[MLP] Roleplaying is Magic: The Broken Road 2

[BlasTech]

Continuing from last thread.

Roleplaying is Magic: The Broken Road

This is the recruitment of character thread for MLP RiM: The Broken Road. The game will start when everyone is ready.

As a foreword, this will be only the second PbP I’ve GM’d for, although I have played several as a PC. Consequently, there will likely be a few teething issues, so please bear with me but also please feel free to let me know if you have any concerns or issues with how things are going.

Players:

Balmas - Dive Bomb
One Tin Pony - Grease Spot
Amish Pirate - Crown Cork
Ravian - Soot

IC thread is HERE
IC thread number two is HERE
IC thread number three is HERE

OOC thread number two is HERE


The Tone

"What's the tone of this PbP?" is a question I get asked alot. Despite the rather melencholy music and OP poem, this RP is not intended to be "dark" or "grimdark", but rather a tale of journeys and exploration that sits one or two steps above the show in terms of maturity. It may indeed be "sad" but only in the sense that being away from home can be sad.

I personally am aiming for a level similar to that of the fics "Dangerous Business", "One last quest" and "Off the Edge of the Map" (particularly the last one).

If you haven't read these, the best analogy I can think of is LOTR without Sauron or the Orcs. A general rule is no blood. Broken bones are a rarity. But the characters do need to consider "serious" issues like lack of food, shelter, and exposure.

House Rules:

One post a day minimum is ideal. Doesn't have to be a good post, just keep the ball moving. Three days is the upper limit unless you have a reason, after which point your character will revert to GM/communal control until you return. If you have any long absences coming up please let us know.

Feel free to exchange as many IC posts as you want without my input. I'll keep conversations, small talk and minor events going even if only one person is online, but nothing important or any scene transitions will happen without everyone getting a chance to weigh in. I will do my best to make sure no one gets left behind.

If the group splits up, each thread will happen at its own rate until the group re-unites. For players waiting for others to 'catch up', it's easy to kill time in a PBP with conversation.

Other Rule changes:

• Willpower does not regain through rest or by spending XP. The only way to regain willpower is through embodying your guiding element of harmony or by rolling a critical success on a Special Talent. This may restore multiple points if the action is sufficiently meaningful.
• All Colts and Fillies will gain a bonus 1xp each time XP is granted, this is similar to, and stacks with, the Earth Pony racial “Quick Learner”.
• Foals suck, you probably don’t want to be a foal.
• Unicorn and Earth Pony racial attribute bonuses have been modified (See below)
• Laughter and Loyalty Elemental affinities have been switched (See below)
• No dragons, the dragonheart mechanics are still a mess. A provisional “maybe” to other races as all will have to be houseruled and balanced.
• Rules on Second Winds and Inspiring Faith have been changed (See below)

Posting Format:

Posting is generally handled in one of two methods, depending on the type of action going on;

Narrative mode is for the general RP aspects of the story. In this mode, conversations and things proceed at a slower pace. E.g. Walking around town.

Cinematic mode is for the “action scenes” and generally involves a more structured turn order (GM’s and players). This is normally only enacted when the party is in combat or facing time constraints. E.g. Fighting a manticore or rescuing ponies from a rising river.

In these scenes, the GM will take first turn; typically by introducing the trigger for Cinematic mode. This will kick off a series of “reactive” checks as players defend themselves from the hazard, and “active” checks as they then respond in kind. Player turns happen collectively in response to GM actions.



Task Checks:

All task checks are resolved by rolling a D20 and adding appropriate modifiers against a GM determined DC. Typically, excluding resistance checks, all checks will use Body, Mind or Heart as a base. Resistance checks use the corresponding secondary attribute.

For Roleplaying is Magic, the rules operate as follows;

• Exceeding the DC of a task results in a success. If the player beats the DC by a significant margin, the GM may incorporate additional benefits.
• Meeting or barely failing the DC may still result in a partial success.
• A natural 1 or 20 results in an automatic critical fail or success as appropriate. (This may be modified by character traits.)
• Spending a point of willpower provides a bonus of your current willpower score to a roll. (e.g. a character with 7 willpower, can get a +7 bonus by spending a point of willpower. The next time he does so it is +6 etc.)
• XP may be spent to boost a specific roll (2xp for a +3 bonus, 3xp for a +6). Literally using life’s lessons to help you achieve success.

This is a bit difficult for an online game because it means that you can't roll unilaterally. That's as much a feature as a bug, though, so it stays. When you intend to make something a contest, include at the bottom of your post a box like;

[McLegitimate is trying to convince the Guard to leave his post by bluffing an emergency; Heart (5) + Con artist (2) + Quick Talking (4) gives an 11 bonus to the roll].

I'll then respond with a post along the lines of [Given how dodgy you look, -2 penalty to the roll. DC is 20.]. Only then do you roll the dice; if you achieve a success feel free to narrate the nature of your victory (within reason).

An alternate way to handle this is to narrate the success but leave the ultimate outcomes vague. Continuing the example above, the PC could narrate the guard swallowing the bluff and walking off. If the DC was beaten significantly, I may have him take the rest of his squad with him or drop some additional information about shift times before he leaves. Or you can just narrate the lie itself and I’ll handle the effects.

Also note that once you've committed to an action, you can't back out if the penalties or DC are higher than you'd expect. If you spend a little while talking to a guard and get his measure you might be able to make an assessment of how high the DC may be, but you might not always have the luxury of time.

I'm sure you lot will be honest with your dice rolls. The use of the forum dice roller is not necessary, but do tell me the outcomes so I can determine critical/partial successes.

Special Mechanic: Harmony Bonuses

A big mechanic in RiM is the ability of friends to help a given PC with a task check (up to a +15 bonus). Typically, for this bonus to apply, the other players must use their action to do nothing except assist the pony in question. This takes one of two forms depending on whether we are in Narrative or Cinematic mode.

In Narrative mode; the player assisting must have collaborated prior to the check in order to add their bonus (e.g. by assisting with the players disguise, providing words of encouragement, setting up the party etc etc.)

In Cinematic mode; the player assisting need only offer physical or emotional encouragement during their turn.

As an added bonus, when friends are assisting a Unicorn pony in improvising a spell, they can each spend a willpower point to allow the Unicorn temporary access to one additional magical aspect for each friend assisting them.

Special Mechanic: Second Winds and Restoring Faith

If a character is sidelined due to a secondary attribute falling to zero, they have a once per scene ability to revive themselves through gaining a second wind. When used, they pick a secondary attribute to focus on, this increases by the lowest of the contributing body/mind/heart scores (or highest if the attribute is in tune with their guiding element).

Continuing on from the value of teamwork, characters may also inspire faith in a sidelined teammate by spending a point of willpower. Functionally this works the same, although the encouraging pony’s guiding element is used for reference.

Elemental affinities are;
Courage: Honesty, Laughter
Fortitude: Kindness, Generosity
Energy: Loyalty, Magic

Bolded elements have been switched.

Additional Houserule for Second Winds/Inspiring Faith

Cinematic Mode
During Cinematic Mode, each player has one Second Wind for free. Players may also Inspire Faith to another player by spending a point of willpower.

Narrative Mode
Second Winds do not function during Narrative Mode. Once per game day, a player may Inspire Faith in a teammate by spending a point of willpower. This is in addition to the limits for Cinematic Mode.

Other Setting/Game Notes


The Setting

I don’t want to give away too much about the initial hooks for the story, suffice to say that the story is very much a “walk the world” one, and that the characters will be spending a significant amount of time in various nations outside Equestria. The world is largely drawn from the “Where the World Ends” wiki, although I reserve the right to make changes. (Think of the Wiki as the university textbook version of what is actually out there; a good guide, but it may not be 100% up to date or accurate)

A world map is here:
http://mashupforge.com/929/j6qC50FQV...1.75781250&z=2

Technology

Technology levels are generally low fantasy, particularly with the less magical races (e.g. Gryphons, Zebra, Camels etc). “Modern” Equestrian tech is the exception, running primarily on magical energy rather than electricity. Gunpowder exists and is used for fireworks as in the show, but some other races (primarily the less magical ones) make use of primitive firearms and explosives too.

Skills vs Jobs

Conceptually, a Job is a suite of skills related to carrying out a task. While fairly general, there are limits as to how wide a Job can be; e.g. Science is too broad a subject, but Chemist is fine. In thinking of these, one may consider a job to be the equivalent of a university degree.

Skills are typically narrower in focus and, using the above analogy of university, may be considered as individual subjects in a given course. Here, Chemistry would be too broad, but Potions Mixing or Herbology would be appropriately specific.

As the rules are intentionally vague on this front, feel free to constantly ask OOC questions here. PLEASE do so. The whole idea of this thread is to workshop these issues out ahead of gameplay.

In game - You can also get a lot of free information without making rolls based on your character sheet - someone with relevant skills or talents will get free information by asking (e.g. skills related to politics will provide additional detail on international affairs).

Spells

Spell creation is intentionally vague. Typically a good spell accomplishes a distinct task, but can be applied to multiple (but not all) different situations. “Start a fire” is an appropriate spell task, “Start a campfire” would be too narrow. “Create Heat” might be too broad, because you could do this underwater, in space etc.

XP:

XP will be provided every time the party rests at the end of a day.

You will get XP every time
- You do something dangerous.
- You complete a quest or help somebody.
- You can articulate a lesson learned. (Letter to the Princess style!)
- A flaw, if you have any, causes problems for you.

You will also get additional XP based on finishing scenes, overcoming challenges, or exceptional roleplaying. Largely, PC’s will have similar XP totals with differences coming from racial/age modifiers and flaws.

Some things cannot be immediately purchased with XP. These are typically traits and abilities where a character spontaneously developing them would not make narrative sense; e.g. jobs, skills, pets.

In such circumstances, some narrative justification will need to be given for this to be applicable. E.g. Levelling up your bargaining skill by quickly discussing tricks of the trade with a merchant would be sufficient.

XP costs summary:

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Increase a primary attribute 10 xp

Increase a pegasus flying skill ability 5 xp
Learn a new Magical Aspect 5xp
Learn or increase a new spell (Highest of spell difficulty or new spell level) xp

New Job 10 xp
Increase a job (New level + 2) xp

New Skill 5 xp
Increase a skill (New level) xp

New Talent 15 xp (page 38-40 for talents)

New ability 5-20 xp depending on the ability (See page 104-108)

Music:

Cribbing off of Thanqol’s use of music suggestions, I had a few myself for this one, largely instrumental;

Under the Stars
Guild Wars Factions
The Crystal Chamber
Christmas Star

I Will Always Return

PMV for the heck of it.

Geopolitics:

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Equestria itself continues to prosper despite the attack by Discord last year and the Changeling invasion of Canterlot three months ago. The news of these incidents is only well known in Ponyville and Canterlot respectively, and has not had much time to spread beyond the borders of Equestria except in distorted rumours.

On the flip side, Equestrians are relatively insular and, as such, are not fully aware of what has been happening in other nations. The only exceptions are the Gryphons, the Buffalo and the Gildedale Ponies due to their proximity to Equestria’s borders.

Gildedale, a previously isolated nation of Earth Ponies to the northwest, has begun opening relations with Equestria. They’ve even taken the unprecedented steps of allowing Unicorns and Pegasi limited access to their lands (previously these ponies were not welcome except on official diplomatic business). When asked, they only respond that it is “due to services rendered” by some nameless Equestrians.

Rumour has been flying in Canterlot about the state of affairs in the Gryphon Kingdom following the recent death of King Guntram. These range from whispers of a potential invasion of Equestria, to an orderly transition of power to one of the three ruling Jarls. So far, the Princesses appear unconcerned.

By contrast, the Buffalo have been improving relations with Equestria after the land dispute at Appleloosa. Although they remain proudly traditional, they have begun offering hospitality and guides to Equestrian travellers who wish to see the frontier.

Public knowledge on other races is very limited and can be summarised thusly;

Zebra are spooky
Boars are mean
Dragons are scary
Camels are tricky
Deer are friendly
Elk are haughty
Never heard of the rest of them.

Topics for Discussion:

Home and Hearth

A big part of this RP is going to be the effects of being removed from your homes and it is going to be a long time before you see either house or family once again. As such, I think it vital that each player give sufficient thought to what exactly it is that they are leaving behind, even if they don’t know it in character yet.

Some questions for the PC’s; What is your family like, do you have parents, siblings, spouses or children? Where were you born and raised, what was growing up like for you? What may your character have taken for granted that it may miss? What are some things that will make you homesick? Has your character travelled much or been away from home for any significant time before? If so, did they correspond with anyone? What are your social connections like in the place where your character lived?

These are the things that are going to motivate your character throughout this RP. Getting them sorted out beforehand will hopefully ‘ground’ their goals and help provide a framework for how they may approach problems.

Group Dynamics

This game is going to start with an introductory scene in Canterlot, however your characters may not be from in town or may never have met before. There will be a brief opportunity for you to have some initial discussions before you’re all going to be dumped far from home by circumstance and left to fend for yourselves.

Initially, survival and the communal drive to get home are going to be the main causes for party cohesion. However, once immediate needs are met, your characters need a legitimate reason to stay together rather than striking off in opposite directions the moment they find civilisation again. I would much prefer it if the party had this strength because they were actual friends and genuinely cared for each other rather than relying too much on the bonds of shared hardship. You don't have to get along all the time, but you have to be a coherent group.

I also do not trust this to happen smoothly without assistance, so I'd very much like you to work out your party dynamic before the game starts. What will your characters think of the others, and how will they interact? How do their skills complement each other?

Once the introduction is completed, there will be opportunity to get to know each other and befriend one another. But having some ways of slotting the team together worked out beforehand will make the whole thing go much more easily.

Summary of Races for character creation.

Earth Pony

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Foal: 1 Attribute Point, 10 xp,
Filly/Colt: 2 Attribute Points, 35 xp
Mare/Stallion: 3 Attribute Points, 60 xp

+1 to Body, +2 to Heart

2 Talents
2 Job Points
(1.5 x Mind) Skill Points

NB: Racial abilities discount all XP costs by 1, even during character creation. (Min 1 xp)

Unicorn

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Foal: 1 Attribute Point
Filly/Colt: 2 Attribute Points, 25 xp
Mare/Stallion: 3 Attribute Points, 50 xp

+1 to Heart, +2 to Mind

2 Talents
1 Job Point
(Mind) Skill Points
(Mind) Magic Aspect, +Telekinesis
(2 x Mind) Spell Points

Pegasus

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Foal: 1 Attribute Point
Filly/Colt: 2 Attribute Points, 25 xp
Mare/Stallion: 3 Attribute Points, 50 xp

+1 to Mind, +2 to Body

Aerobatics = Body
Weathercraft = Mind
Add Heart to Either Aerobatics or Weathercraft
2 Talents
1 Job Point
(Mind) Skill Points

Here is an example starting pony

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Name: Big Bang
Race: Unicorn Pony Stallion
Job: Chemist
Guiding Element: Generosity
Special Purpose/Cutie Mark: Improving ponies through SCIENCE/An explosion


Mind: 6
Body: 3
Heart: 1


Energy (MB): 9
Courage (MH): 7
Fortitude (BH): 4
Willpower (MBH): 10/10

Talents: Smart, Creative.
Abilities: Capable Companion – A pet monkey.
Jobs: Chemist (5)
Skills: First Aid (3), Cleaning (1), Cooking (1), Public Speaking (3), Painting (1).
Flaws: Fraidy Pony

Prime Effects: Telekenesis
Magical Effects: Diminish, Reveal
Magical Subjects: Heat, Energy, Plant, Body

Known Spells:
Dampen Fire (Diminish, Heat) (8 ranks); Instant, Line of Sight – Difficulty 3
Absorb Energy (Diminish, Energy) (2); Persistent, Self – Difficulty 4
Locate Energy Source (Reveal, Energy) (1); Concentration, Area – Difficulty 3
Analyse Plant (Reveal, Plant) (2); Concentration, Contact – Difficulty 1

XP spend;

+1 to Mind (10xp)
Capable companion (10xp)
+4 to Job (18 xp)
+1 to Analyse plant (2 xp)
+2 to First Aid (5xp)
+2 to public speaking (5xp)

Total; 50xp

Bio; Big Bang is a mad scientist pony with a pet monkey, what more is there to know?

A full list of rules can be found here: http://www.mlprim.com/s2e/

The Where the World Ends wiki is located here: http://wtwe.wikia.com/wiki/Where_the_World_Ends_Wiki

(Take this wiki as a guide, but not gospel law)

Ponychat IRC is located here: http://client02.chat.mibbit.com/?cha...rc.sorcery.net

Gameplay Cheat Sheet:

Task check modifiers

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- Primary Attribute
- Job
- Skill
- Spell Level
- Equipment 1/2/4 (Categories: Item/Device/Equipment/Location/Vehicles)
- Harmony
- Willpower (Current WP before spend)
- Experience (2xp +3, 3xp +6)
- Dice Roll (Talent Roll again, Special purpose add 50%)
- NB: Talent negates a critical fail, but results in a roll of 1.

Magic Guide

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List of Magical Aspects

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Effects
Animate
Combine
Deceive
Diminish
Forge
Modify
Reveal
Separate

Prime Effects
Channel Friendship (Restricted)
Move the Heavens (Restricted)
Telekinesis

Subjects
Air
Animal
Body
Construct
Earth
Energy
Force
Heat
Light
Magic
Mind
Plant
Sound
Space
Time
Water
Weather

Note
The Magical Aspects a character knows, and the Spells a character knows, do not have to be related. Known Magical Aspects allow a character to improvise magic, giving them flexibility in spellcasting; whereas known spells allow a character to practice magic more safely, and develop specific uses of magic, giving them stability and power. In terms of classic fantasy roleplaying, a Unicorn Pony is both a ‘Wizard’ and a ‘Sorcerer.

Spell Difficulty Modifiers

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Aspects

Each aspect used: Difficulty +1

Range

Contact (Touch/Self): Difficulty +0
Amniomorphic (Line of Sight): Difficulty +1
Spectacle (Area): Difficulty +2

Duration

Concentration: Difficulty -1
Instant: Difficulty +0
Temporary (1 scene max): Difficulty +1
Persistent (Until cancelled): Difficulty +2

Spell Creation

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• Decide on a task to be done
• Decide on appropriate aspects to be used (minimum one subject and effect)
• Pick Range/Duration
• Calculate difficulty (This is minimum xp to learn spell and minimum mind score to safely cast)

Improvising a Spell

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• Follow the Spell Creation guide using only Aspects that the Character knows.
• Cast the Spell, this costs one point of Willpower.
• The character then "forgets" the spell, needing to repeat this process to cast it again.

Spell Failures

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Known

• If a known spell fails, compare the difficulty of the spell to the mind score of your character;
• If the difficulty is lower, then nothing bad happens, the spell just fizzles.
• If the difficulty is higher, then the spell fizzles but the character loses a point of willpower.
• If the spell critically fails (roll of 1), then the character loses a point of Willpower and suffers an additional negative effect in relation to the botched spell.

Improvised

• If an improvised spell fails, lose a point of Energy, and Willpower equal to the difficulty of the spell
• If an improvised spell critically fails, lose the above Energy and Willpower and be prepared for magical mishap shenanigans.

Talents

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Generally, if a talent applies to a given roll, the PC may roll again and use the higher of the two results. Talents also negate the negative effects of a critical failure, but still result in a roll of 1 (you don't get to roll again). Multiple applicable talents do not stack. The list of talents is;

• Strong
• Tough
• Fast
• Agile
• Wary
• Smart
• Adaptable
• Creative
• Charismatic
• Sensitive
• Willful
• Tireless

[TheAmishPirate]

Continuing from last thread.

But yeah, this next check is going to be at a penalty because you can't understand their instructions. Your best bet is to do well enough that they don't care.

I leave it to you guys to sort out ideas for that.

Right. Ideas. We need those.

So, first things first, we should probably list up things that the rats will like on this sign.

1) Good prices in their favor. Examine what they took from us, and figure out what they might want from that.

2) Price increases for harming rats, or a general "Don't try to eat rats" sign.

3) A really fancy picture of the rat in charge, indicating who is running this show. I'm thinking putting him front, center, and top.

4) Emphasis on greater value of food/water/practical goods.

Any other ideas/thoughts?

[One Tin Soldier]

I'm afraid I can't think of anything to add, at least right now. Mostly I wanted to just check in.

I was under the impression that Cork was looking through the supplies the rats have. It doesn't change much, really. Her dialogue and thoughts still make sense.

I think that Grease will be modifying the sled while Crown paints. She was planning on doing it before they set out anyway, and painting will certainly take long enough. Of course, she's relying on him to get us enough supplies back to make those modifications worth it. ;)

[Balmas]

Only suggestion I can think of is big, blatant, and very colorful.

[BlasTech]

Was Iggy one of the ones that Cork waved over? Or is he still standing guard at the back door?

Just want to know so I can play him in the subsequent conversation if needed.

[TheAmishPirate]

Was Iggy one of the ones that Cork waved over? Or is he still standing guard at the back door?

Just want to know so I can play him in the subsequent conversation if needed.

I would think so? Given the positions of things, I imagine we'll all be standing near the back door anyway.

[BlasTech]

I would think so? Given the positions of things, I imagine we'll all be standing near the back door anyway.

Okie doke. We'll assume he's just walked up late to the convo then, he'll chime in if needed.

[Balmas]

Oh, that's precious. I hadn't realized that the party's collective response to having to rely on Cork's artistic skills was to get ready for a smash-and-grab.

Or that Dive Bomb is the only one actually supporting Crown's plan... Granted, it's simply because it's better than running away when they're all exhausted, but still!

[BlasTech]

Oh, that's precious. I hadn't realized that the party's collective response to having to rely on Cork's artistic skills was to get ready for a smash-and-grab.

Geez, it's like you're expecting me to rig the check against you guys.

Clever PC's

[BlasTech]

Ravian, I should point out that Rinda is off already intimidating the rats, if she can hear this plan then they probably could too. You'll have to fill her in later.

[Ravian]

Ah, whoops my bad. I'll go back and edit it.

[One Tin Soldier]

Well, Grease was more thinking of it in case Crown didn't at least get most of our supplies back. But she's certainly willing to grab-and-run, since the rats definitely don't have a proper claim to them.

[One Tin Soldier]

Balmas? When did Dive Bomb start poking his head out of the fourth wall?

[Ravian]

Yes... I believe that he may be confusing Soot for the imaginary biped that lives in her head.

[Balmas]

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http://denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/m...jack_what_.gif

Changes? What changes? Y'all must be going slightly loco in the coco.

[BlasTech]

Once everyone's finished with picking their tasks, whether helping with the painting or helping with the sled, I'm going to move this scene along to the actual painting check - I don't see much point in having seperate checks for finding a good looking rock etc etc.

So far we have:

Grease - fixing the sled
Rinda - Rat duty
Iggy - fixing the sled
Ambassador - finding a suitcase.

Take your picks as to what else needs doing, and lets get to this!

[TheAmishPirate]

Hey all. I've been wrestling with a nasty stomach bug the last few days. Don't know how long it'll take to clear up, but until then, my posts are going to be all sorts of delayed.

I'll get something in for Crown when everybody has picked a task.

[Balmas]

I hope you feel better soon!

[BlasTech]

Hey all. I've been wrestling with a nasty stomach bug the last few days. Don't know how long it'll take to clear up, but until then, my posts are going to be all sorts of delayed.

I'll get something in for Crown when everybody has picked a task.

Yeeg, get well soon.

I think the only one left to pick a task is Soot, which probably defaults her to being Cork's sounding board on the account of being the only one who can stand his presence for long

That lucky, lucky pony.

[BlasTech]

So, ready to take the check? I'll post up later this arvo, last chance to put any other modifiers into play.

[One Tin Soldier]

Did someone just give the GM an excuse to show off his NPC's backstory? Why yes, I believe someone just did.

In fact, I'm pretty sure that someone was Grease, not me. It wasn't something I had given any thought to before typing the question. And here I thought she had stopped surprising me.

[TheAmishPirate]

Is this check Heart, Mind, or neither?

[BlasTech]

Heart is probably the most appropriate?

[TheAmishPirate]

Heart is probably the most appropriate?

I think that was what we used last time. I was more curious as to whether or not any of the three stats would apply here, seeing how Crown's Mind and Heart are equal.

Roll time!

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Painting a Rock, spending a point of Willpower because reasons: Heart 3 + Job(Painter) 3 + Skill(Painting) 4 + Temp Bonus 5 + 6 Harmony + 5 Willpower - 4 Situational Bonus = +22.

Rolling twice for Creative Talent, 1.5 dice roll due to Special Purpose.

Sheesh. I almost forgot how scary good Crown can paint. When all you have is a paintbrush...


Roll 1: (1d20+22)[28] + Base roll * 1.5
Roll 2: (1d20+22)[38] + Base roll * 1.5

One more thing before I make the post; Crown wanted to ask the chief rat to recall those few fellows that escaped at the start, and put their supplies in the pile. Only fair that they shouldn't yoink supplies under the table like that. I figure he can do that when the chief is called over for posing/reference, but how do you want to handle that?

[TheAmishPirate]

Making a new post, because I always manage to screw up the dice roller when I edit a post with a roll in it:

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Alright, total rolls:

Roll 1: 31
Roll 2: 45

Crown Cork: Getting crap done with paintings since 2012.

Now then; I've had a rather uncomfortable thought regarding Crown and his skillset. Up until now, I've been treating his suitcase as a Wizard's component pouch; always having base supplies necessary for the job, within reason. Sadly, at the rate Crown keeps painting things, I fear that "within reason" may stop being reasonable. Even used a bit at a time, his paint stores will eventually run dry. And when that happens, one of Crown's most effective means of contributing goes away.

So my question is this; how do we want to handle his paint stocks? Unlimited provided there's no abuse, or would you like to keep some tally of how much he has left?

(As an added bonus, a chemist like Dive Bomb could probably help a great deal in mixing up new paints. )

[BlasTech]

One more thing before I make the post; Crown wanted to ask the chief rat to recall those few fellows that escaped at the start, and put their supplies in the pile. Only fair that they shouldn't yoink supplies under the table like that. I figure he can do that when the chief is called over for posing/reference, but how do you want to handle that?

Minor enough that I can roll it in to the reaction post if you agree with the below.

Now then; I've had a rather uncomfortable thought regarding Crown and his skillset. Up until now, I've been treating his suitcase as a Wizard's component pouch; always having base supplies necessary for the job, within reason. Sadly, at the rate Crown keeps painting things, I fear that "within reason" may stop being reasonable. Even used a bit at a time, his paint stores will eventually run dry. And when that happens, one of Crown's most effective means of contributing goes away.

So my question is this; how do we want to handle his paint stocks? Unlimited provided there's no abuse, or would you like to keep some tally of how much he has left?

(As an added bonus, a chemist like Dive Bomb could probably help a great deal in mixing up new paints. )

My feelings here are the same with Dive Bomb and his saddlebags. Basically, I feel that things should be limited, but I'm not going to track them, I trust you guys to be able to do that.

Feel free to write out a list of what Cork has in his suitcase, but this is less from an inventory management purpose and more just so that it doesn't become a 'miniature leather Tardis' if we encounter something he genuinely hadn't packed for.

Regarding paint supplies, I feel that they should be limited, but this is due to the narrative strength of him running out as the journey progresses. It's symbolic of their distance from home.

I'll put it this way; Ever notice how water tastes differently when you go to another country? Have you ever taken a bottle of water from home when you went on a long distance trip? Think about the feeling when you finally drank the last of that water. It's similar to the feeling Cork should have as he exhausts his supplies one by one.

To date, he's painted a large boulder for Rocky and this cave; judging by the massive roll there, how much was riding on its outcome, as well as the point of willpower, I'd suggest that this is the mechanical justification for cork to have gone all out in decorating the cave (inside and out) to turn it into a spectacular rest stop advertisement for these rats. It should be so brilliant, that these desert scavengers, these guys who tried to blackmail you out of your supplies, now have no compunction against returning it all.

However, this is likely to have at least used most of what paint Cork has left.

(Incidentally, if you want Dive to make more paint, just find somewhere that looks like it may have some kind of usable supply - rock pigments, plants or even actual paint supplies, and have the group scavenge for it, as well as letting me know what you're after.)

In addition to the above, something Thanqol posted yesterday has gotten me thinking.

Today I learned an important lesson from Phenomenon. It's my annual crash course in high-profile GMing techniques.

The one I want to apply to this game is: You gotta bring it

I can only do so much as a GM. A lot of the stuff I can do isn't where the fun is! The fun is in what you as players do, accomplish, pull off, and inject into the game. Being a quiet foot-shuffler is easy, but for the game to go from okay to rad you guys gotta bring it.

Bring the Drama, bring the Opinions, bring the Passion. You're all intelligent, creative people; if the game's driving motivations are all from me then I'm tapping into 1/6 of this group's brainpower.

Another really good tip: Don't think of yourself as the character. Think of yourself as the director, and the character is your star actor. Your job as the director is to tell a frickin' rad story. I'll back you up on this.

I know you guys have been adhering to this request, even if only subconsciously. The fight in the cave, the song at the memory fields, this is all stuff that I can't bring to the game, but which makes it infinitely more enjoyable.

The reason I bring this up is because, while I've got some vague arc for the overall environment of this RP to take, as well as an idea of the various ways you can actually get home, individual character development is something I've been mostly playing by ear, as well as unilaterally. It would probably work a lot better if we collaborated on it.

I've had some minor ideas so far, spoiler'd below, but in terms of actual character development and arcs as you journey back to Equestria, is there anything you'd like to see? Any adventures you'd like to have? Most importantly; any stories or character development you want to go through?

Please let me know, and I can do my part incorporate them into the storyline beyond Sanctum.

I should note that, while Sanctum won't get you out of the desert, my intent is that it should mark a significant step in that direction, enough so that this daily slog through the sand is going to be coming to an end soon. (Unless, of course, that the slog part is something you enjoy)

Spoiler

Show

For Dive, I assumed that his immediate arc was to learn how to deal with ponies. This is why so much has been happening that is teaching him the consequences of not talking things over with them (bandits, Rinda, etc)

For Cork, it's about understanding how to be a leader. You guys, with the party rebellion last night, have been all about teaching him how he's doing it wrong so far. I'm only able to assist that so far, but things like the Ambassador's behaviour are my personal tools in showing him how a leader should not act.

For Soot, it's about realising how much she'd do for her family and getting back to them. Partly, that was the inspiration for last night's dream, as well as some other stuff coming down the line.

For Grease ... I got nothing.

[BlasTech]

Looks like Roleplaying is Magic just released their Season 3 edition of the game rules, with quite a large number of changes.

I'm going to read through it and see whether it's worth updating this game to it.

[BlasTech]

As an additional psychoanalysis question; if your character had one superpower, what would it be?

[Ravian]

Illusions of course...

Seriously though I'm not really sure of any power she would want that her magic doesn't already cover.

And that is why unicorns are OP.

[TheAmishPirate]

Right. Lot of things to reply to, and hopefully I'll have a post up later tonight. Given that Crown is going to take a while painting, it makes sense that other folks have time to chat and do other things.


On supplies:

This seems both fair and dramatically appropriate. I can start rolling in some thoughts about his dream as he paints, and I think the moment when he starts expending a bit of Willpower should be quite obvious.


On stories for Crown:

Interesting. I had caught that the Ambassador was not exactly the shining example of leadership - at least in the present day - and I do hope Crown gets a chance to chat with Rinda later in the day when he's back to sulking and not helping. That could be a really interesting conversation...

As I think, there are two major stories that suggest themselves to me.

1) Crown and his sweetie. She was meant to be more as a background detail, just another element of his life that is now left behind, but Crown the character isn't letting me do that. He misses her dearly, and all his talk of her virtue, all his imaginary waxing on about how she will no doubt be waiting for him to return and regale her with tales of his adventures, all this labeling his DPC letters to her, it's all a coping mechanism. He is so certain she will wait for him because his spirit can't bear the thought of any other possibility.

Fact is, since I don't have her character completely nailed down, and since I don't know how long his journey will take...I don't know if that's true.

And to be honest, I don't know how to make this into a story. Should he have such unwavering hope? Should it be challenged? Should he prepare for the possibility of disappointment? I know that out of my own optimism, I do want them to get back together upon his return, but I also know it won't be the same, to say the least. So I'm not sure what to do with this, other than to say that this is a thing going on.

2) Crown should make a decision about his future. This goes hoof-in-hoof with learning exactly what it means to be a Cor-I mean, leader whoops did I say that out loud.

But once he knows what it means to be a leader, he needs to actually man up and make a decision. Seeing how he wasn't actually offered anything before he left, he's more coming to grips with what he actually wants to do, such that he isn't just getting forced into a life by somebody else without questioning it.

On superpowers:


"Bah! What greater power can there be than being a Cork?"

But if he had to choose, I think he'd go with something to do with communication. Telepathy or something like that. His pride would view most powers and mere shortcuts, but one that would allow him to keep a close hand on his workers would sit well with him.

Plus, a direct line to his sweetums at all times of day.