Dialectic

[Leitz]

I mostly took yesterday off, apologies for not posting sooner. On the wife topic, here's what I came up with.

1. 1d6 other likely candidates, besides Sosan.
2. For each candidate, including Sosan, rolled 2d6 for suitability, and 2d6 for difficulty of arranging the marriage.
2.1. Sosan gets a +1 suitability because her grandfather displayed strong original thought.
3. In theory, the "difficulty level" might be the family's reluctance, or whatever. Haven't given that as much thought. Part of me thinks things should move a little faster, this is PbP afterall.
3.1. Things like Bran supporting Alec, and Sosan's grandfather, might reduce the difficulty roll. Of course, his current actions will, as well.

The rolls gave three additional candidates, listed as #1, #2, #3. Sosan actually came out best. Here are the rolls, with ID, suitability/difficulty

Code: Select all

Sosan  13/7
#1 11/7
#2 7/12
#3 11/9

Thoughts?

[tibbius]

I mostly took yesterday off, apologies for not posting sooner.

No worries! While I do appreciate the usually rapid posting rate, this is PbP and occasional interludes are typical and not surprising or upsetting.

On the wife topic, here's what I came up with. ... Sosan actually came out best. ... Thoughts?

Sounds good! I really hadn't considered how to adjudicate all that, so I'm grateful for your ideas.

I will update the game thread in a little while, once I've gathered some thoughts.

I keep toying with the idea of a live chat session for this or some other game, but really my pace of thought and desire for detail fit better with what we're doing here.

[Leitz]

On the wife topic, here's what I came up with. ... Sosan actually came out best. ... Thoughts?

Sounds good! I really hadn't considered how to adjudicate all that, so I'm grateful for your ideas.

I will update the game thread in a little while, once I've gathered some thoughts.

Looking forward to it! The game is one of the highlights of my day.

I keep toying with the idea of a live chat session for this or some other game, but really my pace of thought and desire for detail fit better with what we're doing here.

Mine too. I love to write stories, but even when writing pure fiction, the first (several) drafts aren't that hot and don't have a lot of the descriptive detail and imagery that I prefer. That's sort of why I have Bran's family from Anatolia; they are Greek-ish, but I think less historically documented. That leaves me free to create the world as I would have liked it to be, within reason. In this specific case, the wife is a more important part of the household than lineage maintainer. In my head, more how I understand the Republican Roman wives; or the more ancient Aramaic; the wife can produce goods, buy and sell, and build the family fortune on her own.

In another PbP game some years ago, I played a Chinese military officer in Three Kingdoms China. Very fun, but I didn't know the culture well enough to freely write the stories that came to mind. Here it's a little better, but I'm still not as familiar with the culture and mores.

[Mr Stereo1]

Bran can't have that hard a time. I'm sure being a good friend to the King and Champion must be worth something. Let alone being Herald and traveling to exotic neighboring villages!

He's an important member of the community for his young age, is all I'm saying. Most families should be happy to have him, and most girls are probably pretty taken with his status and connections.

[Leitz]

Just to clarify, the step shifted, and Bran fell. But he can go back up the steps, he's not blocked. Well, at least by anything yet...

[tibbius]

Just to clarify, the step shifted, and Bran fell. But he can go back up the steps, he's not blocked. Well, at least by anything yet...

Right. A little bruised and scraped, but no breaks. I'll give a "beat" for others to respond, then I'll describe what he sees at the bottom of the steps.

[Mr Stereo1]

I guess our ancestors were crafty types! Maybe we can re-purpose some of these devices when we're done to help defend the village!

[Mr Stereo1]

Well this is turning into quite the boon for Aegium, isn't it? More than enough to give our militia a decisive edge, if the enemy aren't as lucky. I have to wonder how many more caches of valuables we've got hidden throughout the town though. Alec should probably pass a salvage law to make sure the village shares it out when they're found. (After Bran's checked the shops he's been given, of course.)

[Leitz]

Okay, I'm chuckling a little here. I have this idea of Bran as a war capable priest sort of guy, and he's adding "dealing with traps" to his resume. Can't quite do that in a base d20 system. I'm liking it. I'm sure Sosan will be all aflutter about her manly hero.

On an in-game note, this gives us a great way to build the relationship with Elaionas! Food and shelter for one ally, weapons and armor for another.

[tibbius]

Yep, there's a lot of freedom in the rules I'm using. Also a lot of risk ... Marcus was a couple of bad rolls away from getting tired and falling into the pit trap under the pivoting steps. I'm really not sure how you could have gotten him out.

So now that you've secured the armaments, what next? Everybody please narrate your next actions, over the remainder of the day.

[Mr Stereo1]

Okay, I'm chuckling a little here. I have this idea of Bran as a war capable priest sort of guy, and he's adding "dealing with traps" to his resume. Can't quite do that in a base d20 system. I'm liking it. I'm sure Sosan will be all aflutter about her manly hero.

On an in-game note, this gives us a great way to build the relationship with Elaionas! Food and shelter for one ally, weapons and armor for another.

Oh I'm sure she will be.

I'd agree giving our allies some of the weapons is just smart, they'll be fighting with us after all.

Yep, there's a lot of freedom in the rules I'm using. Also a lot of risk ... Marcus was a couple of bad rolls away from getting tired and falling into the pit trap under the pivoting steps. I'm really not sure how you could have gotten him out.

...our ancestors' graves are due a good desecrating if you ask me.

[Leitz]

I'll draft a post, but storms are in the area. Trying to type fast, likely to miss stuff.

[Leitz]

Not quite sure what the cultural practices and mores are, but figured it was a good time to get things moving forward.

[tibbius]

Ancient Greece was, as far as historians know, diverse in approaches to gender roles and matrimony. Parental approval we can assume was a big deal, as always. Women's status and opportunities varied from the very restrictive patriarchy of Athens through the gender neutrality of Sparta to the warrior matriarchy of Amazonia (if we credit primary sources as well as archaeological results).

In Aegium it wouldn't be unusual for Sosan to engage in a little adventure. As for her friend the princess Damali ... we'll see momentarily.

[Leitz]

Works for me. The second set of gear Bran took is for Sosan.

[tibbius]

So ... we've been kicking along pretty well with the rules being "hidden" and I'm impressed with everyone's writing. I'd like to give a bit more narrative control to you players. Part of that would be sharing a set of rules with you so that you can make and interpret your own rolls and then write up the results of your characters' attempts.

Furthering that idea, here are some proposed rules. They aren't quite the ones I have been using. But I think they'll serve.

WeirdTools.pdf

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Some thoughts about your characters' competences with "tools" - let me know what you think after reading the rules.

Bran - the Tongue, the Heart, the Hammer ?
Marcus - the Head, the Sword, the Hammer ?
Andrew - the Eye, the Head, the Brush ?

and add one more for each of you to reflect the experiences that you've had so far.

Does this all seem reasonable?

[tibbius]

I thought about this some more last night and realized that the versions of "Tongue" and "Ear" that I had posted above were a little too weird for this setting. Here's a revision:

WeirdTools0.4.pdf

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- toning down the supernatural affect of those two tools, and adding a "Back and Legs" tool for those who do hard work. Might be suitable for Bran and/or Marcus. Then again, you might want Spleen.

@cybersavant, if you do want to add a supernatural tinge to Andrew, then a tool like "Amulet" or "Talisman" might be good. That would give you competence in using those trinkets you picked out.

[Leitz]

I've given this a little thought, but need to get to work. Which, given current times, isn't a bad thing.

In thinking about edge cases, how do characters combine? For example, Andrew and Bran work to understand the trap mechanisms. Or, Marcus leads the battle and Bran is a militia leader under him. How does Bran's success or failure impact Marcus'?

How do characters learn skills? Are some skills more complex than others, or are they actually "skills" in the Traveller sense, or "Aptitudes"? The latter gives a broader understanding of the topic, but seems harder to learn.

The initial statement seems off, how many dice you roll depends on the character's mastery of the subject. I'm perfectly fine with exploding dice.

If someone were Competent (2d6) wouldn't they reach Master faster than someone going from "Just has a relevant tool" to Competent? Is that what you want?

How do you handle skill with weapons and the courage to use them?

Happy to use this, and experiment with it. I think Bran has some martial skill, but not as good as Marcus.

[tibbius]

The initial statement seems off, how many dice you roll depends on the character's mastery of the subject.

I think you're referring to the opening "Each player should roll 2d6." A clearer statement would be, "To start the story, each player should roll 2d6." That roll is specifically for figuring out who's the first teller. In this game, I established myself in that role as a traditional DM. However, the rules envision a more collaborative game. One reason I'm proposing them is that I really like the approach you players are taking where you supplement my DM narrative with your own ideas. I would like to formalize that process a little.

In thinking about edge cases, how do characters combine?

I would think a situational bonus (extra 1d6) to the lead character for having assistance. Characters also could take turns being the leader, bringing different tools to the task and each getting that bonus for assistance. The odds stack positive pretty quick with additional characters working together.

How do characters learn skills?

As written, by using tools they learn how to use them better.

If someone were Competent (2d6) wouldn't they reach Master faster than someone going from "Just has a relevant tool" to Competent? Is that what you want?

Yes. Tough to gain competence, somewhat easier to gain mastery.

How do you handle skill with weapons and the courage to use them?

Those are measured by competence or mastery of Fist, Sword, or Sling (or Bow or Gun, depending on setting).

As I mentioned to cybersavant, there can be other tools than those explicitly listed. At the outset I was considering some form of talisman-based magic, though so far that hasn't been a factor. A tool for accessing the supernatural then would be The Amulet or The Talisman or even The Potion (probably consumable tools that would be created using The Brush or The Mortar and Pestle or The Pot). Maybe even The Song or Harp could have a supernatural effect.

Supernatural complications could be particularly worrisome. There's always a price (possibly my favorite theme from Once Upon a Time).

WeirdTools0.4.2.pdf

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[Leitz]

However, the rules envision a more collaborative game. One reason I'm proposing them is that I really like the approach you players are taking where you supplement my DM narrative with your own ideas. I would like to formalize that process a little.

Eh, be careful what you ask for. I've done whole books while waiting on the DM.

In thinking about edge cases, how do characters combine?

I would think a situational bonus (extra 1d6) to the lead character for having assistance. Characters also could take turns being the leader, bringing different tools to the task and each getting that bonus for assistance. The odds stack positive pretty quick with additional characters working together.

Or +1d6 for each "success" of the supporting character, with a maximum supporters based on how many d6 the main character can roll initially? Thus a Master can integrate more help than a novice.

If someone were Competent (2d6) wouldn't they reach Master faster than someone going from "Just has a relevant tool" to Competent? Is that what you want?

Yes. Tough to gain competence, somewhat easier to gain mastery.

I have found the opposite to be true, assuming one is in a position to learn something. I can teach an average person how to shoot, in a day. Becoming good takes a few more days, and after a few decades I'm still curious about what Mastery is.

How do you handle skill with weapons and the courage to use them?

Those are measured by competence or mastery of Fist, Sword, or Sling (or Bow or Gun, depending on setting).

I'm having an interesting read: "When violence is the answer". It's pushing me to critically evaluate things I thought were true.

Supernatural complications could be particularly worrisome. There's always a price (possibly my favorite theme from Once Upon a Time).

Even though Bran is sort of a priest, I'm okay with not having clerical magic. If others delve into it, though, I'm okay with that, too.