Feel free to do so IC :)

Will do when I’m not on my phone :-)

- Circe, who believes she's the bestest present anyone could ever want

- Autumn

- Domino

- TV (yes, she is only about 2/3 the size of her brother)

- Cosette ("Yes, I am sitting in the sink.  Why do you ask?")

And for the sake of completeness:

- Autumn on my desk with Mabel (my son's cat)

Did I miss something, or is Aeryn still an unknown to the rest of the group?

Nice looking cat colony!!  If we are doing animal counts, I might win this one.  Only two cats (russian blue and siamese), but eight dogs (5 full sized rough coat collies, a sheltie, and two papillons),  three pet rats,  10 goats, and 70 plus chickens.

Aeryn would have been seen in the common room the prior night, but at this point is not actually known to the rest of the group.  (Unless any of the players involved want to put a bit of back story acquaintance in place.)

That is quite a collection of animals (I suppose that would be a whole farm).  If I ever went ahead and made a game based on the idea I've been kicking around, it'd sound like you'd have quite the knowledge base for a character.  (The idea is based on a novel series, although I'd want to set it in a different region to allow a story to develop without worrying about trying to re-create the plot of the novels.)  I don't know what I would do for system, though--it's more of a near-future thing and not at all AD&D.

Animal Farm RPG?     That is a beautiful pride of felines, in any case!

Hi guys! I’ve been volunteering in an elephant conservation centre in Laos for two weeks, with no WiFi and no time for rpol if there were. I thought I had mentioned it OOC but apparently I forgot. Really sorry about that. I’m flying back home tonight, so I’ll try and catch up (if Vendavel hasn’t been executed yet! I haven’t caught up with IC threads).

Sounds pretty interesting with elephants.

The book series is a "Changed World" starting with Lethal Seasons by Alice Sabo.  Basic premise now starts to sound a little close to "ripped from headlines" as there's a deadly virus that started off by killing 40% of the entire world population, and then keeps coming back year after year.  The book starts in "Year Ten" (ten years after "Year Zero" or the 40% mortality), though I'd probably want to start in Year Five (if I actually made the game).  Interesting things like biobots (humans who are "3d printed" but actually fully human, just "born" as adults and made to order), survival, scavenging, total societal breakdowns and then creating a community when people can just die off in large numbers.

Yeah, no not executed yet.

The good GM had been keeping you warm so we weren’t totally stalled.  Right now you’ve got the options of leave or Panatix told you that perhaps you could join us.

I think we have time to visit the farm and still get back to watch/participate in the sword contest.

I don't want to post IC until Aeryn is inthe common room...

That's fine--you know the trigger for moving IC into the farm investigation.

Castaways, I'm seeing a line up which, excluding Dak (who is already below stairs) as being in height order ... those in parentheses haven't confirmed the position.

Storm
(Telemachus)
(Vendavel)
(Lenelle)
(Wick)
Westin
Panatix

It's like pulling teeth to get people in line for a group picture!

I do like how they're lined up by height.  Everybody, scoot in!

I'd figured it would sort itself out by impatient people rushing in after you :P

So I take it when the gnoll breaks free of his bonds you're good defending yourself Panatix?  Westin? ;-)

Yep, Pan can hold the rear guard, he's quite a force, he heh!!

On the subject of spellcasters and spell components, I consider the material components to be part of the game, though perhaps a little more "flavor" in the casting, particularly at low levels .  For spell components which have a PHB price of under 100gp, these would be generally available (unless it's something quite exotic like monster body parts) and prudent spellcasters would make use of the downtime to replenish supplies, so not having components would have to be either an intentional player choice or result of something happening to separate the caster from the components.

I'm fairly strong for leaving the character agency in the hands of the players.  Using OOC to settle things like a march order or what course of action to take is fine, but unless it happens in the IC thread, it hasn't happened at all.

I'll probably add some more musings on the PC-stamp-on-forehead and other such things, but it's late and I still have to go to work tomorrow.

For the Explorers, you can settle up with the innkeeper, and subtract 4 asil plus one griel for each mug/glass of chosen beverages from prior night and current day morning, and proceed on your way.  Except for Fawkes, who gets all of that for the cost of his epic song.

In reply to DM (msg # 46):

*salute* ... The perks of the Bard. ;)

So was it the glaring or talking back that was dishonorable?

Storm must be great with kids.

Parents come home.  Storm sitting on the couch watching TV.  Kids tied up on the floor.

It's how you raise proper, little paladins! Eyes down, no talking. :-)

Well, I did kind of think that the Explorers would actually settle up accounts and start heading out for the road.

I suppose these are some deep "scars" from various past games, but in general, I do not like to move characters (and even less whole parties) without the characters starting some forward momentum.

One of the most egregious experience I had was with what I'm going to call RR-DM.

The RR-DM was really just plain bad, but the thing that stuck in my craw was the direct override of things I said my character did when she *wasn't* under some mind-controlling power.  My character was in a group (which was really too large for the mission, to be honest) that was from Kingdom A who were being sent on a mission to spy in Kingdom B.  So we're in the capital city of Kingdom B, and split up to do our scoping out, with a plan to meet at a particular tavern at sundown.  So, my character was alone, the rest of the group was in 2s and 3s (see what I mean--too many strangers to be doing covert ops), and as the appointed time drew near, my character headed to the designated tavern, only to see the other 9 in the group being arrested.  Well, I was playing a thief, and she didn't want to walk up and get arrested, so I had her skirting through alleys along the north side of the city (currently on the west side) to head to the temple on the east side that she had visited earlier in the day, intent on claiming sanctuary there while finding out whose palms needed greasing to spring her companions.  Logical, right?  So why, when I signed on again, did I find that my character had gone to the courtyard of the ruler's house in the middle of the city, half a mile south of my planned route, having climbed a tree so that she could overlook the courtyard and eavesdrop on the kangaroo court?  When I protested that that did not jibe with what I'd had my character doing, and asked if she had been placed under a spell compelling her to act that way (the answer to that was no), the reply was that it was "necessary for the plot" for her to be there and hear the goings-on.

Now, if the goal was to get the party into the sewer-dungeon, I can think of several ways of accomplishing that goal without destroying player agency.  So I'm a little reluctant to just up and move the group.

So, with that said, if someone in the Explorers group would like to get you out the door of the inn, let me know what you want to do outside and if you have a preferred individual to seek out (Thom or Aleka, met in the inn last night; Adelina, referred to by the first two).  Thom is the one whose theory is ghosts; Aleka, wolves or other natural predators; Adelina, ink-colored goblins--and that coloration is unusual vs what your characters know of goblins).

In reply to DM (msg # 50):

I'm all for moving along, but Jensen only had the barest outline of what was what... being on the 'Stage' and all with the Alcohol.   All that lovely alcohol. ;)

Managed to snag post #3000 :-)

Thanks to all for being part of this game.

Getting ready for a very special birthday celebration .. this one may be unique.

Friday the 28th, my twins are having their 19th birthday.  The next day, my father is having his 19th birthday.

Congratulations! Took me a moment to figure that one :)

Funny... mine was 2 days ago. lol.

Have fun at the mass of parties. :D

Btw, Explorer party people.   I'm holding a moment just to see if anyone else wants to post something in response to Fawkes, or anything else... along with Aeryn's comment, if he wants.   Before I start having 'John' knock like a proper civilized person.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:17, Sat 29 Feb 2020.