Nolgroth

Re: Anyone running any online games? Also, I think it is finally time we upgraded MapTool to the current build. I see some interesting things for version 1.3b67 that I would like to have. I am going to download that version and test it with the campaign file to make sure that it works with all of our macros and whatnot. Once I feel that it works correctly I will go ahead and greenlight the update.

Re: Anyone running any online games? Finally. At long last I have updated my blog a post of sessions 7 & 8 of episode 1. Still have session 1 of episode 2 to do.

Re: FANTASY HERO -- What Do *You* Want To See? Awesome news. Looking forward to the final product.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The Way of Shadows (Part 1 of the Night Angel Trilogy) - Brent Weeks Synopsis: Young Azoth is a scared and hopeless street urchin who wants to train with the cities top wetboy, Durzo Blint, so he can rise above the life of squalor he is destined to live. To do so, he must turn his back on the ones he cares about and embrace the unforgiving life of an assassin's apprentice. What Makes It Good: Good character and plot development make for a very entertaining read. Intrigue, double-cross and action rule the plot without ruining it with cookie cutter characters. What Makes It Bad: The opening chapters of the book are extremely bleak and gritty. I don't like that kind of story so it was very difficult to get through that section and on to the rest of the story. Spoilered the main reason for that critique. Other Notes: Upon reading the aforementioned opening chapters, I was convinced that this was somebody's attempt to take bleakness of the Song of Ice and Fire and dial it up a couple of notches. After getting past that section, the story becomes much less crushingly hopeless. Not to worry for those who like grit, there is plenty of that to be had in later chapters. Intrigue between members of the criminal element is a dominant theme in the book. If for no other reason than that, I found it an entertaining read. I can use the inspiration from that for developing the next segment of my fantasy campaign. There are trappings of political intrigue, but it doesn't play much of a part. There are a couple of scenes that were just jarring to me. They dealt with characters outside the core cast and those characters were often just plopped in suddenly. I have the other two books in the series to read, but I hope that those other characters merge with the core characters a little more smoothly in the coming pages. The author uses the convenience of real weapon names. On one hand, if you are familiar with real world weapons, you can visualize immediately what he is describing. On the other hand, it might pull you out of the story a bit. On the balance, I think it is up to the individual reader whether the convenience of knowing exactly what the author is getting at outweighs the potential mar to the verisimilitude of the setting. Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5 Published by Orbit Books (http://www.orbitbooks.net) ISBN 13: 978-0-316-03367-1

Re: Campaign Building Blocks: General Musings Package deals are good for creating a cohesive character construction process. I say go with them.

Re: Anyone running any online games? Also looks like there may be a problem on the RPTools end. EDIT: Server is back up. Strange events today.

Re: Anyone running any online games? I seem to be having connection issues. The only real big problem about the move.

Re: Anyone running any online games? Server is up. Actually. It says so in the chat.

Re: Anyone running any online games? I think we are in total ad lib, thread drift zone here. He was responding to my "taking questions from the press" comment above and threw out a couple of random questions. I, in turn, responded accordingly. ghost-angel, being the stodgy, old feller he is ( ) brought us right back on topic with a Neat-O post about divination.

Re: Anyone running any online games? Awesome ghost-angel. Like that little tidbit.

Re: Anyone running any online games?

Re: Anyone running any online games? General Update: It has been a very busy couple of weeks. Between my work commitments, getting sick as a dog (recovering and feeling much better thank you very much) and my work with Daltwisney to get our macro situation worked out, it has seemed that I have had little time for campaign development. In truth, while I have done little concrete note taking or character building, the campaign has been a predominant feature in my thoughts and considerations. I have played little games in my head, such as "Who or What would make a great arch-nemesis for ?" and "What should the next story arc be and how do I present the lead-in during the next session?" These thoughts have given me time to seriously ponder the campaign. I have determined some arch nemesis. Ones that play right into the group dynamic and should make for some interesting play. As to the next adventure and how to introduce it, haven't a clue! As always, I have the skeleton ready and we'll flesh it out together come Thursday. That sums up my "State of the Campaign" address. I'll now take a few questions from the press.

Re: Anyone running any online games? Thanks. I'll take a look at those two. Just for clarification, those are alternates in case Cael gets three feet of steel shoved through his guts.

Re: Anyone running any online games? I've settled on Dealer of Fate. I will be building a new thread for it, but I have been sick as a dog. I mean, on bed rest sick. Hit me out of the blue. I am just really happy it is probably going to be over by Thursday. Depending on how I feel in a few hours, I may just set it up then. I have a specific format I want to follow so I need to outline it for myself.

Re: Anyone running any online games?

Re: Quote of the Week From My Life. In an exchange with my friend in regards my frequent posting to the HERO boards; "You are a debit to your community."

Re: Campaign Building Blocks: General Musings I hope that anything I have to say will help. For me, designing the adventure process is less about long-term planning and more about the stories I want to tell. The actions of the players dictate, in no small way, how that story ends up getting told. The most difficult, single hurdle I have to face on a week to week basis is creating the NPC stats. Your cell idea is similar to my episode concept. Containing a story in itself and yet contributing to the overarching campaign in some meaningful way. Honestly, it is a time honored tradition what with chapters in books, books in series and all of that. The "hidden adventures" within a cell sounds like a potentially very fun idea. As a GM, I have considered that method. In the end, I have set up "landmarks" that, if the characters visit them or seek them out, then the adventure leans around those particular sites or events. Free-form versus structured. There is a balance to be found in there. Each group's balance is different. Our current group in Colonial HERO (soon to be renamed) and my previous group (Gemini Ascendant) have two very different balances, styles, and tones. Part of that is the different genre, but part of that is the unique blend of personalities that make up a gaming group. Point is, no matter how much you build beforehand, be prepared to wing it at all times. For me, having a "cast" of NPC write-ups (generic and individual) and some vague story ideas is all I really need. I present the premise and watch how the players take it. I then adapt the adventure to best suit the way the group is going. I am not a fan of plot/GM timetables. For me, it is a storytelling experience. The timetable is exactly what I need it to be. There are exceptions to this of course. Mainly when the players have been made aware of a limited window of time in which to do something. If they wander off then the window closes and there are usually some consequences. As a potential player, I see nothing wrong with the overall concept. I would probably need to know more about the setting, power levels, and all that. It sounds intriguing and potentially quite fun. Dealing with political fallout is always a nice way to kick off a campaign.

Re: The cranky thread I don't get to complain about Sacramento traffic/city planners because I went to San Francisco today. 90 minutes in the Bay Bridge toll plaza. WTF? I don't spend 90 minutes commuting during the height of the evening rush here.

Re: Anyone running any online games? Hate to do this, but work just called me in on an emergency. Tried to refuse the OT, but they were pretty adamant that I come in. As I have to drive a company vehicle to San Francisco, I will not be able to make it back in any reasonable amount of time. As much as I hate to do it, the game is canceled for tonight. I am going to leave the server up if you want to jump in and do a one-shot session or just BS. Sorry about the late notification but I just got off the phone.

Re: Anyone running any online games? Ayup. Funny that Thursdays, not Fridays are the days when schools make all their plans. Luckily for you (and Rotman) this is probably going to be a bridge session to bring folks into whatever crazy, whacked out plot comes next. I doubt you will miss much. See you next week.

Re: Dwarves, Elves and Hobbits Need Not Apply! Mul were always my favorite. Though I didn't actually get to play or run an actual game session. All I did was read over the setting.

Re: Anyone running any online games? I thought that was about how you described the beard thing. So we have a winner! *ding* *ding* *ding*

Re: Anyone running any online games? Ragnarok, per your request I tried to recreate the Cael token and add more facial hair to it. Here are some samples. I wish they had a lighter background for the dark haired guys. I hope one of these is adequate. Sadly, there are only a few beard selections available for each preset. Also, for some reason the character creator sets some sort of unchangeable default if you select a beard. You have to get the face as close as possible before applying the beard. [ATTACH=CONFIG]35972[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]35971[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]35973[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]35974[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]35975[/ATTACH]

Re: What Have You Watched Recently? I guess since I've read some pretty screwed up Faerie Tales in my time, creating a villain from one is par for the course. As I recall, it was done well. Just not surprising. And for the record, as a child I always watched the oven in a strange person's house and made sure that if I had to pass by it, there was nobody within sprinting distance of me. Hansel and Gretel was just that influential on me as a kid. Talking wolves that eat Grandma and try to trick ya? No problems. Kindly seeming, old lady that tricks you into getting into her oven just to have lunch. Yeah. Still gives me the willies.

Re: Anyone running any online games? Interesting. You should create a post just with alternate character write-ups and index them so I can see them all in one place.