In reply to Apeiros (msg # 66):

And just to avoid confusion... Subplot cards don't count towards hand size, right?

Hello, all! I just wanted to introduce myself and let everyone know I was here. I'm very excited to start a game of oTorg. I've been involved with TorgE since shortly after it came out, but it's going to be fun to now revisit the prior version for the first time in, oh, at least twenty years or so.

Most of the time my characters are from the Aysle/Nile/Cyberpapacy neck of the woods, so I thought I'd stretch myself this time and try something different. I've updated my character description in "The Cast", if anyone wants to check it out. Apeiros says that my character Sita has already met Jason Keller while she was investigating the edeinos, but I'm sure all our characters will get to meet each other soon.

I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone, and to having fun playing.

In reply to Matthew Matherson (msg # 67):

Excellent question! Now, are there any other questions?

Actually...a player may choose to hold a S-P card in their hand, in which case it will count towards hand size but will not trigger unless played. Alternatively, the player may place the S-P card in play, regardless of it's availability (ie Romance when there are no NPCs around); the card will not be replaced but will not count towards hand size, and will be available for me to Trigger at my first/best opportunity (Remembering this is a PG13 game for now, per RPOL rules for non-mature, non-adult games. I want the widest possible player pool...but is that Ravagon looking at you funny?)

Thirdly, the player may choose to discard a subplot for a replacement card and one Possibilitiy...or if I am 100% certain that S-P cannot trigger in the current adventure when it is put into play, this will also occur.

Side, side note: I don't hate Tharkold, however I find it is not within the PG13 rating I am going for, so it may not make landfall this game; though I reserve the right to change to a Mature setting if we have no conflict among players.

Clearly Tharkold is an Adult setting, for it contains BDSM elements and things like Progenies, and other sexual elements.

Since he's pretty friendly and open, most who have known him a bit will know Jason was an orphan (sort of), grew up on a farm but also worked at different times as a firefighter and mechanic. He is 'adventuring' since his aunt and uncle were taken during the Invasion (not sure that Apeiros has determined who/what took them).

Now I want to summon a BDSM Elemental.

Um.  But you all just nevermind that.

Hello, Dr. Chandrasakar!  Can we call your usual set Aysle/Nile/Witch Trial, Cyber-Style? (Old TORG is set in the '80s - we can even do finger guns when we say it. grin)

lol Saito !

I don't think our ST would allow that, nor the use of Domination Laws :p But they exist in old Torg Tharkold.

A couple of questions,

1. How long after the start of the invasion are we?
2. Can we have a thread for known event, persons etc also would be nice to have what other knows about each other. After all we've been working some time together.

@Saito: Far be it from me to dissuade anyone from any cheesy 80’s goodness. Go ahead!

General question:
Pierre has three Folk 'slots'. Do we want to use one of them (at least for the moment) to let everyone understand each other via the Tower of Babel spell?

In reply to Pierre De Gaulle (msg # 76):

Since our characters all speak English, that may not be too necessary. It may even be good practice for those characters who aren't native speakers. Sounds like it will be very helpful if we run into edeinos or something, though.

I don't think we have many native English speaker in our little group, even the Core earthers are from non English speaking countries :)

In all the published scenarios there is an assumption that all the cosms speak english.

There is no language clash between the people of Aylse and the people of English. Between the Orrorsh and the neighbours. The people of Marketplace and Japan. The players in the scenario can all talk pidgin to the Jakarts (probably Pidgin because of the social axiom: language is a social). And when the heros go to the Nile Empire everyone there speaks english.

If we go down this route... we only have 12 skill points that  are under our control each (3 are because of the TAG rule, 1 is for reality). What percentage of that 12 skill points do you want to spend on things that you won't be very good at? 50% of those skill points would allow you to talk to the Alyse, the Nile Empire, the Orrorshain Victorians, the Jakarts, The Nippon Tech people. That leaves you with about 5 or 6 skills points to do things with...

In the fiction the darkness device makes everyone speak english as the Cosm's are connected.  I think that's the simplest approach.

Jason's from the United States.

Matthew is a native English speaker... I'm just not sure where yet.  So, if nobody asks, nobody can place his slightly English sounding accent.

I think the point stands. grin

Language... I hadn't even thought about language, and certainly should have.  That's always such a mess in games.  I don't know if Old Torg had the assumption that everyone speaks English, though I generally agree with Sapphire -- language feels vaguely fun to play with, but in practice it's just too much.

On the other hand, it has been a while but if we all have that Babel spell placed on us, doesn't that incidentally also protect us from potential hostile Folk type spells like Weakness, Slow, and The Entire Orrorsh Spell List?

I feel like many RPGs TORG was written by American for American, their treatment of other countries is lacking at best.

I think the best thing is to leave language vague, it is all a matter of fun to RP. It can be fun to play the guy no one understand because he can't speak English but it can grow tiresome at times.

I feel that if this was an assembled team language barriers was one point that was taken into account and it is safe to assume all members share one common language at a descent level (English, Swahili whatever).

This is my take of course,

You absolutely have to say "for it's time," but for it's time, TORG's handling of other countries is amazing.  The industry still hasn't caught up with it in terms of racial and gender inclusion.  Still problematic in many ways, some of which were even recognizable at the time (I remember talking about Nippon Tech's treatment of the whole "they're buying California!" scare), but... even by today's standards, it actually shows a real effort.

And at least based on my intro, I don't see anything about us being an assembled team.  But Eternity has formally established that everyone speaks English, which, I mean, since we're on the subject^*, is awfully Eurocentric of them, but it's definitely a convenient thing that would be easy to import if Apeiros wants to.

I'm good either way.  It occurs to me that he also started us all with 5 XP, so in theory he could let those of us who need to drop 1-3 of those into 1 or 2 ranks of Language (English), if we want, if he'd rather do that and stick closer to the original rules without making anyone refigure their skills.


^{*-- OK, fine, since I'm on the subject.}

@Language ... And I will add this to House Rules Thread.

I don't like the idea "Points in Lang. SKILL = Fluency in particular Language." At least not in TORG. Some of you may have seen my posts on this in the old Eternity forums.

If you want to put points in the Language Skill, this will allow a check to attempt communication with anyone, regardless of the languages which are nominally in play. There would be difficulty modifiers, but the result tells us how well you were able to talk to each other. Just like in the movies...if it's not plot-important that there is non-communication, assume a common language.

@Time Line
The adventure will start at almost exactly 3 months into the invasion.
The Group was completed about "Two weeks ago" at that point.

@Sharing Thread
The Game Thread is open for RP sharing among people who "just met" and people who traveled together as well. When the adventure starts, it will be as if it were just a continuation of the introduction Role Playing.

@Ben Altman - I'm not certain, but it seems like there is a lot of uncolored dialogue in your last post, but the very bottom dialogue is colored so wasn't sure which was intentional and the norm.

For the Cards on the Table thread, can I suggest that we do something like:



So all the players can see how many cards are in each other's hands?

I like the idea. But... and it's a big but...

Feels a lot of complexity. The more we do the harder it is to keep everything straight. I am a big fan of the KISS principle. I know it's going to be hard enough as it is to keep the cards straight. (I like the cards a lot, so this is just a comment on the 'Hands(4)')

I've tried time and time and time again to get players to do simple things in combat post. Like 'put your initiative first, then tell me your tohit, and if you hit how much damage you did'. I have had limited to no success... I think of it as herding cats. And when herding cats you just keep everything as simple as possible
This message was last edited by the player at 12:52, Mon 22 June 2020.

In reply to Sapphire (msg # 88):

That's a good point.

I can't post for a couple of hours. Is it OK if we delay continuing the (nice) conversation in IC until I have a chance to comment?

Edit my bad. Go ahead.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:06, Mon 22 June 2020.

My solution was simple, I took all the rolling bit from my players.

My players don't roll the dice, they post their action what they are trying to do and I deal with the mechanic at the back.

The only issue is that it is a bit more book keeping for me but since the players don't know how much HP they have, they are a lot more careful about combat.