For all your out of character-ly needs. Also, discussion of character creation and suchnot.

Hello all!
Just a quick note since I am about to go off do IRL stuff for a bit.
First of all: thanks for having me! I am super happy about this.
And very excited about meeting all of you.
re. my character:
• Clan Gangrel
• a focus on Animalism & Protean for the shape-changing aspect
• the character's view of the world is as Kine being a Herd, and the Kindred (or at least this character!) as Shepherds, who must protect the Kine and let them flourish--to better feed on them as Kindred. But not regarding them as chattel, having respect for them. Maybe like bee-keepers (you are wary of being stung, you take care of your hive to get honey, but you are interested in them & respect what they are)
• I might look towards Ahrimanes for Spiritus as a goal for the future
• I thought that the character might be close to some Pagan beliefs, or Old Faith or such? Maybe Shamanism?
All this is quite open--and I am very happy to change & adapt.
I prefer to have characters that fit & get along w. others, so I am happy to make choices according to what the others do.
This message was undeleted by the player at 17:42, Wed 21 Dec 2022.

Et vive la fleur de la mort !

Well, my posting for anything is done for the time being. Lost power mid-post. Lurker 5, you'll have to wait 'til tomorrow (when I will hopefully have power again).

Hello everyone! I'll give y'all some details about my character as well :)

• Clan Nosferatu
• Will probably focus on Obfuscate and physical disciplines, maybe some other ones depending on what happens in the game
• He used to be a very beautiful nobleman but was Embraced by a Nosferatu because of his vanity
• The drastic change, going from beautiful to monstrous and from high class to a Low Clan has certainly left its mark though he is adjusting fairly quickly

I think that's the main stuff about him. I am alright with making changes and could even consider a different Clan and/or Concept, I have plenty of ideas I could put into good use :)

Ah, the joys of rural living.

is most likely going to play a Ventrue knight-type of Germanic descent who's doing his best to walk the Road of Chivalry

Right? I was in the midst of sending you a PM when my internet conked out. Now I'm too tired (it's almost midnight here), so I'll get to it in the morning. Or evening. Depends when I get around to it. Also depends on when I wake up.

... It is winter break after all. ;)

Waves to the city folk!

And good "Winter Break"!

Greetings and salutations, all.

I've taken up the mantle of the doomed Cappadocian clan, although a slightly... odd member of said clan. Still obsessed with learning, but his delving aren't purely into the nature of death. He's a rich, eccentric foreigner with no apparent political aspirations. Not sure about where his disciplines will be to begin with- I suspect some Fortitude will be in play, but nothing beyond that.

Also, he walks the path of the Eightfold Wheel...

Okay, so. I've got myself a coterie here. I've closed the game to new players at the moment (tentatively; if I get a character that really intrigues me that may change).

I have also changed the game to a "Mature" rating, because I'd forgotten to do that before, what I'd written in the rules notwithstanding.

Anyway, we have 6 at the moment, with a 7th possible (depending on his/her response to my query). Given that we're writing a story together, I think it's fair that we know what we're working with. At present, the party looks like this:

Assamite
Cappadocian
Gangrel
Nosferatu
Ventrue
TBD (Schrödinger's clan?)

I would offer character concepts as well, but they're sorta all over the place, length-wise (ranging from TBD to multiple paragraphs). The Path spread at present is:

Path of Chivalry
Path of Community
Path of the Eightfold Wheel (Druidism - a first for me!)
Road of Humanity (x2)

So, what does that mean for you? Not much, really. Just fax, yo.

What does matter, however, is that I have made a determination about the group's patron. That information, too, helps you in no way shape, or form.

What does matter to you is what I need from you: your personal patron. Unless you decide on an alternative mentor (and the Mentor background), I will assume your personal patron is your sire. What is the difference between the personal patron and the group patron? Well, that's an easy one - the group patron is the cause of everything that happens in the chronicle, while the personal patron is the guy who knew enough to send you to deal with him. For example:

Billy Brujah was embraced by Bob Brujah. Unfortunately, Bob isn't a very nice sire,  but Victor Ventrue sees a way to undermine Bob and has taken Billy under his wing (acting as a Mentor). Victor (the personal patron) wants his new pawn to be more powerful, so he sends Billy to see Tom Tzimisce (the group patron), where he meets his new coterie-mates, Amy Assamite, Carl Cappadocian, and Sam Salubri.

Another thing to consider: languages. At present (and this is just my understanding - I may be wrong) I believe we have native languages of German, Baltic (Polish), Italian (?), Arabic (?), and possibly others. There are a few ways to go with this. The best option might be to take the Lingua Franca Merit (1 point), representing a sort of pidging German trade-language - this would default to pretty much every language in the area (German at 5, the others at 6). This would also allow you to get away without having the pidgin Linda Franca - assuming you have one of the appropriate languages (although rolls would still be required for more difficult concepts, I wouldn't require it for common things).

I'm mildly surprised we don't have a Fiend.

(I considered it.)

I could make the swap from Nosferatu to Fiend 'cause I agree that we should at least have one Fiend in the group :)

Everyone, I think you should have access to character sheets now. Please correct me if I am wrong.

In reply to Lurker 4 (msg # 12):

I would be fine with that. But I just want you all to play what will allow you to have fun. More or less. *glares daggers at the Niktuku-Kiasyd raised by Telyavic Tremere who later embraced his Humanity and became a Child of Osiris* ;)

Nope, no sheet yet.

Hi all, I am Lurker 6 ;), thought it is time to say hello - even if I am still considering too many possibilities with regards to the character to provide much else. Favorite ideas are a scholarly Brujah or a very eccentric Toreador with odd preferences.

I think you need to put something in the sheet before it will appear for us. It's been a very long time since I dealt with that, though.

Also welcome to the last(?) Lurker... :P

One thing that needs to be done is to make it User Editable after creating it.
Little box to tick at the bottom right.

That is often forgotten...?

If you are at it, I'd prefer you disable the global <pre> tag around the sheet.

Okay, so. I think I fixed it for real this time - for everyone other than Lurker 2 (because of the way I did it). Would anyone like to confirm for me please?

Lurker 6, I'm not sure how to get rid of the "pre" tag, tbh. I don't think I actually did that. How do I fix that issue?

Lurker 3, we probably have one more coming on here. We're in negotiations. Not aggressive ones though (albeit, only because I don't have a lightsaber. ;)

Yup, can access and edit my sheet now.

Time to start the first mockup.

... And find a portrait that fits someone who is ashen and withered...

My sheet is working now as well :)

Hey all, I'll be running a "Saracen" (Assamite) with a high path rating in Humanity (or Heaven - talking to the ST about this).

No sheet access yet. :)

Yours should be working now.

I am not entirely sure, but I think it is the "Fixed width" checkbox

Try now.

I've got my access, thanks!

"Oy there, mates. Anyone needing some skulls bashed for coin?"

I'm planning on playing a shady missionary with no ulterior motives or dark secrets.

Oh good. Someone to stand behind when the violence starts. :P

Welcome aboard!

In reply to Lurker 7 (msg # 26):

Welcome!

So, what is the coterie looking like so far? :)

Well, our Gangrel seems to have morphed into a Toreador.

I'm still a road-weary Cappadocian, probably considered a pagan, and I may end up selling him books?

Where have I missed that miraculous change?

In reply to Lurker 6 (msg # 31):
Praise the Lord!

*Points at Lurker 1's profile on the left* Right there. The rest is inference.

So, yes, I switched from Gangrel to Toreador re. things that did not work out for me.
My main concept is still a character on the Path of Community (Road of Humanity) who sees himself as a shepherd to the Kine.
• Mental over Social (Physical lowest) attributes
• Knowledges mainly, w. Empathy/Expression/Performance/Enigmas/Investigation as strong points
• Auspex focused
• can probably get around w. most all languages (having traveled "all over")--
--which will help in combat: in all tongues, Odo can bless the one who is about to kill him, so they do not go to Hell - because that's about all he can manage in a fight!

Waiting for the okay from our esteemed ST, but I imagine most is good.

I believe Odo would have traveled from Paris, France, to where we meet.
If any are on that route?

Always very open to any and all pre-game hooks with other PCs.
(awaiting conformation, but I imagine Odo being Embraced only for the past 5 years, but he has traveled a lot before that...).

HAPPY HOLIDAYS for those who celebrate XMas!

My flight yesterday got canceled, so today, aside from last minute holiday baking, I'll be trying to bang Jander into shape.

I hope all was not canceled for you!

Merry Christmahannukwanzakah to all! ... Albeit, a bit early.

Hey, I celebrated it last week, so not really?

But Merry Christmas (or holiday of your choice) to everyone!

In reply to Lurker 3 (msg # 39):
Hoping I am not cluttering the thread up too much
Hey, I celebrated it last week, so not really?
For any specific reason (like some of my Orthodox friends - the Russian kind, not the Romanians still linked to the Greek! - celebrating XMas on our Jan' 6)?

My family's scattered to the wind, and that was when everyone was in the same city. Nothing more complicated than that.

Any thoughts on what we'd like as a common language? I've got one slot going spare at the moment after pulling in Germanic (native), Slavonic, and Latin.

Latin would be fine from my pov ;) guess it won't be that universal though...

I had an acquaintance back in high school. He and a friend were playing in a three-person dark ages game, and the only language the pair had in common was Enochian. heh

Possible I would be in that game as well if that's the common language ;)

My merc is a polyvot and will speak Germania, Slavic, French and Saxon, but I can switch stuff around.

He's unlikely to speak Latin, that's for the "toffs, sers and lords and wotnot"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:04, Sat 24 Dec 2022.

In reply to Lurker 7 (msg # 46):

I am fine with any language.
Can switch one around if needed.

Originally I considered having my Nossie be from Italy but after some thinking he's probably going to be Polish or some sort of Slavic.

Likely, I'll add Byzantium to the origins of our character. I haven't figured the languages, but as a scholar that is also not shy of more occult topics, it's going to be a lot of old languages.

Here's my languages: Slavonic, Greek, Latin, German, Romanian.

Worth noting that we're probably bordering (or on) Tzimisce turf, so Romanian might be pretty important.

As a traveling story-teller I went with:
LANGUAGES
• German, native ; Arabic ; Greek ; Latin ; & Baltic
• and some Linguistics to default to: Romanian, Slavonic & Hungarian
• and I took Lingua Franca
I could easily switch at least Baltic for something else that could better fit the group

I'm continuing with a lot of reading.

I'm also talking with the ST about background, but in my head (currently) my character's languages will be:
Coptic (n), Arabic, Greek, Latin, German

EDIT: I'm very open to shifting one for the team if needed.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:17, Sun 25 Dec 2022.

As I get characters finished this week, I will begin creating Prelude threads. Don't worry, those of you who have not finished, this is just to keep folks entertained until we get things started in earnest.

I'm continuing with a lot of reading.
I finally started reading a book I picked up a year or so ago (after finally making it up to visit Tallinn & Estonia!): the Northern Crusades, which is about what is actually the longest crusades, against the pagans in the Baltic regions.
They start in... 1198!

Well, my winter vacation is at an end, and I will thus be posting more slowly for a while. (Also, I will be out of town from the 11th of January through at least the 13th, possibly as late as the 15th.)

Also. I am considering implementing a new house rule regarding languages. I would like your take on it before doing so, however.

Fine for me!
But I am not super great w. the rules, so it mainly seems fine re. the idea.

Wouldn't it just be easier if we all start the game with at least one language we all share and if we want to learn more languages we can pay XP for the Language Merit?

My personal take would be that language difficulties, while maybe fun at first, don't add to RP or the story much if at all.

Now, I see how everyone just speaking or even writing whatever languages they choose doesn't make much sense, but on the other hand side, vampires have time, don't they? What about a language system based on Linguistics for something new (or old, a vampire may have spoken French, but decades or centuries ago), but just time for less pressing situations? Just like, the first year in a new setting required rolls, the next for less and less often, after a decade everyone can be fluent. If you like, you make it more easy with higher skill in Linguistics and with more social interaction in the language setting.

But then, you're the storyteller and I'll take any ruling you introduce.

In reply to Lurker 4 (msg # 57):
Wouldn't it just be easier if we all start the game with at least one language we all share and if we want to learn more languages we can pay XP for the Language Merit?
• that would be our Native Language + 1 Common Language if not the Native-Language?

It seems from people's earlier lists of languages that many, if not most, of us sprung for the multi-lingual merit?

I certainly did.

My personal take would be that language difficulties, while maybe fun at first, don't add to RP or the story much if at all.
Yeah, exactly.

• that would be our Native Language + 1 Common Language if not the Native-Language?
Yeah, I think that would be a nice idea :)

I think the coterie's language alignment is only half of the "doesn't add much to RP or story". Talking to Kindred and Kine from outside our direct influence is as well...

But yeah aligning on a common language, if it fits out backgrounds, seems to make sense. It actually looked like Latin was already pretty spread across some of the characters language related posts.

Multi-lingual party here, as well.

Using Linguistics dots for gaining languages as the only way to get them seems bad.  The first two languages aren't bad compared to the fast track the ST presented, but after that they're awful.

I think the suggested house-rule (in addition to the existing merits and the language families and defaulting) is a great addition.  No one even has to spend xp if they want to slowly gain proficiency in the language naturally.  I like it.

If that refers to my post, I didn't mean to use Linguistic dots for languages. I was suggesting we might roll Linguistics to figure out if we can figure certain things out in languages that are yet unknown to us.

Anyway, whatever I said wasn't too far from what the storyteller suggested. Only that I would probably not go for any rolls influencing the speed of language learning - chance and bad luck will quickly turn outbreak to not be very interesting I guess.

So I'm on merits and flaws for my character. I could use a few points. Can anyone think of any "good" flaws for an uncouth well traveled mercenary?

From the core book:

Physical
"odd gait" from a combat wound or being so accustomed to walking with a certain weapon/shield at your hip

Mental
"vengeful" or "nightmares" depending on your memories of the past

Social
"vulgar" is literally uncouth
"Dark Secret"
"Infamous Sire" or "Sire's Resentment" if one or the other are appropriate
"outsider"
"Enemy" or "rivalry" might work depending on who you've crossed swords with

Supernatural
This is a smorgasbord of ideas to tweak how your character interacts with the world, including some 'traditional' vampire issues - if you don't find what you need in the others, read through these for ideas, almost any of them could conceivably work depending on your story.

@ Lurker 7
Depends very much on the character?

Some ones that I could easily justify are Nightmares (1pt), Vengeful (2pts), or Vulgar (1pt), plus the ever-popular Enemy or Rivalry (scaling 1-5pts). Anything else in the core book has some story implications that may change things for your character.


... Aaand someone beat me to it. :P

I too took Multi-Lingual--
-- + 1 extra dot in it (and Lingua Franca as well).

Oh--and I am officially postin' as Odo of Tubingen!

Okay, I'm busted for tonight, sorry guys. I know I missed a few people at the very least, and for that I apologize and blame the Fren- uhm. I blame the ... fresh.. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Yeah.

>.>
<.<

;)

Okay, so we seem to have a consensus that the ST is always right and never makes mistakes in any way, shape, or form. :)

But, since I'm feeling particularly generous today, I will admit that my initial thinking may have been a bit... over-excited. We will continue with "learning languages takes time, but no cost in XP, and attempts to understand an unknown language in the short term will require a Linguistics roll." Fair?

Also, as an aside, as I begin to get character sheets in, it looks like Latin is fairly common across the board. In fact, only two characters don't have it, and that may only be because I don't have sheets for either one.

Are we good with Latin (weirdly) being the language common to all?

Sounds good to me :)

So so far we got an Assamite (Vizier?), Cappadocian, Nosferatu, Toreador and Ventrue? Sounds pretty good to me!

The only problem I can foresee with Latin as the common language is if somebody has only one language. Then it makes very little sense.

I guess his sire could have insisted on Latin.

I'm also seeing a lot of German, but that's just from the people who've put their languages up here.

Your character was one of the two, yes. That said, with your character, in particular, I could definitely see the sire requiring Latin.


I will be honest, I did not look. Lemme go check. You are correct. Only two people lack German, and one of those does not have a CS (the other does, though I'm willing to work with the PC in question).

So, then - preferences for language? It looks like Latin and German are the main contenders at this juncture.

Also, preludes for those with approved sheets will begin... soon. Soonish.

I am willing to work and compromise when it comes to languages :)

My character has German native tongue, and Latin as extra, so I am fine with whatever.

Hello to Peregryn & Luca Balauru!

Soon™--for the preludes!

I will hopefully be done very shortly.  Name will be Moshe Al'Kitaab.

Close on the Assamite(Vizier) guess.  It will actually be Assamite(Humanitarian)... errr... Assamite (Sorcerer).

Oh, a fellow worker of Blood Magic?

We really must compare notes. *Evil grin*

If you were to begin mending your ways, Moshe very well might be willing to compare notes with you. *Innocent Smile*

I foresee some politely-worded religious debates there. Or philosophy debates.

Either way, I think Peregryn's going to enjoy your company.

Debates. Pfeh. They pass the nights but accomplish so little.

Is not passing the night without boredom the point of it all?!

In reply to Odo of Tubingen (msg # 84):

No, no it's not.  And don't suggest that the hokey-pokey is, either.

Now I am curious- what do you think the point is, Moshe?

I sincerely hope I named the right character Moshe...

Yep!



Let's save it for IC :)

All, please welcome adevarat observator, a true lurker, and the reason that TIL how similar Romanian and Latin actually are. Also, who has a name that will always bother me because I should have capitalized it. Damn it!

Welcome adevarat observator!

how similar Romanian and Latin actually are
Are you talking about Ancient Romanian? What would have probably been spoken in the gaming time of this campaign?

Welcome aboard to our lurker whose name I will constantly misspell. :P

EDIT: You should be able to fix the name... though it has been a very long time since I looked at the GM controls on RPOL.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:56, Thu 29 Dec 2022.

For name changes:
GM Menu (up to the top right)
Edit Characters (2nd line)
Then, at the top of the 2nd "block", you select the name you want to change on the drop down menu--
--and hit Edit/Rename

Welcome adevarat observato.

And to the rest, I have been writing a lot here while working out my character, but I am getting to an end and it's probably time for an introduction.

You'll be dealing with yet another participant of philosophical discussiona. Corbinianus of Byzantium will happily join in and try to keep his Brujah temper focused on scholarly discussions, rather than an exchange of fists.

Corbinianus of Byzantium
Welcome!

Odo was in and out of Byzantium in the years 1160 to 1180...

Not that unlikely then, that we met each other before... Haven't fully detailed his story, but he's a scholar in Byzantium and while he might have traveled elsewhere, twenty years is quite a time frame.

Modern. I was using Google when I translated it.


Oh, I absolutely can. The real question is, Just how lazy am I - does my laziness override my annoyance?

Edit: No. No it does not.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:38, Thu 29 Dec 2022.

Then I get to be the first to welcome Adevarat Observator!

Welcome, Adevarat Observator.

Sorry I'll try and finish my sheet tonight.

No problem, L7.

In the mean time, I have approved three sheets and written three preludes (Luca, Odo, and Peregryn). I am about a PM away from approving three other sheets (Jander, Lurker 6, and Moshe). And I am waiting on Lurker 7 before beginning the chronicle (but take your time- that's why we have Preludes, at least in part).

I was hoping to get another few more posts in tonight, but I am exhausted. Jander, Lurker 6, and Moshe, you can probably expect your Preludes tomorrow. Luca, Odo, and Peregryn, I can guarantee you will see yours - they're already posted, they're just not visible to you.

A final note on languages: I have made the executive decision that Latin will be the language everyone in the group speaks. Primarily because Lurker 7 is the only one without Latin as a spoken language, and s/he is least far along in the process of character creation (also, getting one of the other PCs to know German, which was the other option, stretches believability). Language groups are now set up for most people (barring Lurker 6, Lurker 7, and one language for Jander).

That in mind, Adevarat Observator, can you see what this text says, or does it look like nonsense:

[Language unknown: Oeris i n ma st som Ratatebutbut evpa'sepo belasi. Yinur ha adwit mi ill. Ro romntiure ant t siiohe st t t man aiun'eeel ol Sethasameons, an adonut traiononsart ame fopedice maher ithderardthoure. Fo ons. Ek athemo thto. Lin e fo ivsan, ntssnael?]

*waves*. Thanks for the welcome and for letting me watch.

Storyteller it's all gobbledygook-like.

Huzzah for gobbledygook! :)

Would you like access to all languages, or would you prefer to read gobbledygook?

I'd love to access all the languages. How can I truly voyeur if I can't see it all?

Hm... Yep I don't think "voyeur" was the exact word I was looking for since I don't think the content of this game with fit that context now that I look it up.

:/

Just found this in the rules thread. Does that mean there are no wound penalties or just that you won't take over bookkeeping and erring on either side won't be counted as cheating?

... Random question: Does anyone have Animalism?

We might need to stay away from kennels and stables if not.

doesn't have animalism but is Inoffensive to Animals

No Animalism, Animal Ken, or such— but have good walking gear.

Granted. As of later, when I go back into the GM menu. (I'm heading to the store now.)

The latter. Bookkeeping on a forum-based game is tough enough as it is. I would be absolutely thrilled if you all are willing to keep track of it on your own, but I'm going to have a hard enough time purposefully attempting to kill only the high clan vampires keeping you all feeling loved and appreciated.

Yes... that's believable...

;)

I can see no way in which a dark ages chronicle based around undead monsters traveling on horseback can possibly go wrong without Animalism.

Being a Nossie I do have Animalism as in Clan but I don't have any dots in it. It is however something I will try to get my hands on early :)

To be fair, I kinda saw this coming... Something something Giovanni...



We might be in trouble until then...

We might want to consider a coach. Or just walking. Should not make much difference in traveling speed.

In reply to Lurker 6 (msg # 111):
Or just walking.
A lot nicer: for talking, discussing, telling stories...

Alternatively:

"Look, I know you're a horse, and I know horses are usually herbivores... but drink my blood, dammit!"

Yeah, ghoul animals,... But still, walking... What's the problem ;)

If y'all are worried I could move my 3rd dot in Obfuscate to Animalism :)

Odo looks around, wondering who is talking...?!

I am not worried. I'd say to keep what dots you like best.

I'm with Odo, my friend. You do your thing. I'll figure out how to make it work. *goes back to trying to invent steampunk horses several centuries early* ;)

Incidentally, the first few Preludes are posted (including Moshe!). I dont know if my changing groups caused the game to light up for you guys or not.

Not sure if it is supposed to be or not, but I can see the four precludes and could already before you changed groups.

Same, I can see the other preludes as well (I do not know if this is supposed to be shared?) ; and, no, I did not get a tag telling me there was new posting re. the preludes (I got the OOC tag for new post, as usual).

I'd say, given we're all in group 0 and nothing else, we're meant to see all the threads?

Yeah, I dont mind that you can see all the threads now. I feel like this is a Storytelling game, so it's worth it to be able to see one anothers' stories. Just be sure to keep OOC knowlege OOC, yes? If there is something truly secret, feel free to add it in a PL. I will not be Archiving the threads, to Private Lines will not become visible.

Lurker 6, could you see all the threads previously? Back when they were in Group 1? That... is more concerning. Hmm. Can you currently see the Experience thread? (It's in Group 1, but I haven't gotten around to editing it for this game yet.)

No, I can't. Not sure when you switched groups, but I've seen the first two precludes already before the third and fourth dropped and if I recall correctly, that was before you spoke about having moved things so they should be visible.

Huh. Weird. Well, I guess it's okay...

Anyway, two things:

1. I will be moving everything to Group 1, per request, just to be on the safe side of RPOL's dealings.

2. No one has access to a Latin language group because, well, you're all in that group, so there doesn't really seem to be a point. If you need to speak [Language unknown: Camone], just type in English and we'll all pretend. :)

2.5. When adding in a language, please make sure you click on the version that says The language group or, if you are typing it, it should read [ Language (language name): "whatever your character is saying here as speech" ]  (without the spaces, which I added because I'm too lazy to type in all the BBC codes necessary for allowing you to see BBC coding. :)

It looks like some of you are making your text a private line or a secret line to the language group, which means no one not in that group will be able to see that you are talking. (But don't worry too much - I've already done it too. Preludes are for working out the kinks, amirite? :)

it looks like some of you are making your text a private line--
What fool would do that?--okay, I corrected that. Sorry. I just went with the first Greek line.

BTW, you can bump a thread and I have a working theory that in the scenario above where you write a thread and then move it to be visible to another group you could bump it and light their notifications.

It's just a theory. I haven't had a chance to try it as a GM.

It might actually. Only move the thread up the board though. Perhaps someone else knows.

Okay. I have moved gaming threads into Group 1. You can find the posted threads here:

Session 0-A: Corbinianus's Prelude

Session 0-A: Odo's Prelude

Session 0-A: Moshe's Prelude

Session 0-A: Peregryn's Prelude

Session 0-A: Luca's Prelude

Please let me know if you are unable to access the Group 1 thread. Everyone should have access to them.

Jander, I am in the process of writing your post now. Lurker 7, I have seen your PM and will be getting to it here shortly as well; I've already read it, and assuming I am not mis-remembering something, your post first post willing coming on shortly as well.

Additionally, at some point in the near-ish future here I will be creating blue book threads for each of you. I haven't decided on how I want to do it exactly - whether it should be in Groups only you can see, or if everyone should be able to see it - but at some point I will figure it out. And when I do, you'll be sorry.

Can see and set up a post just fine. Looks like everything's working.

Also, Happy New Year (early for most of you, but the fireworks just stopped for me.)

Aye, Happy New Year!
(mid-afternoon here)

the fireworks just stopped for me--
The fireworks will never stop for Peregryn!

They'd better. I'd like to sleep at some point. :P

Happy (early, late, or current) New Year to all, indeed.

Also, Jander, your post is live!

Fair warning, all, I've been invited to a party tomorrow evening, so I probably wont have a chance to post before Tuesday. Apologies! Sorta last minute, and definitely late. I still hope to post tonight, however. Depends on how I feel after I get done with work tonight.

Have fun!

Jander, what is the roll for?

grumbles and edits in the right c/p from the die roller

Cha+Intimidation

I cannot help but wonder if putting me in a town that will one day have a church of bone in it is a message, ST. :P

Something that may interest people in this game: Tod's Workshop on youtube did a pretty deep dive into what happens when armour gets hit by an arrow. It's based on the battle of Agincourt (which is a couple of centuries away yet for us in game) and had some interesting results. I won't spoil it in case people want to watch it themselves.

What?! What're you talking about? I'm sure I have no idea! ;)

Okay, maybe. ;)

And, TBH, your Prelude actually changed significantly from the OG version, but I didn't bother changing the location (admittedly, in part because one never knows if that might come in handy later...). Also, I was there a few months ago, got to visit Sedlec Ossuary and several of the churches (but missed the Plague Column, which I am very upset about), so it's been on my mind.

I definitely encourage you all to visit the Ossuary. It was cool as heck.

I'll be traveling for the rest of the week. I expect to have network anderseits will probably post just normally. However, if I won't, you can expect me back next Monday latest.

Sounds good, thank you for the heads up.

Jander, you can edit your post to include your actions if you like. Aside from the fact that you got a higher Initiative than they did for the next round, if we wait for me to respond and then you and then me... it'll kill the game's progress.

Everyone, when we enter combat, please include a roll for Initiative (roll 1D10, then add a number equal to your dots in Dex, Wits, and Celerity) and just post your round's actions. I will write the results to the best of my abilities.

I will be updating posts later today, after work. I also plan on getting the first group post out this weekend (although I just found out last night that I'm expected to entertain some international visitors starting this afternoon, so it may be later in the weekend rather than earlier - apologies).

ST did you mean to make the middle sentence in your latest post in my prelude in another language?

I did not. :) Thank you for catching that. It should be fixed.

Well, that's an alarming bit of news.

Good thing I'm leaving town soon. ^^;
This message was last edited by the player at 17:18, Thu 05 Jan 2023.

To be fair, technically it happened months prior to this conversation. News just travels slowers to some places than others. ;)

Yeah, and the chaos tends to follow very shortly after the news.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 142):

I'm expected to entertain some international visitors starting this afternoon
Did they bring a little jar of soil, to put in their basement bedroom?

I don't know... I haven't seen where he is staying. Hmm....

It has begun!

Oof, nuts. I knew I forgot something. Please also add your rating in your Herd background (if applicable) to your blood pool upon waking in Scene I: The Proposal. I was so concerned with my wording that I totally forgot about the Herd background. *facepalm*

@ Odo: I need to ask- are you speaking horribly bastardized church Latin, or Roman Latin, the language of horrible bastards? :P I'm assuming its the former, but when your sire's old enough to remember the original language...

@ Odo: I need to ask- are you speaking horribly bastardized church Latin
Odo learnt Latin long before his 'recent' Embrace.
So it is Church Latin.
But not bastardized at all.
Beautiful Church Latin, as taught by Father Adolfus.

When it becomes relevant, Jander had a most punctilious teacher who learned Latin in her childhood about 800 years ago.

All, please welcome Verum Vigil, a second lurker. Verum, please feel free to comment in the OOC at your leisure.

For example, I hear there is a country whose government is led by a 'Queen Dick.' ;)

Since it's been brought up a few times: remember, you have three hours until your meeting with your benefactor. You will definitely have time to feed, but I (the ST, OOC) advise waiting until you're inside the city, as you will have opportunity to do so there, and it will be much easier inside the "safe" walls of a city than outside them.

Welcome, Verum Vigil!

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 156):

What's the hunting difficulty within the walls, so that I could make a full three hour post including rolls for hunting.

FWIW I don't seem to be with the others yet, but the plan seems to be that we all enter the city led by the Nosferatu? So, no feeding on the way and no "being early at the final meeting spot", right?

Should I just join the group asap?

Welcome aboard, Verum Vigil!

I'm not averse to you doing whatever you prefer. It would make my life easier if you were to follow the Nosferatu. But you know where the meeting is supposed to occur - in the market of the Castle District - so if you prefer to go on your own, that is absolutely fine by me.

As far as hunting within the walls, it will vary depending on specifics. Some things I'm not willing to spoil, but difficulties will range from 4-8, depending on where you are (and might potentially be lower if you're willing to feed on cattle).

Can I use herd?

Add your dots in Herd to what your total would have been.

Example: Billy Brujah's player rolls 1d10 and gets 9. He divides by 2 for 4.5, and rounds down to 4. Billy's player then adds 1 for a total of 5 blood pool. Billy's player remembers that he took Herd 2 in character creation, so he is able to add those two dots to the total. So Billy has a total of 5+2=7 blood points to start the game. Billy is doing pretty well.

Example 2: Tiffany Toreador's character rolls 1d10 and gets 1. She divides by 2 for 0.5, which rounds down to 0. Fortunately, the minimum she can roll is 1, so she takes that, and adds one because the ST is so incredibly generous. Tiffany's player did not think to purchase Herd at character creation. As a result, Tiffany has 2 blood points in her system; she is going to need to feed soon.

Oh thank goodness lol. I missed that.

Somehow, my dice roller history doesn’t seem to show all my (secret) dice rolls, …
1. Anyone else seeing such kind of probleme?
2. @Storyteller: Can you see my failed and botched rolls, I can’t any longer…? They showed up on top, but are not in the dice roller history for me.

I can see one secret roll, yes, though it has a weird formatting issue.

One you say? The only one I can see is

16:58, Today: Secret Roll: Corbinianus rolled 1 success using 5d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 7 with rolls of 5,3,1,8,9.  Intelligence+Enigmas to figure out about …. – 1 success

Thank you all for having me! I look forward to seeing what will unfold. :)

In reply to Corbinianus (msg # 167):

That's the one I see, yes.

Alright, that
Alright, that means none of my failures have been on record yet... Funny. Illinois do a couple of rolls now, both secret and public to see if we can figure things out.

In reply to Corbinianus (msg # 170):

Probably no representative data set, but there is anecdotal evidence now that my secret rolls only get recorded when they are successful. Guess we need to go for trust or forbidding secret rolls. Maybe the others might want to try out the same? Maybe it's worth reporting to rpol staff?

In reply to Corbinianus (msg # 171):

I tried this, doing first a roll, then a secret roll:
(was going to do this 3 times, only did it once, hence the 1/3, but seems it worked for the failure--even got a botch)

Normal
11:05, Today: Odo of Tubingen rolled 4 successes using 6d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 6 with rolls of 10,10,6,3,5,6.  Test 1/3.

Secret
11:06, Today: Secret Roll: Odo of Tubingen botched using 6d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 6 with rolls of 3,2,4,1,2,2.  Test 1/3 secret.

You can see the Secret one, ST?

Probably worth reporting, if only because the dice roller seems to be logging something that might be the account number rather than just the character name sometimes. I've not seen this error before.

I asked on discord for now, not sure if rpol staff will pick it up from there...

All of my rolls are Secret, and I've never had a problem.

I am reporting now.

You want to tag Jase or Shannara, then. They run the show.

Any idea how to tag in a forum? I dont. :/

Well, you seem to have done it without my help... :P

Needs to sit down and finish his damned post.

I will (probably) update the main thread later today. In the mean time, an issue has arisen re: frenzy.

I would like to have players run their own frenzies with the caveat that the ST may see the need to retcon things if necessary. Does that work for everyone?

Yes Sir Storyteller!

I can work with that.

Okay, so I got a response from one of the mods. It reads (in part):


So, to the end of helping with the malignant tumor beloved dice roller, Corbinianus and Jander can I please get you to both run these rolls for me? Please copy and paste the "reason for roll" text:

TEST 1 normal roll on old site
TEST 2 secret roll on old site
TEST 3 normal roll on responsive site
TEST 4 secret roll on responsive site

and test using the appropriate sites and secret....ness.

You can just copy and paste the results of the tests to me in a PM (or here, whatever). Ideally we'll see some failures or botches! (It's the RPOL roller... we're sure to see some failures and botches ;)

Thank you all.

Will do, but fwiw I am only using the responsive site (to the extent that I often forget that there is an old site ;))

16:45, Today: Corbinianus failed (no successes) using 1d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 10 ((7)).
16:48, Today: Corbinianus rolled 1 success using 1d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 10 ((10)).
Repeat to get a failure: 16:50, Today: Corbinianus botched using 1d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 10 ((1)).


16:53, Today: Corbinianus failed (no successes) using 1d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 10 ((6)).
16:54, Today: Corbinianus failed (no successes) using 1d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed system with a target of 10 ((4)).

I went and ran some rolls on the old site, too. PM'd you the results (c/p'd from old site); hopefully they match what shows in the dice log.

Thank you both. I sent the results on to the Mods.

Also, side note, apparently we're the first game to discover (and at least report) this issue. So... go us? I guess?

There's a lot of moving parts to the dice roller. It could be almost any of them in combination. Been part of an Exalted game here for years, exclusively use the old site, never had this problem.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:17, Sun 08 Jan 2023.

Yeah, I've been on RPOL since the first year, and I've never encountered this either (to my knowledge).

I will update the Preludes tomorrow (and possibly the main thread, depending on both time and whether folks have all had a chance to post there). (Perfect world, I'll be able to post an update to the main thread after work if nothing else - that's mid-afternoon for those of you in the US, I believe.)

Fair warning, I leave town on Wednesday and will not be back until at least Friday, possibly Saturday (well, definitely Friday, but I don't know what time, so I'm not making guarantees I'll post). I will bring my work computer with me, but I make no guarantees that I'll have time to post - it's a work retreat, and things are pretty packed.

I have most of the Preludes updated. Corbinianus, Peregryn, I will get to yours this afternoon. I ran out of time before work. Apologies.

All good. I'm awake all sorts of weird hours at the moment.

All good. I am in CET anyway, so probably won't be an inconvenient time anyway ;)

So... the dice roller not saving rolls may be an issue that we just have to deal with. Mods say it's not something that can test for but that it might be number of things they have no control over (connection timeouts, user error, etc). Sorry, guys.

Actually, there's something I want to test there...

22:14, Today: Peregryn failed (no successes) using 1d10 with the World of Darkness 3rd ed, Specialised system with a target of 6, rerolling 10s ((2)). Testing testing testing for different system..

See if this one disappears.

It looks like that one is still present.

Okay, problem... identified, anyway, if not solved.

Also, all please welcome our newest lurker, Virrasztó. No, I do not know why I cannot the character to a lurker. Also, I didn't try very hard to figure it out. ;)

*waves* hello from the other lurker.

Hey folks! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to see how things work and enjoy your stories. Don’t mind me, just pretend as though I’m not even here.

Hello, Virrasztó!

I'm laying on that 'enry 'iggins accent a bit thick, aren't I? Particularly considering everyone's speaking Latin.

Welcome aboard, Virraszto!

Waiting on some answers to PMs before I respond in the Proposal.

This is not the correct Market District. Apologies, should have made this clearer. At this time there are three cities - Buda, Obuda, and Pest.

Obuda is largely irrelevant (and entirely irrelevant to us, particularly since I don't know anything about it beyond the fact that it exists... I dont even know where it is in relation to the other two).

Buda is the on the highland side of the river (opposite where you are now). That is where you are going.

Pest is where you are now, and is built on a (flood) plain.

Each of the cities has market districts, merchant districts, etc.

Players, I have created a bluebooking thread for each of you. Please feel free to use this thread for whatever you wish. Don't make any major, world-altering posts, as I might need to retcon those out of existence; ideally, this thread is for those times when you are not with any of the other player characters (PCs).

Note that these threads may lead to adventure hooks down the road, but they will not affect the game in the short term. Thus, narrative rules the day here; I will rarely interact with you in these threads. Note that this might change, depending on if you decide to embrace the Pope or something - we have to keep things at least a little realistic. But if you decide to embrace Joe the Jack-of-all-Trades, I'm more or less good with that. Regardless, this thread is a good way for you to earn some extra XP.

Please check to be sure you can see your bluebooking thread and only your bluebooking thread.

Lurkers, you can see all bluebooking threads. Be aware that some of the players may post secrets in these threads that they do not want other PCs to be aware of. Please don't ruin their secrets in the OOC thread.

I hate returned! I will be reading and posting as soon as I am able to do so. I've had a pretty relaxing break, so my brain's all good... but I got up far too early this morning, so I think I may take a nap before I post. Also, there's a dinner I need to do and clothing I need to wash. But let's be honest - if I wanted to wear clean clothing I would have been born at a time when cleaning clothes was completely unnecessary before they cleaned themselves. :D

Welcome back!

Just realized that I had half my post with an unwanted language text. I've edited that and here's the content (because I have no clue how I'd send a link to the post.

I have to admit, I was rather curious about that. I sorta figured you were talking to yourself at the end there, but I couldn't figure out why.

All, I was hoping to post Preludes today, but I am feeling very under the weather - I think one of my co-workers got me sick over the "weekend" (weird to consider Wednesday and Thursday a weekend, but here we are). I plan on going to the doctor tomorrow. I will try to get updates ASAP.

Be safe!

(and keep on taking week-ends whenever you can!).

*Gives up on wrestling with ancient currencies and go with what feels likely.*

Historical currency is a pain. I'll leave it at that.

Peregryn, your research is much appreciated! And never forget that. The closest I could find was a currency that is still a few years off. *shrugs*

In other news, I will not be updating tonight (still getting over being sick, though I am feeling better - thank you, all) or tomorrow (because work sucks). However, I plan on updating all Preludes (assuming it's appropriate to do so) and the main thread on Tuesday.

Posting this here as a general resource for people.

There's a few currency names bouncing around at the time.

Lira are an Venetian silver coin, roughly equivalent to an English Pound (I think). Seems to be the most trusted coin, given it lasts for nearly a thousand years overall.

Various currencies are called Dinar, Denar or something similar- a hangover from the Roman denarii. French, Italian, Arabic... they all use the word.

And the official coin of the Holy Roman Empire was the Pfenning at the time. More silver, though it seems to actually have half-pfennings and such already made of copper.

Everything seems interchangeable- the value is in the metal rather than the promise, though trust in a given currency may vary. These are the main units rather than the fractions (Dollars, as opposed to cents). Hope this helps people down the line.

... Don't use this in a history paper. I'm not that thorough. :P

EDIT: And get well soon, ST.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:59, Sun 15 Jan 2023.

Thank you, Peregryn. And to this point:

I recently read an article about a purchase made in the Holy Roman Empire by a king, and the price was officially recorded as taking place in florins (a Florentine gold coin) and researchers could find no further evidence of this transaction. It turned out that this was because florins were not actually used in the purchase - pfenning were - but whoever had been doing to recording was apparently Italian and, since "one gold coin is as good as another," he wrote it in the currency he was familiar with, rather than the (foreign to him) local currency. (And oh, by the way, the currency used might not have been pfennings either, but rather a third local currency which was also a golden coin.) Because why make things easier, right?

Falke, how much of that was to Moshe, and how much to Peregryn? Mechanically, doesn't affect anything, but it just seemed you were talking to the wrong person...

Sorry that I didn't get to replying, quite some things on the table at work.

Will try to post in the next couple of hours, but am with the kids right now.

I will post tomorrow (probably after lunch, but maybe before - depends on when I feel like eating, really :)

I don't really know what to post since the group decided to save the slave(s) and I can't understand like 95% of everything that is being said.

In reply to Luca Balauru (msg # 218):

Yeah, this took on more life than I expected. Sorry 'bout that.

In reply to Luca Balauru (msg # 218):

I'd say, Luca is likely to get a little frustrated if not angry as people stopped walking with him. So maybe some swearing, some sour looks, complaining with those that are still by your side,...

On the other hand side, it's not been a lot of game time that has passed. Can't judge on the longer conversations, but for Corbinianus it's the second game turn since he's spoken with Luca.

Truly - not a lot of in-game time has passed. Two minutes at most since Odo and Falke separated from the group? Three, if you're really pushing it.

Eh, obviously I did not get a chance to post today - apologies. I was without power for a good chunk of the day today. Blek. Try again tomorrow. Apologies, all.

All good.

Odo, can you please edit a Per+Empathy (difficulty 6) roll into your post?

Rolled, and edited in, thanks.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:12, Sat 21 Jan 2023.

Holy Moses, Odo!

Well, the die roller apparently likes some people.

Peregryn and I are not among those people. ;)

When I paid RPOL they said there would be no "1"s...   xD
I must admit I thought it was a kind of overkill roll--and I imagine I'll get 4 "1"s to resist Frenzy or such down the line!

I have a long history of just killing perception-type rolls to notice threats only to whiff badly when it comes to dealing with them.

Ha ha! Maybe that's what's up--
--you sure see it coming! In every single minute detail.
React? Nah... you effed that part up.

In Adevarat's game I've managed some startlingly impressive rolls... to do things like climb out of an ambulance. *facepalm* I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I'm just waiting for you to botch a gamble... All the more reason to give you more chances!

Not gonna lie, I feel like I'm not going to need all that many gambles. Did you see that last strength roll? Depressing.

Wouldn't that be a reason TO gamble? Or are you implying a swift death awaits?

Human bites are disgusting. Swift death - or at least the desire for said - definitely awaits. ;)

Falke, are you talking to Moshe or Peregryn? Peregryn is the one purchasing the slaves, so I think you are talking to him, but I'd like to be certain.

Yes. Sorry! That was absolutely meant for Peregryn.

Sorry to you, TPO Moshe and TPO Peregryn!
This message was last edited by the player at 09:54, Sun 22 Jan 2023.

No worries!

Not a problem... Was just a little confused.

Hopefully that's understandable- I was starting to fade into sleep towards the end.

Didn't want to quite push onto the next bit without giving people a chance to react.

I will be updating the remaining Preludes tomorrow (today got away from me). I also hope to update the main thread.

I was hoping to post today, but it was a drek day at work, and I just don't have it in me. At present, I plan to update the main thread tomorrow after work.

At some point I will have a chance to edit this and get it posted. But here are the rules to increase stats, more or less:

Note, this was created for a Changeling game, so obviously, the example will be changed. Also, things may change completely by the time I get around to actually posting the rules.

Also, on a related note, you will all be earning XP for roleplaying here in a few days. (Tuesday, IIRC.)

*sigh* I was hoping to post today, but I started a new medication over the weekend and it's knocked me for a loop. I will post on Tuesday, dog willing. Apologies for the delay.

Hope you are doing okay...

New meds do that.

Hope you reach equilibrium soon, and recover... New meds suck until they start working properly.

It's an issue with moving from name brand to generic. It usually takes about a week for me to get used to them; I'll be fine. Thank you, however.

Yeah, hope you'll be fine with the new meds.

And I'm in the middle of moving so my energy is zapped.

Ah, been there, done that.

Speaking of zapped, I will be out of town next week. I think I'm gone from 6 February through 10 February, but I'm not sure (I find out for sure tomorrow). It's a bit of a last-minute trip with some of my students. Camping. I am not entirely sure how I managed to get myself roped into this.

The last time I went camping was about 35 years ago.

o.0

Caring about your students is the best thing and the hardest thing about the job.

Truer words, my friend. Truer words.

Okay, I got the final schedule today. I will be leaving Monday morning and returning Thursday evening. I can guarantee I will not be able to post on Thursday night, so with any luck it's a Friday thing. I will also be posting IC tomorrow - main thread and remaining Preludes.

All, please welcome Véritable Observateur, our newest Lurker.

Also, all lurkers now have access to various language groups. I forgot to give everyone (except Adevarat Observator) access to them previously. *facepalm* Sorry, all.

Salut l'observateur !

Got a lot of watchers in this game.

Welcome aboard!

Huzzah to all! +3XP all around for roleplaying through January.

Yay!

Not going to manage a post today- been sick, and that destroyed my concentration.

Hopefully back tomorrow.

Get better, my friend. We'll be here.

It's not a number that you have to reach in a single round; each success puts off the frenzy for another round, giving you additional time to regain control of yourself. Thus, even someone with only one die to roll could, conceivably, avoid Frenzy.

Also, since I'm spamming the OOC at the moment, I might as well add another note: Peregryn has pointed out something that is different in DAV20 from earlier editions. Specifically, Self-Control and Instinct are basically the same for avoiding Frenzy. That is a change from earlier editions.

Thank you for the correction, Peregryn - +1XP for schooling the ST.

Ok. So I need to keep rolling until I either botch or get 3+ success then?

It ends up working like an extended roll, Falke. If you get a total of 5+ successes between all your rolls, you suppress the frenzy.

If you roll 3 successes on your first roll, you've suppressed the frenzy for 3 turns- giving you two more rolls to get the last 2 successes you need. Score a single success on your next roll and you buy yourself another round, and one more on your running total.

Hope that helps.

Peregryn is correct, Falke, yes.

Also, I know it seems like I am not here... mostly because I'm not. I've spent the last two days shopping for gear I will need for my trip. I will try to post tomorrow for everyone, but it really depends on if I'm fully packed in time.

Meantime, I very much apologize, and you will be rewarded for your patience.

Alrighty, so I will definitely not have time to post before leaving tomorrow. Apologies. You will be rewarded, as I have said, upon my return.

In the meantime, I hope you all have an amazing week. Wish me luck. I already feel out of breath, and I've just been thinking about all that walking. ;)

Yeah, camping is going to test you... especially after 20+ years of not doing it.

Enjoy and good luck!

I may get a chance to post tomorrow, but otherwise I'm out 'til Sunday 'camping' with a bunch of teens (and other adult youth leaders) from area churches.

I call it 'camping' because this group does it in cabins, at a conference center, with staff-cooked meals.  Still, it gets them to separate from their electronics and do some real thinking for 48 hours, so I call it a win.

Moshe, I hope you enjoy(ed) your trip!

As for me, I am back. Late, but late is better than never. However, I will not post tonight, as my internet is acting up (strictly speaking, it's fully functional - I just can't get on my VPN, which makes me... uncomfortable). Also, I'm tired and have to get up early tomorrow for a ceremony for some of my students (today I was sent a message that the school is holding a mass bar/bat mitzvah for the grade 7s... without any details whatsoever (at least, not in English - I assume the Hebrew was very detailed).

Anyway, at present I plan on posting tomorrow afternoon (I'm not even sure what time it ends tomorrow).

All of that being said, the first part of your reward for your patience is +1XP for all! You will have to wait a while for the second part of your reward, sorry.

As well, I have to review the most recent posts, but I am thinking I might speed us forward a bit in time, to the meeting location in Buda. If anyone has anything you'd like to do in Pest in the meantime (including hunting), feel free to do it now. Regardless of how hurried you may think you are, you've still got what amounts to 3-ish hours to cover 20 minutes' walk).

Also, and completely off topic, I have to give you a fair warning: my schedule has changed. I do not know what that means, except that one of my co-workers told me, today, that I work from 0645-1410 on Sundays... except she doesn't realize I also do tutoring on Sundays, which means I actually work 0645-1830. I'm not saying 12-hour days aren't fun or anything, but I am willing to place money on the fact that I will not be updating the game on Sundays. I'm exhausted just thinking about that.

I have no idea what the rest of my schedule change looks like, though my understanding is that it is completely different from what it looked like last semester. I'd like to say it's my co-worker being dramatic, but given the state of my current employer, I feel fairly sure that's not the case. (Although it may also be the case, certainly. :)

*****

As for my trip, it was amazing. And I hurt all over. Like, slipped down a mountain and banged my chin, got a sunburn on my forehead, discovered new muscles in my hand kind of sore all over. I look forward to doing it again next year. :)

Welcome back, ST. Enjoy the trip, Moshe.

Thank you.

Okay, folks, question: My rule, as it currently stands, is "you have to use a stat to increase it." However, that falls though when it comes to Willpower. WP doesn't really work like most other stats. So the question is, how do you suggest it should work?

I could see this:

You can increase Willpower during downtime, which implies something like "I've been practicing... no, really." Alternatively, if you use make a number of rolls equal/ WP expenditures equal to your permanent Willpower rating, you may increase it.

Thoughts? Feelings? Anyone else want a piece of cake?

I might say...

If under 6, it's no big deal. You are probably doing all sorts of crazy shit right now that you never did before, so it makes sense to raise it. If it's 6 or more, maybe you have to go through some sort of character appropriate milestone?

I don't know if I would limit the downtime expenditure of xp for Willpower. Training Willpower might sound a bit strange, but is it really? Aspects like avoiding mind control for example...

Otherwise, how do you train your Wits?

For non-downtime, why would I have to use Willpower more often than I used a sword?

We could imo limit game time expenditure to be invitation only, i.e. if we do something exceptional or just often enough, the storyteller could offer this when they think it's time. If we want to train something or some Stat is just very dear to us, we could tell them we want to train it, so they are aware of it and can  maybe even guide towards actions or behavior that would help.

You'd think, being the one asking all the inconvenient questions around XP, that I'd have an opinion on it. I don't, really. Whatever works for people?

Also, we seem to have lost Odo.

Indeed, there's no Odo in the cast any longer... What happened to them?

Odo asked to be removed, alas. :(

As for this:

If I am reading this correctly (and I may not be), I was not implying having to "practice" during downtime - only if you wanted to increase it during play.

That said, I sorta like this:

(At least when it comes to certain stats, like WP. I'm not sure how I feel about it for Abilities. It'd probably even work for Attributes, Road, etc, TBH.)

I understood that downtime expenditure was explained by definitely having had enough time to train and that this was seeding doubts about how to handle Willpower.

I also agree that there are stats that should be relatively easy to bring at least to a certain score.

I'd probably just default to us telling you that we'd like to increase a particular stat and you deciding if it is possible at the moment or what would need to happen if it is currently not. I'd do this for game and downtime.

Some will be uncontroversial some less so. Also, if you'd propose some of the more difficult ones because you think it would be fitting - some of us will maybe take it.

Anyway, you're the storyteller. We'll just work within what you decide.

I have been meaning to write a post but I turn 24 today so it might have to wait for a day or two more :)

Aaand now I feel old. :P

Happy Birthday!

In reply to Luca Balauru (msg # 278):

Happy birthday, my friend! Take your time, celebrate! It's not forever that you'll get to be young. ;)

In reply to Peregryn (msg # 279):

I know, right? Oof. ;)

Yeah... Happy birthday, I am not that  far from doubling your age...

I get a kick out of the guy whose first language is pre-Pharonaic Egyptian¹ calling German a "less widely known" language.

1. Yes, I am being a little hyperbolic.

LOL, I meant less widely known amongst us. I was at the brink of calling it barbaric instead ;)

Ahh. To be fair, he was speaking to the mortal, and the odds of the mortal knowing Latin is... not great?

Did he?

P.S. I guess if that was situationally obvious, Corbinianus would not have made this comment...
This message was last edited by the player at 08:42, Wed 15 Feb 2023.

As written, it is not clear, no. However, since I know what was said, I know that he was speaking to the mortal. I imagine that situationally, it would have been obvious - and, while your character might not have said it (given that it's situationally obvious), it's probably something that should be said sooner or later regardless. (Or, at the very least, everyone  should make clear when they're speaking to a specific person - do keep in mind, all, that, given that I can read all languages, what you type automatically makes sense to me - but not necessarily to someone who doesn't speak your language.)

On a related note, please do let me know if and when I screw up as well. I try to make it obvious when I'm speaking to a particular individual, even if that individual doesn't understand what is being said, but (because I can read all languages), no matter what I write, it makes sense to me. (Heck, even gibberish makes sense in its own nonsensical way. :)

Jander was following up on what Falke said, yes.

Post coming tomorrow, unless I miss my guess.

Potential change of plans, all. I'm having a shite day - having to act the adult with a bunch of adult children - and I dont want it to come across in my writing. I'm headed out to blow off some steam now, but whether I post or not depends on when I get back (at the soonest it will be after I see a movie... two if I'm still in a bad mood after that... three if I can afford three bags of popcorn. ;)

Well, good luck and enjoy if you can?

Also- I have a question. How'd Luca get over the river in the first place? Or am I overthinking things?

I was just thinking Obfuscate on to the boat.

"So, Caine shows up and decides to personally blame you for the death of the first generation. Roll new characters." ;)

It's probably better to take a few I'd you need a break. I get it.

You're assuming this boatman isn't Caine? ;) I seem to recall he served as a cabby in VtMB. What's the middle ages equivalent... that's right, a boatman. :D

Today is going better, thank you. Yesterday was just... ugh. I ended up seeing Quantumania only. Not bad. M.O.D.O.K. was ... certainly a thing. Not a dick at all. So many things I want to ruin for those of you who haven't seen it... but I shan't. Because I took the time to calm down yesterday. And aren't you glad?! ;)

I may see Plane today, if I can get one of my fellow teachers to join me. I don't get to eat nearly as much movie theatre popcorn see nearly as many movies I would like.

I ... did not even think of that being an option.

Ah, slight misunderstanding there, ST. Peregryn was passing off coins to the bearded former slave, not the boatman... You just didn't give me a name for him.

Though throwing coins at the problem to solve it isn't out of the question.

Ah. Well. Oops? Congratulations on everyone getting across on a Storyteller misunderstanding/technicality? :)

I feel like "Yes, I can kill a literal god!... but I cannot afford to get across this river to do so, unfortunately" is somewhat anticlimactic. We'll pretend that Money Was Found^TM.

Ehh, it's the sort of thing he'd do anyway. People remember less and ask less questions if paid promptly.

(It's more he wasn't going to leave the ex-slaves to starve if he's gone for longer than tonight.)

EDIT: Also, I did not realise quite how big the Danube was. Yikes that's a big river.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:53, Sat 18 Feb 2023.

It's probably not as big as I indicated, but it's no slouch, either - it genuinely surprised me the first time I saw it. It's a bit less than half a kilometer across on average where it passes through Budapest. I have some pictures somewhere, if I can find them, that I took for this campaign specifically (and, admittedly, lost them, because why would I put them in a place that makes sense?).

I just hopped on google maps and traced it from the Black Sea almost to the Rhine. I didn't realise quite how much of Europe it crossed.

*Something something wrong side of the planet to visit something.*

Story of my entire life. I'm taking advantage of living on this side of the planet while I can. ;)

Hey all - family is within 30 miles of East Palestine and we're working on a big, fast move away.  Posting will be sporadic for the next little bit.

Funny, I'm pretty close to the OG Palestine right now. (I went to look up what the big deal with with East Palestine - mostly 'cause I thought it was a reference to the West Bank that I'd never heard before. Assuming you're talking about the one in Ohio, good luck to you. I dunno what happened, but the single picture I saw looked like a massive smoke cloud.)

They were worried about one train car exploding and causing toxicity issues... so they burned a ton of them with what sounds like a variety of toxic chemicals (and other chemicals that when burned create toxic byproducts) as a solution that only a government could come up with.

We're hoping in 6 months to a year there'll be enough data to know where and what is safe, but in the mean time we are heading for greener pastures.

Good luck, Moshe, and a wise choice on getting out of there. What little I've seen of the situation is... very bad. Not quite Chernobyl-levels of bad, but the immediate damage is on the same scale. I would not be in a hurry to move back there- those sort of chemicals tend to linger and not break down.

Unbelievable. Sorry, Moshe. Take care, my friend.

And the whole thing about lobbying against stricter brake requirements...smdh

On a totally unrelated note: I've been up to the top of this hill in Budapest, where my friend happily explained how great it was for a fort...until cannons got good enough to shoot it from the other, taller hill off over there.

Yeah. Before cannons, it was probably amazing. I seem to recall that one side is a pretty sheer cliff, at least in part. But it's not well-situated when you no longer have to be directly below the castle to capture it.

Jander, Luca, and Peregryn, may I please have a roll from each of you. I will let you decide which to roll, but the difficulty is 6 (Luca), 7 (Peregryn), or 8 (Jander).

Intelligence+Etiquette
Intelligence+Politics

None of you have Fields of Expertise that apply to this roll. If you do not have Etiquette or Politics, that's fine - just roll Intelligence straight up, don't worry about modified difficulties or anything. Please add this roll into your next IC post. (It's to determine what you know about Archbishop Geza. Corbinianus, Falke, and Moshe, apologies, but there's no meaningful chance you're likely to know anything - that said, feel free to roll 1d10, and if you get a 10, I'll give you something anyway. ;)

If you can think of something else that might cover political information, you're free to let me know what you think is appropriate.

Nah, no way Falke would have any idea what was going on lol.

No problem, Luca. Life captures of the best of us.

Speaking of which, I'll be out of town... at some point coming up here. There's a holiday in this country that I had no idea existed, so I've been invited to a wedding at the start of the holiday and to spend some free time with some fellow expats during the holiday itself. The wedding is on the 3rd of March, but I have school on the 5th... but not the rest of the week (yes, a single day of school. Why? Because, why not?) I think I may also have school again on 9 March, but I'm not sure.

I will post as I am able during that time, but this old man does not type long messages on his phone if he doesn't have to.

TL;DR: I have no idea when I'll even be in town from 2 March through 11 March.

Minor clarification: The Prince is Prince Rikard? I don't know if the name's been mentioned IC.

Nevermind, I'm blind.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:32, Sun 26 Feb 2023.

Ideal world, I'll get a post up tomorrow, before I leave town (I'll be back Saturday, but I'm not sure what time yet). I'm hoping Jander will post before them, but we are not waiting on Moshe - I've discussed things with him.

Less than ideal world, the girls I'm driving down with will want to leave pretty much immediately and I won't have time to post. Pre-planning? Not their strong suit.

Alas, I have been informed that we will be leaving in about half an hour, so I will not have time to post. I will try to update upon my return Saturday evening. Depends on when I arrive.

Meantime, have an awesome weekend!

Enjoy your trip!

Enjoy and don't worry. We'll be here on Saturday evening, on Sunday morning or even on Monday.

Thank you, and, Corbinianus, good. Have returned! However, I will not have time to post tonight (my students are having this culture's version of a Halloween party tonight). I will try to post tomorrow afternoon, but my ability really depends on a variety of factors (not the least of which being whether I have Learning Center tomorrow - I don't think so, but I'm not sure) because I have the staff party tomorrow night. (In this country, it's a sin not to get drunk on this holiday...)

Anyway, I <i>will<i> post as soon as humanly possible.

Are we all in wait for the others state? It's itching... But Corbinianus would indeed leave initiative to the others.

Geez, how'd I end up the face? :P

I'm writing... just fell over right at the end of the post. Yay narcolepsy.

I hope to get something posted in the next 24 hours--it's the last week of the term for me, my students, and my own kids. I'm also dealing with my first wave of chatbot written papers, which is its own ugly mess.

So glad that I don't have to worry about Chatbot papers here. Instead, the assignments are so dumbed down as to be all but worthless. But at least I don't have to read AI-written stuff that I know the students could never understand.

(Makes me wonder - can AI write papers in other languages? I wonder if the local, non-English teachers have to worry about that stuff yet. I know some English teachers here in-country do, but my students prefer to cheat the old-fashioned way - you know, copy and paste from Wikipedia. :)

*Is simultaneously shocked and not surprised by chatbot essays*

Mind you, last time I was involved in actual schooling was before we had stable internet...

I will leave further responses from Dougenia until others have had a chance to post.

Can I get a quick show of hands for those who are still here, please?

Sure, here's mine

Just got my own at the moment. Give me some time, and I'm sure I'll have a collection.

We at least had a login from Jander, Luca and Moshe yesterday.

I'm sure Jander will speak for himself sooner or later, but I'm pretty sure life has him swamped at the moment.

Yeah, I'm not overly worried about Jander and Moshe, as I've spoken to both of them. I'm more concerned with Falke and Luca, however.

I will probably get something up this morning amidst the grading. But it's spring break in checks time about 12 hours. I feel like I need it more every year.

Ah, enjoy spring break! I get a month off coming up here in about 15 school days, give or take. (Accidental this year, thanks to when holidays happen to fall. But I'll take it.)

I will post an update if no further responses are forthcoming before Tuesday. (Tuesday because I want to give one more day (today), but that means I have to give three (because I work Sunday and Monday, and both are long days for me.)

All good. Unfortunately I've learned to expect a certain level of attrition on RPOL, so I kinda expect people to disappear.

Fortunately, we're also at a point where writing out anyone who disappears isn't hard.

Anyone else have anything to add? I plan on continuing on tomorrow evening, at present.

That seems reasonable. I feel like I should have more questions, but I kind of don't, and in forum games especially it's best to err on the side of moving things along.

This is certainly true.

Best keep things moving, for all that Moshe should have a say... We can always do a flashback if we think of particularly important questions?

I have no problem with that. Seems reasonable.

I'll get a post up later today.

Post up. Everyone should have a PM in the latest post. If I missed you, please let me know. My tag-fu may not be strong.

Also, I will be out of town from 27.3(ish) through... mid-April? (Like, say, 15.4, maybe? I'm honestly not sure. School is back in session on 16.4, so definitely by then. :) Regardless, for the first week or so I will also be out of the country, so there will not be posts between (some time on) 25.3 (when my mom gets into town - I think she gets here late in the evening, however) through 4.4 (or thereabouts) at all; after that, I will try to post, but I am not sure what my schedule is - my mother will be visiting, and we're going to go to a bunch of different places around the country. I will post as I am able.

Reminder: I will be out of the country for the next week, give or take. I will strive to get the next post up immediately upon my return (I am writing it today, so it will be ready to go). I am, thus, giving you about a week if you wish to get anything accomplished between the time you meet Dougenia and the time you leave Pest.

In the mean time, please shoot me a PM (or just post in openly in the IC thread - I'm good either way) about what you plan to do in the intervening time. (How long will that be? Dougenia wanted you to leave in the morning, but you have a total of three nights before you've worn out your welcome with Prince Rikard...)

Incidentally, unless you all tell me different, I am assuming you leave a full day after meeting with Dougenia (in the morning of what would be the second full day). If that is incorrect, I will need clarification.

Edit: And do not assume you will be able to feed regularly en route to your destination. Some of you have Survival skills and might manage to subsist on animals, but all of you? ...
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:27, Sat 25 Mar 2023.

As I've stated in IC Corbinianus will probably not need more time than Dougenia proposes we take. It sounded as if some others proposed staying at least a night longer, which he will not object to.

I'd like two days if possible to hunt and raise Falke's blood reserve. We were pretty damn low and we aren't going to be able to travel if we frenzy.

I am beginning to worry about our Storyteller... Anyone with another communication channel that could confirm that they are fine and just still traveling?

He's still within estimated period away at this stage? He did say the 16th would be the latest he would be back.

Though I only have RPOL contact with him, so I can't check.

Oh yeah true, one of his older messages said that... Just re-read the last that sounded like "a week".

He thought he'd be OOT until 4/4, but wasn't sure what all he would be up to while on vacation, so he could easily be extending his time away from the internet and with his family.

Anyone have the storyteller's discord contact from your application? I'm worried about him since there's turmoil in the part of the world he's from.

I share your worries, but unfortunately never got to exchange Discord. Nor would I believe it changed a lot. If they'd be available online I am pretty sure they had sent us a note.

Ohh crap.

I've got nothing to help, sadly.

I've sent an rmail.. Doubt it'll even be seen- rmail is rarely used- but it's the only thing I can do.

Doesn't seem like we will be seeing our storyteller again anytime soon if at all.

I hope he's well and just has other reasons to having abandoned the game. I also sent rmail and didn't get a response.