The Star Guard that came to 'take custody' were arrested? Hawkmen are all loyal to the king?

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 659):

Fellow Human Beings ... Fellow Gamers ... Friends ...

It is with a saddened heart that I inform you all of the passing of Robert Rusk -- better known to many of us as StarMaster.

Rob passed in his sleep on Thursday morning, July 6, 2023, at approximately 10:30am.  He had been hospitalized since early in the year due to complications concerning Cancer & associated surgeries.  He was 73 years old.

Rob was a Comics Fan Boy & fiction writer wannabe his whole life and came to Roleplaying in the Early Days of 1978.  It was my distinct pleasure to have met him, and gamed with him, since that time.

After his Retirement, Rob committed himself to the community he found in RPol, participating in over 20+ games, here.  He was an especial "softie" for GM-adopting abandoned games and working to keep them running, for the enjoyment of the Players.

He will be missed.

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 660):

This is my favorite Game and my favorite group of Players.

Though we often got irritated or argued over content with Rob, I know for a fact that he was always obsessing over ways to keep us all on our toes & provide us with surprises of the unknown, trying to overcome the prevalent spread of in-game knowledge of the Drinax campaign due to its age.  Sometimes to the point of mental paralysis, because he couldn't decide just what he wanted to do to who ^_^

Every time someone hinted that some adventure element he'd tossed at us "wasn't the way it was supposed to be", he always laughed and told me "What do you think is gonna happen, Vince, that we're all gonna sit around the computer and just read from the script of the published material with nothing different happening?  If that's all you want, then you don't need a GM--or the other Players--you just need reading glasses and a cold soda.  Sounds kinda dull and lonely, to me".

Welllll shiiiiit. My thoughts and prayers to Rob and his family / friends.

What a sad development.

He will indeed be missed and though I only knew him as Starmaster I can't help but feel as if I lost a family member today, but we would all be so lucky to enjoy our hobbies with friends into our final days. So please share our regards with the rest of his family, kith and kin alike, we are all lucky to have known him.

In reply to Rayjaynul Brown (msg # 663):

He will indeed be missed, I'm sitting here teary eyed myself! Thank you for letting us know Vince, knowing he lived with you, if you need anything, you let me know and I'll do what I can to help. How is his girlfriend doing?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:09, Fri 07 July 2023.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 664):

I put your post in his other games I was in Vince, everyone has been notified.

My condolences to everyone who knew him here and in his other games, and especially to Vince. Take the time you need.

Thanks, Bubba.  That's a big help.  I haven't yet started going thru his computer to see what other games he was in that I wasn't.

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 667):

I was in 6 of his games, he was working on combining a few into one, but never had the chance to finish. Going to miss him, you're going to really miss him, hell he was family to you. You have my email and I private lined my phone number if you need anything, even if it's just to talk. Stay in touch Vince.

     The girlfriend's a bit messed-up, as might be expected, but over the last month-or-so, we were beginning to have suspicions he was fading.  Since this all started, back at the beginning of the year, the Doc's were kinda hopeful that they'd caught everything really early, his responses to the cancer meds was positive, and they had high hopes for the physical therapy.  However, he didn't do well in the hospital/rehab environment.

     He wasn't resting/sleeping well, he was resistant to his PT & OT therapy (and, as you know, they can/won't force that on a patient, So, very little therapy, very little progress), and he was obstinate about refusing to eat what they offered him.

     We brought him food & snacks from home, but he eventually lost taste for even that and just stopped eating.  We were just about to look into force feeding him (or whatever the Legal Term for that is).

     We'd visited him just 2 days prior.  It was obvious he was weak.  But even though he often paused while he spoke, he was still obviously aware of his surroundings and quite cognizant.  When we left, we talked about how week he seemed, and were going to bring it up with the medical folks when next we visited.

     We were just about to leave the house to go visit, when we got the call.  It was a shock, but we were kinda-sorta expecting it.

PM

Oh my god! I'm so sorry to hear that!

In reply to Ingrid Gustavdottir Sigar (msg # 671):

I posted his passing in all of my active games, there were at least 1 or 2 folks in each game that gamed with Rob in at least one game. They pass their condolences to his family Vince, that means you too.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 672):

So, before we all scatter to the four winds....

I'm wondering how much interest there is, here, in trying to keep this Game going?

Maybe recruit a GM, or one or two of us step up and take over...?

I'd be willing to give it a shot, but I'd likely phase out Varca, if I did--I've always been uncomfortable playing a Character in a scenario that I'm GMing...

So. any interest?

you know me and collyn are in.

I think a few people would love  to phase Varca... LOL -- Sorry, couldn't resist.

If folks are willing to play a little, I'm in.

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 673):

I'm in

In reply to Ingrid Gustavdottir Sigar (msg # 676):

Okay, so, how we wanna do this?

Do we wanna try to recruit an "outside" GM to take over?  Other than just putting up a notice on the GM's Wanted board, I have no idea how this would work...

One (or more) of us step up.  SM did often "consult" (use me as a sounding board) on general details of what/where/why he was doing with his Corsairs stuff, he never went into any specific details.  And while SM did "appoint" me as a "Back-up GM", it was in name only.  "GM Starwolf" only has Player Access, I've no access to the GM Menu for this game.

I know that there is some kind of process whereby someone other than the creator of a Board can gain access in order to "take over" when the creator abandons a game, but I'm not sure how to do it.  I recall SM saying that a couple of times he was doing this, it just worked out to be easier to start a brand-new board and abandon the old one.

I dunno.  So.  Any thoughts, hints, or suggestion?

Also--just a thought--we could also consider using this opportunity to make small "adjustments" to our Characters.  Y'know, the idea of "If I'd known Then what I know Now, I would have chosen This rather than That..."

I'm not saying change anything Significant -- like me changing Varca from being a Vespexer to being an Asimi or dropping his 2 Terms as a Thief and replacing them with 2 Terms as a Spy -- nothing that significant.

But maybe if there is a Skill or two that you wish you'd taken at an earlier time, or maybe just change a Career Assignment choice, but not changing the actual Career (i.e., stay Navy, but switch out from the Career Assignment of "Line/Crew" to that of "Engineer/Gunner").

Y'know, only make changes that keep the Character "The Same...But Different".

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 677):

Yes, you have to recruit on the GM wanted board if that is what you decide to do.

You might be able to access the GM menu through the owners of rpol, some are designated as property of the GM and can't be transferred, I'm not sure about this game, I couldn't find the 'property of' statement, but I might not be looking in the right place.

Too bad we can't let all of his other players know he passed away.

You doing okay Vince?

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 678):

Yeah, I'm doing okay.  It all still hasn't "hit me", emotionally, 'cuz I'm so damned burned out from working 60–72-hour weeks for the last 4 months.  But I got a little hit just the other day as I was packing my car to head to work--I put my duffle down in the backseat and had the thought "I need to keep room for the stuff I'll bring Bob when I stop to visit, on the way to work..."

And I suddenly realized that I wouldn't be stopping to visit him, anymore.

Started to tear up a bit, then took a deep breath and got on with the day.

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 679):

I know how it is, I bawl my eyes out for an hour or so if one of my cats dies, you lost your best friend, don't be afraid to let go once or twice, it's healing for you. If you need to talk we're all here if nothing else. I cried when you told us he passed.

This game doesn't seem to have the "P" tag, so it should be transferable.

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 681):

Thanks, I knew I couldn't find the statement.

I've taken over games before; if you have GM privs, you can just transfer to make yourself Main GM