Doin' well. And you?

Lobo cpu must still be down...ahh the hazards of REAL LIFE...lol

Yep.  But some things (and DMs) are worth waiting for... so... here I stay...

yup me too

I have time


"Tiiiiiime is on my side....yes it is..*

Yup, still having issues. However, in case GM Lobo ses this...

Will be AFK from tomorrow morning early (7/26) until Wednesday evening late (7/29). Likely to post Thursday.

   Sweet Jeesus! [spelling intentionally incorrect :P]

   Last night I sat at my computer for the third time that day, just as I had twice on thursday and three times the previous sunday, and the wednesday before that and so on for the past three weeks. My computer problems were pretty much a thing of the past after four or five weeks, but since then I've found myself literally paralyzed with apprehension bordering fear at returning to any of my games on RPOL.
   This feeling is amplified when I see how many of the games in which I am involved have purple numbers awaiting my return. Obviously this means private messages are pending, and for those in which I am a player it no doubt means that my absence, despite being announced prior to its occurrence, has probably outlasted its allowance. Twice this year I've been in games that I felt were outstanding and worth every ounce of my effort, only to have the GM of one unceremoniously pull the plug and the other ditch me and move the other players to another thread group. On top of this my brother, now facing fatherhood with his second child, has dropped out of two games with me, which is kind of the end of an era between us, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me.
   Worse than that, though, are the games where I am the GM. My mind imagines that I'll return to most to find that several people have abandoned them, probably almost immediately after my [anticipated temporary] departure in june. I fully understand the transient nature of RPOL, but do you know that I've got one game that I've been running for five years, I've had 58 people come and go; over 50 of those people quit in the first month, and the majority of those did so before they even made a single post as a player? Do you know how many times I've had someone quit my game because they didn't have time and were paring back their game-loads, only to have them send and RTJ to me in another game I run? Embarassing for them, frustrating for me.
   I liken my situation to the standard joke running around the GM circuit wherein an energetic GM spends countless hours crafting a realm or adventure only to have the party solve the riddle or defeat the bad guy on the first night of gaming by doing something totally unexpected that the GM did not forsee. For me, it is less that the party is completing or sidestepping the adventure - they are losing players so quickly that I have to remold the plot or recast the villains or tweak the CR of the encounters, only to have to change them again a couple months later. It is both infuriating and depressing.

   Today, though, I find words of kindness and support from the adventurers in this group, which encourages me to run through all of the games tonight and post OOC to all. For obvious reasons, I would prefer to 'fast forward' through the combat we most recently began and simply give a narrative account of the results. It will take some time to write it, so please give me two days to post it.
   You've renewed my faith, to some extent, in the presence of decent people behind the players of RPOL. Thank you. :)

Hurrah!  Welcome back, DM Lobo!

Have no fear, I don't think anyone is going to solve any of *your* riddles too early in the campaign :)

Thrilled to have you back - looking forward to the adventure continuing - and if there is anything I can do to help as you ease back into the game, let me know!

;-)

Glad you're back on...

I saw this late but welcome back.

Yea thanks for coming back and I hear you on your gripes, makes a ton of sense. A LOT OF GOOD DMS get burned out due to players, it happens alot.

Also Your riddles confuse me....LOL I can never solve em either.

Again take your time, no problem on the recap and heck glad you are back.


YAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ;)

   Noting that Tal's post is the only one to mention a specific location [ie he looks over at Garik, who had fled the scene with Rennan and Penville], this necessitates a move of the party out the orchard's western entrance/exit...which also delays or negates movement to the east [to follow the fleeing sniper] or to the north [to chase the fleeing cult leader].
   I'll post this party movement later tonight, to coincide with Lyssander's finishing of the 'detection and collection'.

Assuming none of the collected items has any particular significance that would affect this decision, Lyssander is also in favor of regrouping with the others - i.e. heading to the western exit.

FYI - Going on a fortnight's vacation starting Wednesday.  I should have some internet access, not sure just how much.

Woo so I didn't miss much!? :)
What a good time to get internet! :)

   I heartily agree. Wholeheartedly. Completely. Without reservation or question. :P

   I think I'll post more NPC stuff tomorrow night, just to get a jump on the weekend and all. We'll also be having a mage join us sometime later next week, one with ties to the group that should prove both interesting and at the same time allow for a rapid entry and level of trust [with at least one of you].

sorry guys I am still here, REAL BUSY IN REAL LIFE that I could not even check the site


I am here for the long run though


lol

   I'll give Perrin and William a couple posts to get reacquainted, then bring in your new arcane caster and let you assimilate him into the group. Probly be totally back on track by next tuesday-ish. :)

Internet NOT sorted even though I spoke to 4 people last saturday and each gave different advice!

So quickly checking at work but there is too many posts to be able to keep up at work! :(


but will try! :) And will hopefully get on this weekend, parents depending.

   Ok folks, we've hit one of those 'vote or die' situations. :P

   The party is faced with two very real options [more if you think about it] but what it boils down to is this:

1.   you can take the option Lyssander is suggesting - that of notifying Filaux about the safety and whereabouts of his son and let the dragon come into town to get his child, probably thank you, and end the adventure almost immediately. Once the boy is safely back in his father's care out on their island the factions will no doubt fade back into their respective shadows, ending the threat to Jade. A new adventure could be started within a week, chosen as always from three or four that would be offered/posted in the ARP thread.

2.   or you can, for whatever reasons you decide, choose to delay such a dispatch to Filaux, and instead try to reveal, capture, or eliminate one or more of the factions that are involved in this plot yourselves. Doind so would definitely be more dangerous on a very personal level for all of you, as well as perhaps having the unfortunate side effect of angering Filaux that you waited so long to tell him what was going on. Who are you, mere mortals, to play god with one of his offspring? Of course, if you are successful in at least discovering the locations and motivations of these factions he might overlook eating you in favor of sending you on a revenge quest.

   Since there are five active players in the group, I'll post to the game thread 24 hours after one choice or the other has three solid votes [to allow time for rebuttals or persuasive arguments]. :)

The path of duty is clear.

Lyssander has acknowledged and internalized an obligation to keep Jade safe from harm, and he will object to a course of action that sees the little wyrmling put in danger's way.

However, I think there is a way to keep on track with this adventure.  Lyssander will propose that Filaux be requested to come incognito.  The factions need not be aware that Jade has been retrieved... and they might even see 'Jade' walk out with the group, still looking like a 10-year old boy and registering a draconic aura to those who can perceive it...  nasty, nasty surprise to anyone who seeks to kidnap the tyke again.

Why would Filaux play along this way?  Well, I somehow don't think that a distraught draconic parent will take a "no harm, no foul" approach and just walk away after spending two weeks in a panicked search for his child.  No...  I mean, seriously...  You just DO NOT DO THAT to a dragon.  And now that Jade is safe, the various factions have no hostage to inhibit Filaux from unleashing the full measure of his wrath upon them, as soon as he uses our little group to help him figure out which people deserve to be painfully crucified, and which ones merit a less merciful fate.

Retribution - for daring to kidnap his kid.
Deterrence - so that no-one does this ever, ever again anywhere near him.
Capacity-destruction - so that even if the cult is too fanatic to be deterred, they no longer have the resources to try this again.

Motive enough?  You tell me. :)

(As a personal side-benefit to Lyssander, he would be working hand in hand with a dragon, just like his Order's hero Syrano.  How cool is that?)

WIlliam is a simple fellow, and as far as he's concerned, the youngin' needs to be returned to daddy. Straightaway. As for going after factions, it's merely an afterthought to him, as he's more concerned with nasty bad critters (humanoids, mostly) doing bad things in lands where they do not belong.

Taran supports returning the child to his parent as quickly as possible.
Anything else would be a cruel risk and far to dangerous, though Lyssander's suggestion is a good one should the dragon agree.

Penville will side with what Jade wants to do.
After all, it's nice being not the shortest...

unless he's taller?

yea giving dragon son back to daddy sounds good.

Also guys, sorry I am not posting. Real life and all sorts of stuff at work has been hectic. I usually have more time at work ( lol ) but for some reason this year has been different. I am just a bit more busy, I get home and then forgot all about rpol.

BUt I will continue to post for I like this game, I enjoy reading lyssanders posts and Dm hobo is hte best. ( well lobo and a guy named mathgeek )

anyways my point, I am here for the long haul. I have been absent these past few weeks but plan on at least posting every other day in this game. I enjoy it too much to not try and continue.

OK enough of that

I will do some reading and add my post.

You're clearly far behind on your OotS, DM Lobo :)  Sending is an archetypical divine spell, though wizards can cast it too (with more difficulty) -

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/sending.htm

(Sorry if the reference is a bit, err, arcane - OotS refers to the comic strip Order of the Stick, which I heartily recommend to you, and which has a dwarven cleric character that occasionally casts a sending.  http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots.html )