OK guys you can use this forum to talk about stuff like game mechanics, skills etc Out Of Character.

If you want to interact with each other before we jump into the main story you can talk now in the galley, otherwise I am ready to kick things along now.

I am expecting more new characters to join over the next few weeks so I am going to leave the first chapter open so that new players can introduce themselves to the playing group.  In the mean time I am going to keep the plot going in a separate thread for the current players.

Coolies. My talk about home was running a little dry ;-)

Everyone has had a chance to post in their solo threads and the shared story threads now so you should have an idea of how things will play out as far as game mechanics go and I will ease everyone into other game mechanics as we go.  The key with the different threads will be using time stamps to keep continuity so you will see the dates I have been posting and will add game dates to your solo threads whenever they are activated.

So those of you who have been using the Embarkation thread can now jump over to the Storms thread and post you reaction/actions to what has just happened.

Very sorry! I have a lot of real-life stuff pulling my brain in every sort of direction right now. I'll try to find focus and time for this soon. Maybe tomorrow or the day after.

Someone once told me that if you don't think something is right for you, that you should say so early. There was a time when I could keep up with a full page of posts in a week, but this game may be too fast for current me. GM, with apologies for wasting your time, could you kindly remove me from the game?

Buh bye,

Save travels Sarah!

Well that's a shame, just when things were about to really kick off :(

I've got plenty of NPC's to handle as is.  I advertise every week for new players but if anyone is interested in taking on a second character, please let me know, you are most welcome :)

Trust me, this game gets a lot more interesting as you go.  The action gets intense, and the exploration is exciting at times.  I am just waiting for everyone to catch up to where it left off the first time to rejoin the storyline.  Wouldn't be fair to join now, as I know too much.  But, if y'all stick with it, it can be very rewarding.

(Fading back to observer)

For something less of a bummer, were sergeants not considered officers back then? I know them as non-commissioned officers nowadays, but I am by no means an expert on military protocol now or then.

Just want to be sure I know how the hierarchy works. ’Cause Vergil should!

I don't believe sergeants in any army have ever been called 'officers', they have always been NCO's.

In the Game Wiki is some info on each of the units but the basic make up of 35th Maine is 12 company's of 50 men each.  Each company is divided into two ranks when in battle line and each rank is called a platoon (though I don't think this is an official formation in the Civil War, however it is the first time the term platoon is used in the military I believe).  Each company is commanded by a Lieutenant or a Captain who has at least one sergeant (usually 2 sergeants, 1 per platoon) who is assisted by Corporals.  In the 44th they have 'guns' rather than 'platoons'.  Infantry are armed with rifled muskets and bayonets, artillerymen have revolvers and everyone has a knife.  At 600 men the 35th is under strength (1,000 men when the war started) but this is probably about an average size at this time in the war.

All the player characters are new recruits/replacements, having joined within the last 3 months and joining the regiment in the siege lines around Petersburg before being sent on this mission.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:35, Sat 09 Mar.

Ah, yeah. In the Army, even though NCOs are officers and can assume command, they are typically addressed by their rank and do not warrant a salute. In the modern era, that is. Which is just another fact that illustrates my ignorance on the subject.

PS When my dad served on a destroyer escort during the Vietnam War, the smallest class of ship, essentially everyone was always addressed as “Mister.” Things were different for commissioned officers, but the captain was usually the only one and was always on the bridge. And very few people were ever allowed on the bridge.

And no one ever said “aye.” NEVER. That question was what started the conversation, and the answer really bummed me out for some reason.

Dobs and the Bartons are all in the 6'1" - 6'2" range. The average American soldier in 1865 was 5'8", so Dobs and the Bartons are tall, but not exceptionally so. (The average American male is 5'9" today, and the Barton brothers' heights are consistent with RL.)

But "six and a half feet' would be 6'6" (i.e., much taller), so I assume, based on the full context, the colonel is actually 6 feet and one half inch? Just making sure we're all on the same page...

FWIW, the US President during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, was a little over 6'3", but he probably looked 6'11" with his top hat. :)

https://millercenter.org/sites...80.jpg?itok=5DfdxKxv

Not sure if this link will work, but it's a good illustration of Lincoln and his trademark hat.

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 14):

Hum... will the next thing be comparing weights.

In reply to Donald Dobs (msg # 15):

Ha! No, I am perfectly fine with leaving weight out of the discussion. I just don't want Randolph to get his head shot off for being freakishly tall! :)

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 16):

Ah-ha head Hunters unite.

Grin cheekily
This message was last edited by the player at 08:21, Mon 11 Mar.

The Colonel is 6'5"

You guys can see the description pages for the NPCs?
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:31, Mon 11 Mar.

In reply to GM (msg # 18):

Yes. I didn't think to check there. Thanks for pointing it out. So... the colonel is freakishly tall!

In that case hopefully he will draw focus away from Dobs and the Bartons! LOL.

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 19):

Chances are he's also riding,

In reply to Donald Dobs (msg # 20):

When in doubt, always shoot the man on the horse.

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 21):

There's several bearing bown on us Which one should I target
This message was last edited by the player at 09:09, Mon 11 Mar.

In reply to Donald Dobs (msg # 22):

I think that's what's called "open season." Just don't shoot the colonel.

Been under the weather, so posting will probably be quite slow for a bit.

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 21):

And the fanciest suit. The fanciest armor had already become totally useless against shoulder arms. But, if memory serves, the Civil War quickly stripped officers near the front of their commissions courtesy of a marksman’s Minié ball.

Not that it would matter if a mediaeval army somehow levied thousands of men. The orders would revert from “aim” to “level” with muskets. You’ll hit someone.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:42, Mon 11 Mar.

Gate already showed it with a modern army. Still i think they would fare about the same unless our guys lack ammo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brFH0umbD1M

Tsk, tsk, Papist.

I meant to ask, what does this mean?

Unfurling the battle flags and displaying them, the regiment has a national flag as well as a regimental flag.  The battle honors of the regiment are stitched on the flag.  The flag also usually marks the position of the commanding officer.

Ah, that makes sense. I thought it might have been the opposite, which seemed odd. I am under the impression that losing* a unit’s standard is one of the single worst things it could do.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:19, Wed 13 Mar.

Yeah if a unit looses it's battle flag, fair chance most of the unit are not alive either.

Just after some feedback on the pace so far guys, I know you don't have too many options just yet so I want to get through the "Intro" as quickly as I can but I don;t want to swamp folks either :)

As GM, can you just change O'Maley's first name to Brain? Because at this point I feel like I'm being subjected to full-blown psychological warfare, and I won't be able to take it much longer.

Brain was in the canteen...

Brain wasn't one to say no.

That was... the first thought Brain's aching body sent out to him.

Slowly but surely the training started to grab hold of Brain...

When Brain had gathered his gear, he started to move past the people he could see.

So that was what Brain kept doing...

Brain looks onto the beach...

Brain salutes...

Brain eyes the sergeant...

Brain stood at his gun...

Brain holds a wet finger in the air...

Brain... looked in awe at how effective their attack had been.

Brain stops singing...

?? it is

It is what?

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 34):

Brian

to Brian O'Maley: as shown
This message was last edited by the player at 10:37, Fri 15 Mar.

True. His name is Brian. So why does he refer to himself as "Brain" in almost every post?

You may as well refer to yourself as Ronald, and I'll call myself Gandolph. After all, what's in a name? And what does one letter really matter?

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 36):

Really... do you have a problem with donald doing the same thing?

Hearing the call Donald grabbed hes gear and headed towards the source.

I don't understand what you're saying or asking. As far as I know, Donald always refers to himself as Donald.

The examples I listed above represent 13 times that Brian referred to himself as "Brain." Once or twice is not a big deal. But after 13, I thought the request to go ahead and officially change his name to Brain was reasonable.

I assumed he was Brian “The Brain” O’Maley. Is Brain a typo or does he actually go by “Brain” in the group? I too am confused.

I concur, he should just change his name to “Brain” for consistency.

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 38):

His name is Brian, asking the GM to change it to Brian moot. Unless you mean Brian, Brian as 1st & last names
This message was last edited by the player at 10:59, Fri 15 Mar.

Ok, now the psychological warfare just went next level. If you're telling me that B-R-I-A-N and B-R-A-I-N are the same word, then I'm seriously done here. For the sake of my sanity.

Donald, do you go by a name other than “Donald” too?

Does no one but Randolph see Brian misspelling his own name in every post?

In reply to Harris Barton (msg # 42):

Yes Davison is his 2nd
This message was last edited by the player at 11:24, Fri 15 Mar.

And with that comment... I'm going to sign off.

I'll give this 24 hours before quitting.

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 44):

Please don't do that, allow me as I wouldn't want another Player drop because of my comments.

Dude, I don't want you to quit either. I just don't understand WTF is going on.

Donald (or “Davidson”): The only question on the table is whether O’Maley’s 1st name is “Brian” or did he officially change it to “Brain.” (And for the record, in case you cannot tell, those two words are not spelled the same). 🤣
This message was last updated by the player at 11:30, Fri 15 Mar.

Bingo! And if Donald would acknowledge that he understands that one simple fact, then my sanity will be restored.

In reply to Harris Barton (msg # 47):

Oops Davison

In reply to Randolph Barton
Noted
This message was last edited by the player at 11:39, Fri 15 Mar.

Deleted.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:46, Fri 15 Mar.

I am going to nip this in the bud right now.  This is not the first time the player running Donald has caused problems in this game.  He has a very bad habit of rubbing people the wrong way and a tendency to meta game.  If it happens again he will be banned from all of my games permanently.  I don't mind a bit of lively discussion but this type provocation, no matter how subtle, will not be tolerated here.  If you don't have something constructive to say then don't say anything.

Randolph has the right of the situation.  Hinsen is in the camp, the guard calling out for the sergeant is on the perimeter.  Two separate locations.  Donald said he walked to the perimeter but then spoke to Hinsen who is back in the camp.  You need to pay more attention to details.

As for Brian/Brain thang, I think this is a case of auto-correct, again attention to detail folks and a little bit of common sense.  Not all gamers have good sentence construction or punctuation but I try not to penalize anyone for that if they are adding to the game and not causing trouble.

If anyone has any issues, just stop posting and message me until it can be resolved.

Sorry even when i try i keep messing it up. Its not on purpose and even my friend who is actually called Brian has relented to the fact that i give him the smart name of brain in chats. I guess i just didn't really think that one through when i picked a random Irish name. Hell i do not even see the difference between either way of writing them so if its a serious problem i just got to get a whole other name.

Don't sweat it Brian.

The autocorrect on RPoL is a bit wonky. It often makes weird corrections, and it tends to do it in a way that you don't even notice. For that reason I always use the "preview" button to review everything one last time before hitting "post message." If I didn't take that step, all of my posts would have typos.

Hopefully the brain thing will be easier to spot now that it's all discolored and misshapen from being beaten to death! :)

No its actually not the auto correct. Its the user that keeps typing Brain. Seems i am dyslectic around ia/ai and ia keeps feeling wrong. I even correct it when i accidentially type it right.

I come from a family of dyslexics, so I understand.

Bad Spellers of the World, Untie.

Pace seems good enough so far to me. Only thing that's a little different about this game is that it's a harder to know when it's an appropriate time to post, versus when we're supposed to sit back and let you continue to set the scenes via NPC's.

This is not a complaint. More like a head's up. In case one of us steps on your toes at any point.

See, for example, the post I just made in the game thread, #91. Hard to know if that's a welcome contribution which furthers the story, or if you'd prefer that I keep quiet and wait for more obvious/direct cues to act or speak.

What does DNA stand for?

National Dyslexics Association :)

The only thing wrong with that post is you gave Private Campbell a promotion and I put him in the wrong company.  He is actually from D Company (please refer to the Game Wiki).  Oh and you called him a Corporal AND an officer.  An NCO is never referred to as an officer.

But besides that…

Geez, you're a tough cookie.

If you click on Campbell's character, he is identified as a corporal. That's why I addressed him as such.

I was careful not to address him as sir.

And I only used the term officer one time, for narrative purposes. (He is a non commissioned officer, so it's perfectly appropriate to do so in narration, just as long as the character doesn't use the term.)

Ah. Yeah. Campbell’s cast bio says Corporal, but in the Wiki he’s still a Private. He hasn’t been promoted yet in the current timeline.

And I ain’t calling nobody Officer or Sir - because I haven’t a clue who does and does not get that honorific.

When I saw from his bio that he was a corporal, I checked the wiki to see which Company, but I could not find him there, because I was specifically looking for corporals.

I think you will struggle to find anyone in the services in any modern army that would call a NON-COMMISSIONED officer an 'officer'.  It's right there in the title that they are NOT an officer.  It's actually one of my personal beefs in civilian society people wanting to all themselves an 'officer'.  In the British Commonwealth you can only be an officer if you have a commission from the King, that means only Army officers and Police officers are entitled use the title 'officer', not 'customer service officers' and all that crap :)

Only officers would called 'sir', a sergeant is a sergeant.

Regarding Alex Campbell, that is my mistake, (I had not re-set his character sheet to this time line.) he is still, a private.

With regard to ex-pats serving in the Yankee units, the 44th are pretty much all New Yorkers with a liberal sprinkling of Irishmen or Irish lineage.  Notable other characters, Sergeant Major Schuder is Prussian, Dr Emil Weiss is Hungarian, Sarah is English and I think there is private from Poland.  Just about everyone else is a New Englander and most of them are Mainers.  There are no Native Americans or African Americans in the 35th.

I understand, and you've made this point clear. Which is why I was very careful not to address him IC as "sir."

I was just trying to point out that I also didn't refer to him as an officer IC. The narrator used his editorial discretion (right or wrong) to refer to him as an officer, because it was useful and convenient to the narrative at that point. (A pronoun would have been vague, and "corporal" would have been repetitive.)

Next time I'm in a similar situation I will just use the phrase "non-commissioned officer" instead of "officer."

Not trying to be critical folks, just 'historically accurate' in a sci-fi/fantasy game :)

Just don't start using they/them pro-nouns :)

LOL

How would that work anyhow with people identifying as an Apache Helicopter? Its not even invented yet. ;-)

Looks about hesitantly

“It was like someone kissing your girlfriend”
—Trent Reznor upon hearing Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt.”

Oh, dear! I thought it was basic enough that even a total amateur would get the gist. Make pieces symmetrical, hammer together, keep splinters out of skin. Because splinters suck. Other than wood glue, that’s all I know as an amateur myself. But I get that Vergil might not even know that much. My bad. I’ll be more cautious in the future.

Though I must’ve missed something somewhere. The only IC reference to Campbell is as a corporal. I take it he is actually a private?

I can tell you, as someone who recently completed the 1st year of a mature age carpentry apprentice, even the simplest tasks are just beyond some people.  Like most things in life, some people have a natural aptitude but some people do not.  We are all wired differently.  For example, everyone has vocal chords and lungs but that doesn't mean everyone can sing.  And just because you are naturally gifted at something doesn't mean someone who puts in the hard work but doesn't have the gifts can't still outperform a natural.

In reply to Vergil Myers (msg # 71):

I couldn't believe that was a nine inch nails cover. I was sure it was the other way around.

In reply to GM (msg # 73):

That all makes perfect sense. But the real points  here are:


I’ve never seen anything other than a straight hammer, and therefore universally ambidextrous. It sounds like one of those pranks people play on the new guy.

Is this actually a thing?

And the wiki states the Ogunquit was magically transported on Jan 6. Is it still the middle of winter?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:01, Sat 16 Mar.

And that is exactly the reaction Alexander was expecting from a noob with a hammer :)  Later he will send you to the hardware shop to get striped or checkered paint and a left handed screw driver.

The weather is relative, is it still winter in the Caribbean on the 6th of January?  On January 6th at my home it is the middle of summer.  It certainly isn't snowing where you are now.

On that subject, what was the Ogunquit doing there in the first place? To my knowledge, she was near staging areas for Confederate-aligned blockade runners aimed at getting cotton for the Brits during the war.

Considering she was a lone transport ship, was she off-course? Or does it simply not matter for the purposes of the game?

PS Or is this closer to Georgia, what I presume was the intended destination, than I thought?

Lowly privates in an infantry Regiment are not going to be informed about the actions or orders if a Naval vessel.  The only information any of you have is in the existing story threads.  You will have to wait and see how things unfold, no spoilers.

Huh. Outside of the interesting aspect of what privates would not be informed of, the fact that it’s a mystery is enticing as well!

I got no idea where i am supposed to be or what i should post. Even if i should post. The column leaving seems to be only the 35th but i also see mentions of one or more guns but no gun number so is anyone of the cannon crew along or are we just happy camping ready to blow up stuff that want to raid our camp?

Gun number 1 is with A & B company's.  As Brian is the only player from the 44th with Gun 2, we can assume he stepped in to replace another gunner who is on sick parade, so Brian is with the column that marches to Suzdal.  My apologies for leaving him swinging in the breeze :)

Vergil, our ship headed out of the Chesapeake Bay and was heading down the US Eastern coast - I think our destination was the Carolina coast. Not sure if we were headed to North or South Carolina. But where we actually ended up after that storm is anyone’s guess…

Yes, all the troops knew was you that were supposed to be part of an amphibious operation, possibly the Carolina's

I'll throw a few out.

1) I gather from the way you've teed up this encounter, we can fire our rifles for the first attack, and (presumably) maintain position and continue to fire in subsequent rounds, until the enemy engages us?

2) at that point I would fight with bayonet (since it seems to be the best option, compared to rifle butt, knife, or fists - at least for my character), although we could choose any of those alternatives if we had reason to do so?

3) After we fire a round, do we need to indicate that we are re-loading before taking another shot? Or is that a given?

4) does re-loading take a round, or can we re-load and fire in the same round?

Non-combat question: do you still want us to hold off for now, on using the XP we have gained?

I went ahead and made an attack roll using the hyperlink. Unless there are any modifiers in this encounter, it appears to be a miss, so I didn't roll for damage. Also, I wasn't sure what to do about INIT.

Is the cannon loaded or is there any order to do so now the shit hits the fan. After being an accecory to all the npc's talking it feels wrong to break formation just to be present with the riflemen. I got a cannon and i plan to use it ;-)

Unless stated otherwise, combat is handled one round at a time.

The combat resolution thread will list all combat modifiers, +15% is already added to aimed rifle shots.

Combat rounds are 6 seconds, it takes a full round to reload a rifle (which is probably too fast) and you need to state when you are reloading.

There is a link for Initiative top right of your sheets, it will say Initiative Mod+ a number, should be easy to find.

The Canon is outside, it is not yet loaded, none of the Yankee leaders have indicated any desire to fire at unarmed civilians.  Brian can stay outside if you prefer.

There has been no time or opportunity to spend any X points, I will let everyone know when you can.

Yes for most of you the bayonet would be the best melee weapon.

My INIT mod is 6, but there's no link in my CS. It's possible I inadvertently deleted it when I typed the "6" in the box.

Fixed now :)
Initiative is 1d10 plus your IM which is your Reaction Speed/10

Thanks!

Your character sheets combat rolls for rifles include, half DEX, plus 15% aimed shot + weapon skill level.  It does not include range, wounds, cover etc

Characters with pistols will have the option of a single aimed shot, or three rapid fire shots.

Melee weapons have weapon 'to hot' modifiers (see the combat resolution thread), these are included on your character sheets as well as skill level.

I take it we're just waiting on Vergil?

Yes, I don't want to push too far ahead.

Map Group 0 is the city square of Suzdal with the church on one side and palace on the other.  The canon and most of the troops are camped in front of the palace.

Map Group 1 is the corridor inside the palace where the fighting is taking place.

Looking about expectantly.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:34, Sun 07 Apr.

I have been waiting for Vergil to post but I will be writing an update later today and we will move on.

It looks like Vergil has ghosted us but we also have a new player joining the game soon.  I will write the next update later today.

Sounds good. Thanks for checking in.

Hey folks! I'm glad to be in the game. I read three or four of the books about a decade ago and love the setting. I am looking forward to a great game with a superb GM and wonderful group of players.

Welcome to the game, Jack!

I didn't even this game was based on books. Im just here to fire my cannon into  the civilians.

LOL, and welcome to the party, Jack.

Thanks folks, I just need to get hot and finish up my character generation

Waiting on you Doc...
This message was last edited by the player at 14:42, Fri 19 Apr.

I still have some tweaking to do but there is a basic layout of Fort Lincoln in the Main Map group, the city square in Group 0 and a Map of the area from the city of Suzdal to Fort Lincoln in Group 1.

Just in case I was too vague, you are all part of the group assigned to unloading the ship.  I'll give everyone a chance to make a post, perhaps you want to speculate among yourselves about what kind of skills you think you want to improve or ask about who might be able to tutor you etc but you don't have to spend any points yet, you can save them for later.

Hum...

I know tone is hard to detect on RPOL, but Randolph's joke was meant as a good-natured ribbing. He's not constitutionally capable of being snide. Just so you know! :)

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 108):

Noted ;^)
This message was last edited by the player at 13:00, Mon 22 Apr.

Interesting. But understood.

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 110):

Thank you

The underlying assumption was that most if not all of the soldiers were probably checking out the nurses. Barton's comment was just a way of acknowledging that fact. Ergo, nothing to for anyone to be embarrassed about. Not to mention the fact that I was just accommodating the GM's request to have our characters interact with one another during the pause in the action.

Capiche?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:35, Mon 22 Apr.

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 112):

Indeed, interaction is the basis of the game however harmony is better.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:03, Mon 22 Apr.

A pre post heads up also works.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:53, Mon 22 Apr.

True. This was Barton's attempt to befriend Dobs, but it doesn't look promising.

Oh well, that can make for interesting RP too.

In reply to Randolph Barton (msg # 115):

True

New day, new topic.


Just FYI, Harris is in a recovery tent at the field hospital, and Randolph just completed his third run hauling crates off the ship under the direction of Sgt. Homula.

A posted earlier, Harris will spend an entire week recovering, as he is on sick parade he is not available to help unload the ship.

Hopefully I will be available soon to help unload!

After a busy weekend I'll be on vacation for a week and wont be online for that time.

Thanks for the heads up, there might be a bit of reading for you to catch up on but you shouldn't really miss out on anything.

hey gang, just wondering how many of the newer players have used Roll20?  I set up a site there a few years back to handle the mass combat scenarios.  I logged in yesterday after not using the site for a while and it looks like I probably need to update my PC before I can use that site again :(

I have not.

I have used it pretty extensively as a player. It seems pretty capable if you spend enough money for the bells and whistles.

Thanks for teeing this up. Now I just need to catch up on my reading! 😅

Take your time, I will wait for everyone to post before continuing the voyage to Suzdal