I'd quite like to know how myself!

Done!  :)

Yep! The way you do it is (with GM access) to enter the Dice Roller page, then click "Configure the Roller" in the bottom left of the controls. It'll take you to a nearly identical page where you can set the roller's defaults to whatever you like, which can be super handy anytime you're not using a D20-based system. Running Edge of the Empire can get mind-melting without that feature, lemme tell ya.

As for the adventure, I just meant that each team should get their own adventure thread rather than another massive group ordeal. It'll let us interact with our own teams more instead of having just a few people willing to post, plus expand more on our Relationships and such. Having the adventure all be run with everyone in it would be the same chaos we've been having.

I know Ghost Spider was hesitant about a symbiote character because of their inherent dark story qualities, but I also don't want to bother anyone else. Are there lines I should avoid crossing? I have my own comfort level, of course, but everyone has their own idea of what "too far" means, and I don't want to push that for anyone. I also know Resonance isn't keen on anti-social teammates, so I don't plan on making Mania outright terrible, either.

PC vs. PC hostility would definitely be suboptimal for Resonance.

However, when discussing relationships and influence, we had some ideas for ties that could bind us together... :)

Meta, thank you for fixing the Die Roller.  Things were so much easier when I used to do PBeM games by just email. :-)

Ricochet, I thought EotE's dice torment was the point. We GMs are masochists after all. ;-)

I get your point about separated teams mean more story development within a team.  But, to be honest, I think team membership might be 'fluid' (frankly, I may lose some more players) and some enduring team members might find themselves alone.  What I hope to try for is that teams can separate and stay together with an ease (due to deliberate design) unseen in other threads.  But I will try and adapt.  I want to keep who is left.

Regarding Mania and games in general; every game has level of darkness and 'grit' that is right for that party.  But how do you find out where that level is?  I used to work with a guy whose father was a renowned police detective.  And his dad had always said that you started out nice.  Because you can go from nice to mean but you can't (easily) go from mean to nice.

In short, start easy with Mania 'lapses' and lead with offenses that can be undone.  There is no hurry and the general comfort level of the game and its players will find itself.

I think it could be good to have team-based threads for those players who are still around in each team. That may be a good way to ensure that those who are otherwise available are still interested. Also, it's just too hard for anyone in particular to stand out when everyone is in one thread. In team threads, each character would have more of a chance for the spotlight.

I will see what I can do. :-)

Sorry I have been away for so long.  But 'The Mother of Invention' thread is pretty much done.

And now there is a new thread, IC Scene #4: Idle Hands...

This is now the only truly active thread and it will stay that way for a long time, no more flashback or dream sequences.   All PCs are together and may all work together or separate into their own teams (as might make sense, each team is trained to be separate and efficient units as needed) as the players wish.

The opening scene seems quite mundane and the kids are 'off the chain' for the weekend.  But hidden forces will act soon enough...

Hm. I see what you mean about maybe losing more players, in regards to team composition. I only count ten definitely active players right now, with the rest not having logged in for at least two weeks, or else having already left the game. Makes it difficult to split us into those separate team threads we were talking about.

I understand the issue with player attrition, but honestly this is my concern/issue.

I signed up for the game because I wanted to play Masks, not "generic superhero game" because I really wanted a chance to play with the game mechanics. By throwing everyone into a single thread/group, I feel like it really waters down a lot of what makes Masks (and PBtA games in general) special. Things like influence, relationships, team pool, team moves, and even the uniqueness of playbooks.

Glad to see you're still with us! And yes, that's been my stance as well. Still kind of waiting for the Masks game itself to start, while getting through all the Teens With Superpowers Hanging Out bits.

Max, you are right.  I did neglect the more crunchy bits that make Masks Masks.  I'm hoping to make up for that now.  Y'all are free to use all of the game effects from this point on; Moves, Team, Influence, etc.  The first few posts in this thread are really setting the scene and don't yet call for full rules.  But call my bluff, make a Move if you wish.

If you are still a little gunshy, I get it.  Go ahead and just watch for a bit.  I think the game will be more like you were hoping for with every post.

I randomly stumbled upon this while doing some unrelated research: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Purple_Hayes_(Earth-616) It reminded me of that one option you suggested for making an expy character at the start. :P

Haven't decided what to do in the new thread yet, but we can use it to interact among team members anyway, if we so wish. Not everyone has to pile on the NPCs after all. :) I do hope we will get proper team threads later, though.

Boss, you've gotta get a handle on your character voice colors. Vanessa and Sally's conversation is so hard to keep track of because of how often they swap voices. XD

But ye, I still think the team threads we agreed on would be ideal for getting the quieter players to participate, since it won't be everyone in one spot anymore.

Until now I was unaware that high schools had football games as early as, and sometimes earlier than, the first day of school. ... What is a super school's sports curriculum like?

Also, I'm gonna let a few more voices jump IC before replying to the thread again.

I like Purple Hayes.  She might have been a better choice than Bluebird for my botched Beacon of the Junior Team (I needed a failed ordinary sidekick for certain plot threads).

My apologies for the confusing color coding of the two girls.  I chose blue for Bluebird and Vanessa's natural skin color is blue so it seemed right.  I didn't think the two colors would be that similar.  I will change the colors to make them contrast more next post.

When the crisis happens (and I believe that will be soon), the student can unite or divide (as teams or otherwise) as the players wish.  I think this will work. :-)

Sorry I have been away for a few days...

It's not that they're too similar, it's that you're using two slightly different blues but occasionally confusing which blue you're using for which character. Here's what I mean:



Sally is Blue.



Vanessa is Periwinkle, same as Ricochet.



Now Sally is DarkBlue for the rest of the conversation, except...



Sally is Periwinkle between Vanessa's two Periwinkle lines.



And then I switched from Periwinkle to Purple. :P

---

I think Bluebird is fantastic, I'm super into having her on campus. I don't think you need to introduce each member of the new kids team with a horrific crisis or anything, though, just slide 'em on in as people who happen to be superheroes, y'know?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:13, Sat 14 Aug 2021.

Can any of us post in IC Scene 4 thread or is it just for a specific group?

Idle Hands is for the whole playerbase, hop on in!

All good on the colors.  If I ever get to too close colors too close together again (sometimes can't be helped), maybe I will even change the typeface.

Actually, on my sleepy Windows 10 laptop, the Cursive text comes across in Comic Sans MS, about as comic balloon as RPoL can get.

I'm glad Bluebird has some love.  I need slightly fallible friends to move some plots.

Yes, everyone is allowed into this thread.  I'm so sorry if I didn't make that clear.  Get together and mingle, folks, it's what all of the young people are doing these days. :-)

Busy.  But should reply IC Thursday night. :-)

Is anyone else hopping in to the thread, or waiting for the group to split into teams?

I'm in a work crunch, so I've been letting others take the lead...  :o

Yeah, but you've established yourself as here. :P I was more wondering about the boys. I mean, not Octopus, because I know he's there, I just want to try and give Ricochet a little more presence since my posts have turned more into the Mania and Otto show. So he's just in panel backgrounds right now.