I'm getting caught up on RPoL stuff amid prepping for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Petsgiving (OK, that one's a joke) and more. Pardon if I missed anything, and I'll see about getting a game post up shortly. And no worries in regard to earlier comments, Mordred-- glad to have your input. This is my first time playing a "prickly" character, and I'm still envisioning a proper arc for how he can bond with this team. Knowing some of Mordred's backstory is useful in that regard, so thanks for sharing.

Re: the question of potential enemies, I do like surprises, and any one of the following could work:

Reverend Stryker. In Specter's universe, he was successful in stoking enough widespread anti-mutant hate that the X-Mansion was burned down, the X-Men wiped out, and all but a handful of mutants hunted down or captured. Even though Scott killed him, it was too late to change what happened and Stryker "won" in the end.

Mr. Sinister. Scott's self-loathing following his failure to protect the mutants of his universe makes the idea of being cloned and studied as some sort of ideal mutant particularly painful for him. He feels like he should have died along with his friends, not continue on and have a legacy.

Mephisto. Scott is aware of his existence and that he forged a pact with him when he bonded with Zarathos (to gain the power he needed to avenge mutantkind). But he largely tries never to think about the fact that one day the lord of Hell is going to come collect on their deal, and Scott is going to be at his mercy. He's currently stuck punishing and penance-ing villains (particularly hateful/bigoted ones) until Mephisto decides he has no further use for him, but for now, that suits Scott just fine.

Let's make this interesting and say Logan.

Magneto. 'Nuff said.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:53, Wed 23 Nov 2022.

@ Specter: Given which enemy I picked for this encounter, some of Mordred's backstory is definitely going to come to IC light once Nightmare does his thing. :-p

Hope everyone had a good TG!  (if you're in the US)

You guys can give me initial actions/reactions at your leisure.  (you of course don't have to attack immediately) There's gonna be one other little quirk about this fight.   Which is that you're in reality going to be fighting...each other.   
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:24, Sun 27 Nov 2022.

And so, the X-mas holiday encroaches upon us all...

As an FYI, I'll be posting little to this game, if at all, from the 15th till the 28th/29th or so.   If any player(s) become scarce before then, I understand, for it is that time of the year!

Re the current scene:    On those initial attacks, you can roll dice if you wish, or just describe how you defend.   If you choose to attack, then I need die rolls.

And remember narration is your friend.  (usually)  This is just that trope where the good guys get turned against each other.

Regardless of what you attempt or roll, vs. your enemy, I'll narrate to ensure you guys don't cripple, maim, or impale the other character.   This is intended to be a little rough house fun, not a tragedy.

Of course, if you've reason not to attack, that's okay.   There will be chances to break from the 'matrix', as this progresses.

No worries, makes sense. ^_^ Blargh, I'm struggling on what to do here. I was thinking we'd run into our fears and face them, not fight each other... :-p

You are doing exactly that first thing.   However, if you choose to combat your fears physically, then your dice will be utilized against your teammate.

You aren't beholden to attack;  you may play this from a strictly psychological angle, if you prefer. While staying on the defensive, if you're teammate is choosing otherwise.

I think my struggle is that I don't want to feel like I'm metagaming by not fighting. However, I don't think Mordred would want to fight Morgan. She's the only family he has left (that hasn't actively tried to kill him in real life yet, lol).

I've gotten swept up in the holiday rush, but should have something up in the next few days.

I've got a question. Is it possible to try to see through Nightmare's deception? If so, would psych, mystic senses, or my Suspicious distinction apply?

I had planned to give the characters opportunities (in the English meaning, not MHR) for that, as this progresses, but not immediately.

Cool, sounds good. ^_^

Everyone having a good holiday season?

About the usual -- it was passable!  Hope everyone enjoyed the season.

Any case, I am back. (just in case you thought this might be a delusion?)  And will post, in the not too distant future...

Bear with me on this, folks --  I'm debating the details of how I'm going to play the next part of this.   Also, my fingers are sore, from tons of typing; work was nuts this week, after the holiday.

No worries, enjoy the end of the year and give your fingers a break. ^_^

If we attack, I assume we're rolling dice now...?

Yes, that is so..

Am I the last man standing...?

Sorry, I'm still here. I'm just trying to figure out how to respond.

If this helps at all:

- Remember, this is a demonic entity messing with you.   One who's trying to gain purchase on your doubts, concerns, past pains, as well as exploit the disorientation that comes with being in a dream.   They aren't really the person they're masquerading as, and don't know you as well as they're pretending to.

- There isn't one "right" way here.  You can try to win via rationalizing (maybe eventually waking yourself up in the process), or refute & get mad, attack your nemesis, try to outwit them in some way, etc.    Or try to assert your reality over the one being thrust at you, etc.

I should be able to get a post up later today.

Sorry for silence, folks;  2023 has been a weird year so far (which is saying something, after 2022), though not in a totally crappy way.

Among other things, my schedule and the way I work have changed, and I’m adjusting to it.

Also, after thinking about it for years, I’ve finally got a story premise and plot that merits an attempt at a book.   That’s very much a side thing, but it impacts the time I have for rpol.

Which isn’t to say I or this game are going away.   But I am stretched a little thin at the moment.

Running this has made me see I’m not gonna be that GM who presents something that plays like an epic Marvel crossover.   Not that I was ever kidding myself.   Being a writer and a GM require different approaches, and I’m more suited for the first.

At this point:  does everyone still want to go forward?   I know at least one player has their hands full in RL, and in this game that means a quarter of the group.  We could declare a short hiatus, if it'd help that player.   We're basically on one, anyway.

I would like to go forward.

I'm happy moving forward.

I’m still here. Sorry for my own absence. Santa gave me Covid for Christmas! :-/