The first step is to admit you have a problem...

135

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  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Aw dang @Keryth987, you got me excited there for a minute. ;-)

    However, we ARE getting back to the action again tomorrow night, come rain, sleet or snow!


    • Where is the mysterious high priest of the Ebon Hand?

    • Where is the missing girl?

    • How are we going to squeeze in a new 7th player at the table?

    We'll find out tomorrow! 


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Curse you, Old Man Winter!

    As Midwesterners, we can deal with snow. Or cold. Or sleet. Or wind.

    But freezing rain?!? Screw that. We're going to try for next Friday.


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • Johnprime
    Johnprime
    Posts: 252

    Not to be a jerk here, but did everyone in the game have internet? I know it isn't as fun this way, but isn't Skype there so you can still play when you have freezing rain outside?

    I know quite often with my Western, one of my players has to Skype in. For a while, one of them even Skyped in every game because he had moved away from the group but still wanted to play.

    Johnprime

    Deadwood Deacon Banner

    Where the west is really wild!

    The Valley of Life Banner

    The Valley of Life

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    While we all have internet connections, yes, but sadly we don't all have reliable internet connections. We ended up not playing thanks to Old Man Winter.

    Rain, sleet or snow wouldn't have stopped us, but FREEZING rain? Screw that noise.

    Part of the group isn't available this weekend, but we're going to do a one-shot adventure this Friday 'cuz some of us are rather desperately jonesing for some RPG action.


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • Johnprime
    Johnprime
    Posts: 252

    Yeah, I can understand how cabin fever begins to get to you! I don't have to much of a problem with Old Man Winter, but you probably don't really want to hear about it from!laugh

    Johnprime

    Deadwood Deacon Banner

    Where the west is really wild!

    The Valley of Life Banner

    The Valley of Life

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Weather good? Check.

    Schedules cleared? Check.

    Gamers hungry to get back into the action? Quadruple check.



    GAME ON!!

    At long, long last we'll be returning to Ptolus tonight. The Temple of the Ebon Hand beckons... Where will its siren call lead??


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Session 3: The Ebon Hand meets Righteous Justice took place last night.

    Vengeance and Justice and Cults, OH MY.


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • abu_is_evil
    abu_is_evil
    Posts: 168

    Glad to have you back!  Happy New Year!

    Just trying to help out.

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Session 4 took place Friday night. Much fun was had by all. The players did great, but I forgot to include the puke-tastic stench of their troglodyte foes for almost the entire combat! I'll have to brush up on my GM combat juggling skills...


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • twiggyleaf
    twiggyleaf
    Posts: 2,006

    Ah, I know it well, forgetting those sort of things.  The smell.  The darkness.  The invisibility.  They all get forgotten about at sometime during a dungeon.   blush

     

    "I met a traveller from an antique land....."

    CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.

    Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign

    Inner Council Member

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Yeah, it happens. I'm seriously just out of practice; not worried about it at all.

    What DOES concern me though, is that after I prepped three full sections of the Dungeon for this adventure, they blew straight through two of 'em in the very first dungeon-crawling session! I expected some side exploration and clearing out of the areas before moving on, but no. They're chasing this map with bloodhound-level doggedness.



    I really have my work cut out for me to get ready for the next session a week from Friday!


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • abu_is_evil
    abu_is_evil
    Posts: 168

    Over preparation is the key, as I come to the last year of Rebuilt I find I have at least another year of campaign outlined that will never get touched.

    Just trying to help out.

  • Keryth987
    Keryth987
    Posts: 1,047

    huh. I['m just the opposite. My campaigns are very much off the cuff. I have ideas, thing sI'd like to see happen each session, but I follow the lead of my players as they investigate and adventure. My preparations consist of some though and maybe a few statted up monsters if needed

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    I'm getting a bit introspective in my old age. I've come to realize that while I'm really good at creating and statting up locations, I'm a lot worse at creating interesting roleplaying encounters or scenes. I'm trying to improve that, but my players threw a wrench and walked right past what I wanted to be a couple of sessions' worth of exploration and mystery-solving. 

    Ah well. They'll hear about it later at the tavern, when some other adventuring group discovers the hidden prize they skipped...

    In the past I haven't ever really done a proper living world, but for this campaign there is a lot of other stuff going on around them. The NPCs won't just be sitting in a chair waiting for a PC to interact with 'em - they've got their own plans and motivations. Stuff is gonna happen.


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • Johnprime
    Johnprime
    Posts: 252

    Most of the group I play with knows that I have things planned out in a timeline and if their characters interact with it, then they do. But they also know that time in the game world doesn't stand still for them and if they don't interact with something at the right time, due to them hesitating or wanting to do something else, then they might miss that encounter. It keeps them focused on the campaign story if they're interested in following that story.

    I also try and plan the campaign according to what they seem to want to accomplish. I'll create some drafts of possible story lines, but if they aren't interested in pursuing them, I don't make them.

    Finally I try not to plan out things to a high level of detail. Important NPCs I'll do that with but most of everything else I do is off the cuff, from a general outline of course, but if the PCs don't want to go down a particular path, I haven't spent hours or days developing it because I've only developed a general idea/outline for that particular section.

    Seems to work well with the players.

    Johnprime

    Deadwood Deacon Banner

    Where the west is really wild!

    The Valley of Life Banner

    The Valley of Life

  • DerkG
    DerkG
    Posts: 76

    One thing I learned from a stint with Apocalypse World is phrasing (part of) your preparations as questions.

    "I wonder if this noble has plans for such and such"

    "I wonder if the player character stands a chance with ...."

    That for me provides sufficient focus to think of ways to explore that question and throw interesting events at the players as part of that. When it works, I find it much more gratifying than setting up a chain of events/encounters and working them all out in advance.

    Both methods however have their use, and I find that a combination of both is what seems to work best for me.

     

    GM: https://knights-of-the-realm-1.obsidianportal.com/ - a Greater Pendragon Campaign

    GM: https://sagaofthenorth..obsidianportal.com/ - a Dungeon World Campaign

    Player/Scribe: https://thepriceofimmortality.obsidianportal.com/ - a Pathfinder Campaign

    "The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." - Marcus Aurelius

     

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Session 5 happened. Much fun was had by all. And this campaign's starting to really come together well. My players are all invested in the story, in their characters, and in the OP site.

    And my hard work prepping paid off big time - they did (mostly) what I expected them to do, and they're all looking forward to the next stages of exploring the vast Dungeon beneath the city...

    They might not be quite so excited if they knew what was in store, of course...


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • abu_is_evil
    abu_is_evil
    Posts: 168

    I gave up a long time ago on expecting my group to do anything specific!  I go with broad outlines at this point- the best part of a group that has been together a while is the incredible surprises that they can come up with!

    Just trying to help out.

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    I totally agree that they'll always throw wrenches and do the unexpected. In this case though, they've made it clear that they have their sights set on attacking the cultists of the Deep Temple. They surprised me in Session 4 when they chose not to do any distracting exploration and are bee-lining their way through the vast Dungeon to get to their objective. They stayed on that course in Session 5, and made a lot of progress towards that goal.



    Barring any unexpected setbacks, they should reach their goal in another session or two.



    Setbacks...



    *insert evil laugh*


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • twiggyleaf
    twiggyleaf
    Posts: 2,006

    Setbacks???    Oh Nooooooooooooooooooo.........!

    "I met a traveller from an antique land....."

    CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.

    Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign

    Inner Council Member

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Dammit. Game off, due to half the table being down sick with the nasty flu bug that's flying 'round these parts.

    Ah well, at least now the pressure's off me to slap together the rest of my prep work today.


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • abu_is_evil
    abu_is_evil
    Posts: 168

    This too shall pass....

    Just trying to help out.

  • elfingirl
    elfingirl
    Posts: 8

    I think that flu thing is going around rpers, half my group is down with it. I have a sore throat. Its the gamer plague of 2017. o.O

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    It's not just gamers, sad to say. My wife and son have both already stayed home sick this week. I just have to fight it off for a few more days though - we've rescheduled and will be playing on Friday night.

    This makes me inordinately happy.

    What lies beyond those strange doors? Will our heroes finally find the cultists' Deep Temple? Stay tuned!


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • elfingirl
    elfingirl
    Posts: 8

    Ohh -becomes a fan-

    I love the Ptolus setting but have never had a chance to run it. I look forward to reading your adventures @Uselesstriviaman . I also hope for a swift recovery for your family. I am on antibiotics, YAY.

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Dagnabbit, I really need to stop with the teasers a few days before the game. It seems like every time I post one, the game winds up getting cancelled. I seriously think I'm jinxing myself.

    Life got in the way of the game, so it's gonna be a couple of weeks before we can play again.


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Huzzah! We finally got back together for Session 6 last night.



    This time an ogre named Bubba, a scion of one of the Noble Houses, and a goblin prisoner were all a**holes of varying caliber. But there was also an epic battle against a horribly deformed giant, a frantic search for a secret door, and tense negotiations for a return trip through the Ratfolk Warrens!



     


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    I kinda forgot to post it, but Session 8 happened. Next scheduled game is a week from Friday. :)


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546

    I probably should have seen it coming, but somehow didn't expect my players to charge right back into the fray for a second session of nothing-but-combat-for-four-hours!

    Aendir led the charge this time, as he really wanted to get his hands on that Chaositech drilling spear. Which he did.

    But there could be some very interesting discussion next time, since Chesh declared at the end of the session that she wants to take that strange spear back to the Temple of Technology for study...


    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

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