I'm fine with that.

I only made up two bonds, and one was with the mage in group 2.

The other was

 Gania and I are regular training partners.

...What does one do with that...?


...I just don't really like bonds in DW...

Keeping all the bonds for now. Agree with the 2/3 group XP.
Twessa, I think that how you handled the payment from the dwarf is more than representative of your Lawulfness, but that's or you to decide.
But Gania didn't get to share anything about her culture, so I'm at 2 XP

Isvan, the bonds sounds fine. Will we still do some sparring while in the tapestry or not? We'll see. If you think there won't be time/situation for it, you can resolve it.

Neither do I, TBH. But I'll slot you in.

Coconut...

Maybe time for those Spout Lore rolls?

Have you seen this?
Apocalypse World Hx in Dungeon World
http://ramblingsofjacobanddelo...ld-hx-dungeon-world/
This message was last edited by the player at 19:52, Wed 13 Feb 2019.

I wasn't really suggesting Spout Lore for those of us with negative Intelligence mods . . . But this should be entertaining!

Um. Guys. Coconut.

Why is no one noticing that I have said Coconut?

Why did we roll Spout Lore when I have said Coconut?

Why would we Spout Lore when the answer is Coconut?

Aye Coconut makes more sense then Soybean. I managed to miss the OOC talk -.-
The sprout lore was for the impact of the Pact, not a solution/hint.

Because there's another plausible answer already been given IC. I was hoping Spout Lore would give enough clues to choose one answer over the other. Or you can convince Atalanta/us by arguing for coconut IC, not just OOC.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:25, Wed 13 Feb 2019.

Ahhhhh. That makes sense.

Rolling for it when it's your dump stat doesn't make much sense, but that's already been pointed out... I presume you were hoping for xp. In which case, yay, you.

So, anyone wanna stop Istvan from saying Coconut, then? Before anything else bad happens?

I've argued IC for resting before we give an answer.

Well, Gania did travel the world, so why not give it try, as it made sense. But yes, XP is indeed an acceptable outcome :)

@Harlin And I agreed

Not nearly AS plausible, though...



Nope.



Thought I'd start OOC.

Then again, I didn't think anyone would need persuading. I just didn't want to hog the narrative just because I thought of the right answer.

I agree you have the best answer. But because a suggestion had been posted IC before your OOC post, I think that's the place to say your piece.

I do hope you'll let us rest first in either case.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:29, Wed 13 Feb 2019.

So is this the Make Camp move (with setting watches)? I've never had a DW game last long enough to use it before! I don't think anyone is hurt badly enough to need more healing than Make Camp gives, and would let our casters Commune/etc.

Yes, this is a time where you would make a Make Camp move. If you do, everyone marks off one ration and can re-prepare spells. Anyone who sleeps for a few hours also heals half their HP. It is up to you guys to decide who, if anyone, Takes Watch and in what order. Whoever takes watch can give me a roll for it, and I will let you know if it was needed later (either to tell the effect on a success or to give XP on a fail).

Cool. Where I am in watch order doesn't matter to me.

Istvan has a +1 to Wis, but with a Cleric, a Druid, and a Ranger, maybe you guys don't need Istvan's help to Keep Watch...?

1. Hadn't seen it.

2. Don't exactly get it, because I am less familiar with Apoc World.

2a. BUT, it did inspire me:

One of you is keeping an important secret from me! Who volunteers for me to fill you in for this bond? Later, you can make something up and tell me, and then it'll be resolved for both of us...

I don't think any of my Bonds were resolved; although now that Istvan mentioned it, I do kinda wonder how some of them would ever resolve? For example:

The spirits spoke to me of a great danger that follows Istvan. So do I just kinda wait around until something really awful happens to him and yell: "I knew it! I KNEW IT!"?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:30, Fri 15 Feb 2019.

I guess you could wait for the next time I'm in danger, and then help protect me from it?

Maybe it was the crabmantis?!?

No, but if some great danger does appear then the nature of the bond, at least, changes. Now it's not a vague warning from the spirits, but an actual problem. I'd call such a bond resolved, and suggest that its replacement relate to something about the known danger (assuming it hasn't been dealt with).

But I'm not really sure. Their vagueness and the vagueness of their resolution are some of the things I dislike about bonds. I don't think they're intended to be all that difficult to resolve, which is another thing I dislike about them.

That bond could be resolved when the danger comes to pass, when the danger is thwarted, when it is no long of concern to you, or even if the danger increases. But you are correct, it is pretty vague. I don't like a lot of the starting bonds because they are so vague, which is why I encourage original ones. When I play a PC, I like my character's bonds to have a clear goal. So instead of "The spirits spoke to me of a great danger that follows Istvan," it would be, "The spirits spoke to me of a great danger that follows Istvan. I must find a charm to help protect him." That new bond has a clear goal for me to strive for. There is no guarantee that I will succeed, but failing to do so before the danger comes to pass is also a way to resolve the bond.

Sorry for not getting a post up today. It was a hard one. I don't have much to add yet, though, so feel free to advance things a bit and I'll catch up.

Sounds good. Now it is mostly just a matter of me finding the time to do so. Possibly even soon.

Just a reminder for Istvan: we're in the zone of Sanctuary in this fight, which means any healing adds +1d4 (which presumably includes Istvan's soul-siphoning technique).

Great opportunity to tank for us! ;)

...Or I can just hit him on the head one day and declare: "It was me, Istvan! It had always been me!"

=P



Okay, I'll bite.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:13, Sun 17 Feb 2019.

Atalanta, if you want to know what the blob is, would you prefer to have me treat your roll as a Spout Lore instead of a Discern Realities? Also, how did you manage to have a +3 to your Discern Realities? Is there a bonus I am forgetting about?

Sorry, brain fart; I was thinking of the ability scores in terms of D&D 3E and beyond, where 16 gives a mod of +3. But yeah, Spout Lore sounds good, it's still 10+ anyways.

Atalanta is keeping an important secret from me!

Bond installed... and you get to do "I am keeping an important secret from Istvan!"

We'll compare notes at the end of the next chapter...

Nice move, Twessa! Between your post and Istvan's, I need to remember about Adventuring Gear :)

Its a good thing, though I’m worried about where we might get more when we run out!

Friendly farmer folk? ;)

Sorry for holding things up. I was hoping to see Uri post before I did. Not that it seems to have made a difference.

None may dispute my dominion over the snake-eyes roll.

Well, when you literally take an entire gorgon head full of snake's eyes as a trophy, what can you expect?

Sorry Brynn - some stuff came up last weekend that I had to deal with right away, and then the week wasn't much easier.  But all that's over now, and I can continue to valiantly have a marginal effect on helping the rest of you survive the perils we face :)

Sorry to hear it was a tough week! I didn't mean to sound impatient, and I'm happy to see you're back.

I didn't take it badly; I know how it goes with the online games.

And for the record, it was actually a pretty good week, just a very busy one.  I finally got this promotion I've been working on for a while, so the next couple weeks might be hectic while I transition, but after that it should settle down nicely (and hopefully be a lot less draining than the old position!)

Good to hear! Hope the rest of the transition goes smoothly.

Sierpinski will lose his unseen servant. I'll decide after the damage roll whether or not to use Spell Defense.

Sounds good. You can go ahead and round your 12.5 HP up to 13.

Ugh. I was really hoping to have a door to close between us and at least some of the ooze. We'll see what happens.

Group Two, if any of my most recent post needs clarification, let me know. I tried to make things as clear as possible, but am unsure if I succeeded.

Mostly clear, but I wanted to check. If I decided to go for broke and take the consequences to deal damage, would that preclude me making the hack and slash move on top of that? I just don't want to get to rolling of I'm misinformed.

You will be able to make your own Hack and Slash roll on top of the bonus damage.

Nothing to add right now--waiting to see how Twessa's (and now Gania's) actions play out.

No worries. I fully intend to update that thread again just as soon as I find the time in my day.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 253):

Yep. Just making sure you don't wait on me. Turn-less PBP is funny that way...

Yeah, sometimes it is difficult to find that balance between waiting for people to post and leaving someone behind in the narrative. It is certainly helpful to know when someone is waiting on me so that I don't end up waiting for them at the same time.

Also, Tobias, you can go ahead and and make another move if you would like. If not, that is fine too. Narratively speaking, you currently have the initiative even though you are being swarmed by armors.

Yeah, I'm hoping they can get in here in time, too... I have a feeling it won't work out that way, though...

Yes, add XP. I made a GM move due to your 6-. It just didn't involve your Parley failing outright. But your Parley is the reason the door was closed behind you.

I'm starting an `All This For One Damage Healed' club, very exclusive, dwarves not welcome

*bows*

In reply to Twessa Dumdellin (msg # 258):

Hard to know if the other choices would have been better. At least you can still heal again with a full chance to succeed.

Oh Gania, you cunning cheat :)

I know :D
Thanks for getting in enough trouble for me to risk it.

No need to roll to use healing items. As long as you have enough time to properly apply it to the wound, it heals its damage. So in this instance Twessa can heal 7 damage, but her scarred debility will remain.

If Twessa doesn't want Atalanta's poultices, Harlin wouldn't object to them . . .

Wait... back? I thought we were watching for the next appearance of the arcane rune, and that would mark our eventual exit. I didn't think we were getting out the same place we got in...
This message was lightly edited by the player at 21:00, Thu 07 Mar 2019.

You are correct that you will not exits the tapestry in the same place you entered it. You could always come back through this area for other reasons though.

That's what I had in mind.

I plan on advancing the plot of both threads sometime tomorrow. So if you wanted to squeeze another post in before I do, now would be the time.

Just giving DM a shout-out: I'm really enjoying this game, both the back-and-forth DW dynamics and the story.

I am really glad to hear that. Thanks! I am having a lot of fun running this adventure too.

Its good! Ask anyone!

The Dice Roller in this game seems to think the average of 2d6 is 2

This game is great, but the Chaos Gods are obviously displeased with us.

People seem really concerned about low rolls. DM, could you outline what is the worst that can happen to us? Usually that's losing one's character. Is that possible? What happens with the player in that event? Are they out of the game or can they get back in quickly?

I don't think people are worried about low rolls as much as the fact that snake eyes had happened with such frequency that it's becoming kind of funny.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:09, Wed 13 Mar 2019.

Okay. The phrasing indicated to me that rolling a 2 was considered a particularly undesireable outcome.

I just plotted our 2d6 rolls, and they are pretty far from the expected bell curve, though the most frequent number is still 7, followed by 9, both of which will generally be successes or successes at cost. Six is almost as high and will also often be a success, assuming a tendency to roll one's highest stat. Two and 3 are indeed quite frequent, moreso than 3, 10, 11 and 12. Interesting.

Aye, seconded!

Oh I'm sure I could come up with a few outcomes worse than losing a character if I tried hard enough. But yes, in the unfortunate circumstance that a character does die, I don't expect it to be too difficult to bring in new ones as long as it doesn't happen every two minutes. Although new characters will always start at level 1 with the standard starting equipment (or equivalent). So I encourage the PCs to try their hardest to learn and grow from their failures, rather than succumb to them. ;-)

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

Hmmmmmm, whomever dies next gets to come back as either an immolator or a thief...

Are the doors inaccessible because of the objects in front of them, or some other reason?

No, the objects aren't keeping the doors from being opened. I just meant the doors are inside the display area, and you have no way to reach them from your side of the glass.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 281):

Oh, I missed the glass. Thanks.

I have some ideas for your 6, Gania. But I will wait and see if someone tries to lend you Aid first.

I've been dealing with incapacitating allergies this week. I'll try to post when I can string thoughts together, but don't wait on me.

*hugs*

Sorry to hear that. I got that from time to time too, so I know it can really suck. :(

Group Two is now down to just two players. Sierpinski and Uri will be on their own for a bit (along with Tobias and Brynn being NPCed), but it is not as much fun being in a group with just two PCs. So I was wondering if it would be better to move someone from Group 1 over to Group 2? Or would it be best to combine everyone into a single group of seven? Opinions?

Also, sorry it is taking me so long to get posts up in the main threads. I've been busy and distracted the last few days. I still hope to get posts up tonight or tomorrow morning sometime though.

I'm not certain that's the case. It could have distinct advantages and I'd be willing to try it.

I say combine!

Would there be any repeated classes? I'm not sure what playbook everyone took.

Edit: Uri appears to be a bard and I don't think anyone else is. And there's no other wizard, as far as I'm aware.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:24, Mon 18 Mar 2019.

No, everyone picked something different. So no problem there.

My vote is for combining as well.  I can't imagine that running a group of 7 is any more taxing than running two simultaneous groups.

Poking in between sneezes to say I'm in favor of combining.

Yeah, I think combining would be the simplest.

I'm up for combining as well.

I think we will combine groups just as soon as the opportunity arises IC. We can always split the party again in the future if need be.

Yay, finally posted! Yay, round-the-clock Benadryl.

Also, I'm going to be entirely AFK the 25th through the 31st. Feel free to move me along.

So do I need to roll anything to study the essence?