Hosting a VTTRPG (preparation)

[The Gopher]

Are you serious? Every character in the group is Paranoid by personality? This should be interesting if people actually role play the drawback.

Who would have thought that INTPf DnD would consist of a bunch of paranoid, loners.... even in roll playing I'll probably end up the most normal. (or will I?)

 

[Cognisant]

Y'know what, fuck it no traits.

Everybody keeps wanting to change them and the changes are littered across this thread and my inbox, I just can't keep track of it anymore and I've got enough of a headache being a first time DM, I'm still learning the rules myself and I've got a mountain of content to prepare before Saturday so I'm not umm'ing and ahh'ing the entire session.

Look it's make or break and you're breaking me, if I can't make this shit happen then NOBODY is going to have any fun, my priority right now is setting up an interesting scenario which is difficult enough to be challenging but no so difficult as to kill you all, that's HARD ENOUGH being a first time DM who has never even been a player before, HARDER STILL since you all wanted to start at level 2, now I'm wasting time constantly renegotiating traits and drawbacks and it's time I cannot afford to waste!

So I'm sorry but I'm trying to give you the best game I possibly can, not have you sitting around waiting for me to shuffle through my notes, now I'm happy to compromise and renegotiate traits when you all reach level 3 because then I'll have the time to do it and maybe it'll work better for you too since you'll have played together for a bit and so understand better how things will affect you.

And I swear by my lack of a god that if you bitch to me that this breaks your build then it was overly specialized anyway and to solve the problem I'll just knock you back to level one.

Also bear in mind this is a large party and I've got a list of people who wanted to play but didn't get in fast enough, if I have to dump a few difficult players and push this back a week I can and I will.

 

[The Gopher]

Spoiler

 

[Cognisant]

Sorry I'm just a little stressed right now.

 

[The Gopher]

Sorry I'm just a little stressed right now.

No need to apologize, if you need to bump it back a week I don't think anyone would mind.

 

[redbaron]

No traits is fine by me Cog!

As for the scenarios to be challenging, I'm fairly sure there's a handbook or something along those lines you can use? Honestly though I don't think anyone's expectations are so high that we're going to be bummed out if it's too easy or too hard initially - adapting to new scenarios and challenges is all part of the fun!

Anyway I'm looking forward to it and don't have any issue with any number of houserules you want to implement to streamline the process and then have us deal with specialising/optimising things later.

 

[Jennywocky]

If you need to push things back or use some kind of resource material, that's fine.

We might joke around here or sometimes ask questions, since a few of us know the system well, but the bottom line is that you are the GM and whatever you say goes.

 

[The Gopher]

You know speaking of that I fully expect robots to become part of the plot at some point.

 

[Absurdity]

I jus wanna kill sum ppl

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Dungeon crawlers are good when you are growing up as a player and learning the mechanics. I will send you some story recommendations/ideas.

 

[Jennywocky]

You know speaking of that I fully expect robots to become part of the plot at some point.

And by robots, we mean giant metal people who are actually run by gnomes working the foot and hand pedals inside?

!&@#^!&@^ gnomes.

 

[QuickTwist]

BTW, you guys can keep your celebrity status.

 

[Jennywocky]

BTW, you guys can keep your celebrity status.

Maybe it can be like Dream Park.
When one player dies out, another can join in their place.

But you gotta die BIG!
Points are awarded for showmanship.

 

[Kuu]

You see my dear, I'm not trapped in the woods with the bear. The bear's trapped in the woods with me!

That must be truly... ... unbearable.

Y'know what, fuck it no traits.

The gods have spoken.
Updated sheet.


Also, if anyone knows, I have a doubt regarding spells/formulae. The rules say alchemists start with 2 1st-level formulae plus an additional amount equal to my intelligence mod (+4), yet it does not state the level of these extras. The rules also state I can learn/cast any formulae if my intelligence score is at least equal to 10 + formula level (though usage presumably limited by the daily use). So, does this mean those four extra initial ones can be of any level castable?

So much choice

 

[QuickTwist]

Never say DIE!!!!!!!!

 

[Cognisant]

The Human Kingdom
If you're wealthy enough to employ personal thugs you qualify as a noble, if you're a noble who controls the largest fortification in a fiefdom then you're that fiefdom's lord and if you were the lord that controls the capital city then you'd be the king. Now the kingdom itself is currently at war on several fronts and in a constant state of civil war, which for humans is just business as usual. Of all the races humans are both the most prolific and yet paradoxically the most willing to kill their own kind, even the orcs as violent as they may be rarely beat each other beyond unconsciousness.

The town you're starting in is a typical human settlement in that there's armed humans outside that want in, armed humans on the inside trying to keep them out and some solid stone walls between the two. Now the current ringleader of the inside-the-walls side used to be a bandit before he ousted the previous tosspot and discovered his lifelong calling as this fiefdom's shiny new douchebag. The residents of this fortified town don't much care either way, one lord is as bad as another and regardless who is collecting the taxes the arrangement is the same, even the town guards aren't overly concerned with who runs things as long as somebody claims to be in charge.

 

[Jennywocky]

^^ It sounds like we'll all fit right in.




THUG: Who are you?
Jacob: Strangelove. I'm Strangelove.
THUG: (pause) Who???
Jacob: Ah man, I'm STRANGELOVE. I can't believe you guys never heard of me.
THUG: *fires crossbow*

 

[Absurdity]

^^ It sounds like we'll all fit right in.




THUG: Who are you?
Jacob: Strangelove. I'm Strangelove.
THUG: (pause) Who???
Jacob: Ah man, I'm STRANGELOVE. I can't believe you guys never heard of me.
THUG: *fires crossbow*

You forgot the part where he tries to hug the crossbow-wielding thug.

 

[Jennywocky]

.. yeah, we're all gonna die....

 

[Hadoblado]

That's fine Cog. Traits do complicate things, they're really just icing.

If you were unaware, there's an encounter crafter complete with XP and loot drops hidden somewhere on the internet. I never used it, but I was running a very homebrew campaign. It would've saved me many hours.

@Kuu
While it's true that it's written ambiguously, I think it best to assume it means only formulae you are able of using. Formulae are valuable, but less valuable than other more limited things on your character sheet. It's not worth sacrificing your early game utility in order to secure higher level ones. Also, I've never heard of any class learning spells they couldn't cast, though I'm not sure if it's stated formally in the rules.

@Cog
While it's great to accommodate players, don't let us push you around. My players pushed me at every turn for greater character attributes and abilities/items. It complicated my job a lot because I was trying to make encounters and scenarios that could keep up with them. It culminated in me accidentally party wiping them because I misjudged the power of a single higher level killspell in combination with them having invested comparatively little in their saves, and them all rolling poorly simultaneously (I gave them some rez's pre-emptively, but that was assuming at least one survivor). I'd never have made this mistake if I wasn't desperately trying to keep up with an obnoxiously OP party that was powercreeping every which way.

Edit: OOooooh... nice setting

 

[redbaron]

Hado stop giving Cog ideas for sadistic party wipes!

(Party wipes sounds really wrong in certain contexts)

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

That must be truly... ... unbearable.
The gods have spoken.
Updated sheet.
Also, if anyone knows, I have a doubt regarding spells/formulae. The rules say alchemists start with 2 1st-level formulae plus an additional amount equal to my intelligence mod (+4), yet it does not state the level of these extras.

You cannot cook/make the formulae of higher level than level 1, so in this case you are allowed to select additional formulae from the level 1 formulae list only.

The rules also state I can learn/cast any formulae if my intelligence score is at least equal to 10 + formula level (though usage presumably limited by the daily use). So, does this mean those four extra initial ones can be of any level castable?

So much choice

This means that when your level allows you to make level x formulae, you will be intelligent enough to make them .

If you were level 10 alchemist (which enables learning your first level 4 extracts) and you only had 13 intelligence, you wouldn't be able to use/learn level 4 extracts.

Farmer CR 1/2
Human commoner 1/expert 1
(...)Statistics
Str 11, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 9

Poor Farmers, they will never be able to become successful alchemists, where are equal chances?

Hado, a good party wipe is memorable, not outright a mistake. Like all the wipes I participated in, where one was suicide, really my pc was cursed but the situation developed to the point where my character started behaving irrationally. The curse included me receiving gifts and powers my PC didn't want nor did he identify with the alterations they brought. Death was full of relief then.

Setting makes me think of the game of thrones.

 

[QuickTwist]

.. yeah, we're all gonna die....

I know, isn't that depressing.

 

[Absurdity]

.. yeah, we're all gonna die....

Not if I roll a successful Intimidate check:

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKuCCvWAdG8&feature=kp

 

[QuickTwist]

Yea! Aggression!

 

[Cognisant]

I'm not planning to outright give it to you but if you guys work together and play devious bastards you're quite capable of taking over the starting town.

I want to see what you do with it

Setting makes me think of the game of thrones.

Haven't watched it though from what I hear it's very game like.

 

[Jennywocky]

Not if I roll a successful Intimidate check:

Glad you found that -- that's one of my favorite quotes from the show.

(although it helps if you've listened to the preceding two minutes to give it context.)

Here is another:

Spoiler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ItKF3xyci8

Which makes it even funnier when Arya asks what Brienne calls her sword, right before Sandor steps out.

 

[The Gopher]

You forgot the part where he tries to hug the crossbow-wielding thug.

I am offended! I would never do anything of the sort! (at least not without a dagger in hand)

 

[Jennywocky]

I am offended! I would never do anything of the sort! (at least not without a dagger in hand)

So which direction do you point it when you hug someone?

(This is a test.)

 

[The Gopher]

Depends on who I'm hugging.

 

[Jennywocky]

Your mom.

 

[The Gopher]

Your mom.

Your face. (directly towards you)

 

[Jennywocky]

You are not a very nice friend.

 

[The Gopher]

You are not a very nice friend.

Aww sorry *hugs* (no knife)

 

[QuickTwist]

That's fiend Jenny. J/K, I got nothing but love for you Gopher.

 

[Jennywocky]

Aww sorry *hugs* (no knife)

There, there. There there.

*hugs Gopher, hiding the knife up her own sleeve*

Look acrost the river, Gopher an’ I’ll tell you so you can almost see it.

That's fiend Jenny. J/K, I got nothing but love for you Gopher.

Big hugs for my pal QT next!

 

[Cognisant]

http://www.tuckerskobolds.com/

Interesting.

 

[Absurdity]

http://www.tuckerskobolds.com/

Interesting.

As a former GM, this is awesome.

As a prospective player, this is terrifying.

 

[Hadoblado]

I've done similar things with goblins. It's very fun designing all the traps.

Also... climbing down that hole was a terrible idea. The kobolds had the opportunity to cut the ropes... they had little choice I guess...

 

[Jennywocky]

As a former GM, this is awesome.

As a prospective player, this is terrifying.

I hear you and agree.
It's also hilarious.

Talk about the old days of gaming, I remember Roger E. Moore well back at the beginning of my gaming interest.

Also... climbing down that hole was a terrible idea. The kobolds had the opportunity to cut the ropes... they had little choice I guess...

"The only way out is through/down."

I hope they brought their rings of Feather Falling.

 

[Cognisant]

So are we all good for this weekend?

Saturday 10pm that is "GMT + 10:00" the same as Sydney.

Does that work for everyone?

 

[Jennywocky]

So here is what I got when I converted:

10:00:00 p.m. Saturday June 28, 2014 in Australia/Sydney converts to
08:00:00 a.m. Saturday June 28, 2014 in US/Eastern

(That would be 5am for anyone on the US Pacific coast, right?)

Is that what others get?
I just wanna make sure we're all on the same schedule.


EDIT: Are you sending out invitations through Roll20?

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

So are we all good for this weekend?

Saturday 10pm that is "GMT + 10:00" the same as Sydney.

Does that work for everyone?

CET 12:00, Sydney 22:00 on SAT?
Fine with me so far. Unless I get some unexpected calls or mails.

edit:How do we get invited on roll20?

 

[Absurdity]

(That would be 5am for anyone on the US Pacific coast, right?)

Fuck that.

Is there any way we could flip it so it's early in Australia and late in the States?

 

[Jennywocky]

I was using this time converter btw, in case someone needs one or has a better one.

http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc

 

[Absurdity]

If we're dead set on the time I can do it but I wouldn't be able to do voice chat.

 

[Cognisant]

How do we get invited on roll20?

I'll PM out a direct link.

Is there any way we could flip it so it's early in Australia and late in the States?

I can push it a few hours later, 3am dosen't bother me.

Edit: Actually who was it who can't play on Sunday?
The Australian players could play Sunday midday (10am) while the Eastern/US players play at 8pm, I'm pretty flexible.

 

[Absurdity]

I think that was Hado who couldn't play Sunday.

I've got things to do on Saturday. Friday morning works sans voice chat.

 

[Jennywocky]

I think that was Hado who couldn't play Sunday.

I've got things to do on Saturday. Friday morning works sans voice chat.

Well, I work Monday-Friday, typical work hours.

 

[Absurdity]

Well, I work Monday-Friday, typical work hours.

Bah. I thought you "work" for the gubberment.

Alright I can make Saturday evening in the US / Sunday morning in Aus work.