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Post by Big Mek Adam on Mar 31, 2015 0:14:22 GMT -5
This thread is now defunct, but I'll leave it for posterity.....at least until I figure out how to delete it.
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Post by Big Mek Adam on Apr 12, 2015 15:31:47 GMT -5
Alright, we've got at least 3 players committed, so we're going to start the adventure this Wednesday, the 15th. We'll be really trying to start on time, or even a little bit early if we can swing it, so get in as quick as your schedule allows!
For reference, I'll keep a list of consistently present players here:
Derek - Wilfred : Half-elf Paladin
Matt - Ulric : Human Paladin
Kevin - Draxous : Tiefling Warlock
Ron - Traxios : Half-elf Wizard
Pat - Firenze : Human Warlock
Kyle - Shakara : Dragonborn Cleric
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Post by Big Mek Adam on Apr 18, 2015 16:25:09 GMT -5
Woo, we finally had our first session, after a few weeks of getting everyone on the same page and getting characters built. Derek, Matt, and Kevin had a pretty eventful (and apparently alcoholic, if their tavern bill is any indication) trip around the town of Red Larch, gathering all kinds of rumors about the goings-on in the Sumber Hills region.
Next time, we'll be leaving town in pursuit of a supposed "Legendary Treasure"! Come on in and join the team to get your share!
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Post by Big Mek Adam on Apr 25, 2015 14:24:32 GMT -5
Uh-oh. Seems like the rumors of "legendary treasure" were false, unless you count a few hungry stirges and an out-of-place silver spoon.
Luckily, everyone made it back to town in one piece, and there are plenty more rumors in and around town to run down. They say there's been a lot of weirdoes, bandits, and monsters around...I wonder if any of them are friendly.
Yeah, probably not.
Rumor List
--There's a fabulous treasure hidden in Tricklerock Cave. Nope, just bug bites and wet stones.
--Bandits have been causing trouble out on Cairn Road. They were mysteriously mauled to death by a bear. Pay no attention to the eldritch blastmarks.
--The quarry workers swear there are spooky guys haunting the quarry at night, but the owner's unconvinced. You investigated this a bit, but haven't found anything yet.
--People are saying there's a plague by a local landmark called Lance Rock. And that plague's name is THE LORD OF LANCE ROCK! BOW BEFORE THE LORD OR BEGONE!
--Someone saw a ghost in an old tomb near town.
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Post by Big Mek Adam on May 7, 2015 13:17:13 GMT -5
Previously, there was a "sleepover" in the quarry area, but unfortunately you weren't able to turn up much of substance. Another wild goose chase?
Yesterday (May 6th), the party decided it was time to check out those rumors of a plague by a local landmark some 15-20 miles outside of town. Well, Wilfred decided, and the rest of the party kind of panicked when they found out they were walking into a "plague zone", which was fairly hilarious. Paladins can cure diseases, though, so they pressed on.
The party discovered a natural cave system that had been slightly modified to be more livable...which is ironic, given that the cave was full of undead. Zombies, skeletons, and bear suits, oh-my! After making a lot of noise, and nearly getting their faces clawed off by animated zombie hands, the party came face-to-face with the deranged necromancer at the heart of the caves, THE LORD OF LANCE ROCK! BEWARE THE PLAGUE THAT AFFLICTS ME! GO AND FLEE LEST YOU BE TRAPPED FOREVER WITH THE LORD!
...Yeah, that meeting didn't go so well. It was certainly complicated when the party couldn't decide on a united course of action; Shakara attempted to pacify THE LORD OF LANCE ROCK with apparent subservience, but the more bloodthirsty and/or morally motivated party members prepared for battle, spoiling the mood. Shakara made no attempt to directly help the party with the battle, and may have even switched sides! What a tweest!
Has she been mind-controlled into supporting the self-proclaimed Lord? Has she really betrayed the party, to side with the mad necromancer? Or is there some grand, as-yet unrevealed ruse at work? With half the party down, or on their last hit point, everyone else was forced to retreat for a time to regroup and heal up. Next time, we'll see what Shakara and the necromancer have been up to, and see if the party has what it takes to bring the Lord down.
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Post by faheyusmc on May 8, 2015 3:54:18 GMT -5
I'd argue that the party, no matter how this turns out, is going to view Shakara as a hostile and threat form now on. Consistently, Shakara has acted against the party's interests, and when the better course of action is explained, we are rebuffed and ignored. The fight itself might have been a bit easier to do, or pacified altogether had the party not felt trapped. By not being allowed to rest and be somewhat better prepared for the fight, the only options for the party were to leave Shakara, an ally, to the whims of the necromancer, or to fight and hope to help her.
The paladins would probably play it out as they won't leave someone behind. It's not necessarily a lawful good aspect, but more of the fact that the party is working to help each other, and Shakara has done her own thing and put two people on the line to die: specifically, Wilfred and Firenze damn-near died in the encounter. Firenze's actions were more self-serving, in that he understands the need for the other people in the party and how they can take hits instead of him and thus he will live a longer, happier life. So while Firenze's actions may not have been completely selfless, in a way he wasn't going to leave someone to simply die off. The more rudent action might have been to run.
Speaking from an IC perspective, Shakara is dead. Given a chance, Firenze will kill Shakara if possible because she damn-near got him killed. She's a liability, and no matter how she tries to wiggle out of it, the past few days of travelling with the cleric have gotten on his nerves. He's seen she's not a team player, and he's not going to accept having his life made harder and possibly LOSE it because of a lack of comaraderie. I won't speak for the other players, but IC one Paladin is in agreement that Shakara needs to be killed, and the other actively attempted to use a spell against her to kill her, "viewing" her as an ally. Was it metagaming? Maybe.
From an OoC perspective:
My annoyance with the fact is that for the past two weeks we have had a general consensus about the pace of the sessions, and that is that they are not going as fast as they could. I have tried to keep the playful banter to a minimum in the interest of keeping the game moving along so that people don't feel like their time is being wasted. So, when we work to act strategically and that strategy is completely obliterated by someone who pretty much tells the party to piss off, yes I'm going to be annoyed, game or no. We made headway that was ruined later on by someone who wanted to "run ahead of the party", who wanted to not let the spellcasters rest and be a bit more prepared, and not feel like they are being pushed into a corner. To take time to make characters, get ready, attend a few games and then have your character almost die because a member of the party wants to do what is contrary to helping the party advance is unacceptable, and I feel confident in saying all the players present became annoyed to varying degrees.
And then we were told it was our fault because we had decided to help an ally who we believed might be in trouble. We could have simply left Shakara to whatever fate was intended and carry on. But in the end, as players we would have been seen as selfish, and another player would have felt bad because we left his character to die. So now he'd be behind in experience, we'd be better off, and he'd probably feel bad. We tried to work together both IC and OoC, and one player told us we were the problem.
We know Shakara wasn't mind controlled, both IC and OoC. She was acting of her own accord, and as such she's a threat to each member of the party. Once again, not speaking for the entire party but I feel like the general consensus among us was general annoyance at the game being effectively ruined by one player, who is doing the equivalent of trolling.
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Post by lantiskross on May 9, 2015 19:21:52 GMT -5
Wylfred here, aka the paladin that almost died.
As a d&d player of 10+ years I find encounters this enjoyable to be 1 in a thousand. If I had died I would not be upset, I had fun and last I checked that is the primary goal of the game. In this encounter I had to really get in character and face several really difficult choices. I love drama, as long as it stays in-game.
Shakara is a new player and I feel like he is trying to find the limits of what he can do in a new gaming environment, which in d&d we know is nearly limitless. How he deals with the consequences of his actions will determine my opinion of whether or not he fits in with the rest of the group.
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Post by faheyusmc on May 9, 2015 20:01:23 GMT -5
Part of the problem as I see it is the repeated action of ignoring what the party wants to do, and doing only what he wants. At some point you can no longer justify the actions with, "Well, the player is new." Matt is new, and I think he's had comedic scenes and actions, but hasn't acted to the detriment of the party. He asks questions, he listens to those of us who have played a bit longer, and he makes decisions that are solid, and also some that may not be.
As stated previously, the issue at heart right now is the general attitude that Kyle has had towards the group. He wants to do his own things at the expense of the welfare of the group. Dying is fine. If it's luck of the draw, it's luck of the draw. However, we have had a player who told us he's doing what he wants, and then actively worked against the party, leading to two near-death experiences. More than anything, the attitude of, "You can't tell me what to do, I'm doing what I want and frack you guys" is what bothered me the most. I can take the death of a character as well as anyone else, but when it's because a player sets it up and is the cause of it because he thinks he's being funny, I get annoyed.
Belay that, I become livid.
Had we had a TPK, I would not be making an new character while Kyle sat there. Matt would likely not do the same. I don't know about you, Kevin, or Ron, but I think enough people would have been annoyed that the game would stop, and Adam would need to restart with new players to get anywhere. And then Adam is annoyed because he's wasted three or four weeks because of Kyle's actions.
When I was a new player, I asked questions. I shut up and I listened. I didn't go out and intentionally cause problems for the party, as Teles can attest to. With the exception of one campaign (an evil one), I have worked alongside the group to better it with every character I have made. I think we should all be annoyed with Kyle's antics, and if Adam rewards the me-before-the-party attitude then I'm simply dropping, and I believe Matt will do the same.
EDIT:
And then, to sit there and tell us it was our fault for following him? Unacceptable, period.
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Post by lantiskross on May 9, 2015 20:31:30 GMT -5
I think this discussion should be had on the group e-mail, not the public forum.
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Draxous
Red Shirt
Summer!!!
Posts: 3 
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Post by Draxous on May 9, 2015 20:35:27 GMT -5
Good Evening Everyone
Here is what I think needs to happen. It is clear there is an ultimatum being offered here, so lets get to the heart of the matter. Do you want to still be in the group if kyle continues playing with us? If the answer is no (this goes for everyone) then we need to make a decision as a group who goes and stays. I know this sounds cold, but if the current dynamic of the group isn't working then we need to fix it so that no one is hurt while tensions fly in session. If the answer is yes then lets make this work. What needs to change if you want to all still group together. If everyone wants to give each other a second chance that works for me, we will talk it out and make adjustments as needed. It would be best if everyone just makes there position clear so we know where we stand I will start with my current position...
Here is my suggested responses to my about statements
Will I play if kyle continues to play: Yes
Will I play if kyle leaves or otherwise doesn't play: Yes, I think it would however be a sad loss
What changes need to be made when/if kyle continues to play: Currently I see a new player which is om need of guidance of what works and doesn't work. We have many different play styles on the table which will require time to get it to work well together. We can talk it out as a group and make this work.
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Draxous
Red Shirt
Summer!!!
Posts: 3
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Post by Draxous on May 9, 2015 20:36:19 GMT -5
I agree with Derek however perhaps this needs to move to a non public sector.
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Post by blantyr on May 17, 2015 16:14:19 GMT -5
Well, I guess some things don't change from Pathfinder to D&D 5.
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Draxous
Red Shirt
Summer!!!
Posts: 3
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Post by Draxous on May 19, 2015 20:39:44 GMT -5
Greetings fellow adventurer's... Here are some useful links I've found perhaps you will as well Forged AnvilThis is a highly adaptable modded excel sheet that does much of the basic math and gives your character sheet a great deal of room and customization. Pillsy's DnD 5E Spell SheetThis is a well put together spell list that quickly allows for reference to different spells and categories for different classes. Wizard's Guide CollectionsA list of guides and information for classes and game mechanics definitely worth checking out! That is it for now, look forward to seeing you all Wednesday stay safe! - Draxamus Prime |
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