OOC Thread

Robb was very busy for a while and inactive on GP. I think he's starting to come back now

😨 Now that I just blamed his character for everything that ever happened? 😨
and he is a scorpion? 😰 (coincidence?)

Yeah I know people get busy on occasion but those three players haven't posted in the game in over a month so whilst I'm all for giving people a bit of time if needed we can't wait forever for them.

Right, Robbs been in touch and said they’re still wanting to carry on in the game but they’ll be driving for the next couple of days so I’ll kick things off again on Monday. Still waiting on hearing back from Lux001 and Tookie_Clothespin.

Ok, a little delayed from where I wanted to be but I've unlocked the thread for Day one of the tournament. Short moment for any RP you want to do before the first event.

Will leave it a few days but then if I've not had a response from Lux001 or Tookie_Clothespin then I'll assume they are no longer interested in the game.

In the meantime, let the trash talking and chirping commence, samurai style.

New post is up peeps. I've not had any response from Tookie or Lux so I've dropped them from the game and we'll continue without them.

Is there any advantage of having more success than required? I could get an additional opportunity I guess

Well if you beat the front runner/favorite in a event (i.e. get more successes) you get an additional competition point plus a point of Glory.

mmm... I forgot that detail... ok, so I'll keep it as it is and wait for the next opportunity :D

Edited my post for explosive successes

... by the way... how doesn’t this strife and unmasking work?
Do you have to unmask? If not, what is the effect of accumulating strife?

I figured this would just be easier to copy from the main rulebook below but the short answer is no you don’t but once you are compromised (have more Strife than your Composure rating) you cannot keep any dice that have Strife symbols on them which may mean you have 0 kept dice on a check.


Removing Strife
Characters naturally remove some strife as time passes. At the end of each scene (a self-contained event or events in an ongoing adventure) each character removes strife until it is equal to half their composure, rounded up (unless it is already lower).
Strife can be reduced further through restful contemplative activities including the pursuit of one’s ninjō (see page 38), pursuing a passion (see page 99), meditating, or attending a tea ceremony. Such activities can potentially remove all of a character's current strife.
Finally, a Compromised character can remove all of their strife by unmasking, briefly lowering their façade to act upon their emotions openly (see Unmasking).

Becoming Compromised

While a character's strife is in excess of their composure, the tumult of emotions that has built up causes the char-acter to become Compromised. While suffering this condition, they are at their emotional limit, which their player should roleplay through various subtle cues that they are repressing accumulated emotion.

Effects of Being Compromised

A compromised character's vigilance attribute (see page 36) counts as 1. Additionally, when making a check, a Compromised character cannot keep dice containing Strife symbols (to a potential minimum of 0 kept dice).

Recovering from Being Compromised

A character ceases to be Compromised when their strife drops back to (or below) their composure. A Compromised character can always rid themself of all of their strife through unmasking.

Unmasking

Once per scene, while a character is Compromised, their player may choose to have the character unmask, briefly expressing the true emotions beneath the guise of a perfect samurai that society demands they main-tain. Keep in mind that the character may stay Com-promised as long as their player deems it appropriate, and can seek other ways to soothe their emotions, but these often take time. The act of unmasking gives a character the chance to achieve immediate emotional clarity and openness, at the cost of potentially disturb-ing the scene. Unmasking is an outpouring of raw emotion: anger at difficult circumstances or injustice, joy as a result of success over harsh trials, mirth at a humorous occur-rence, or despair at a tragic turn of events. Impor-tantly, the player never loses control of their charac-ter while unmasking, because the player chooses the shape the character's unmasking takes and the time at which it occurs. The form of the unmasking should be suited to the scene in which it takes place and the various emotions that have led the character to become Compromised.

Benefits and Risks of Unmasking

When a character unmasks, they remove all of their strife. Then, the player roleplays the way in which their character lets their façade fall, and the GM determines any narrative and mechanical consequences this has. Players and GMs can look to the examples of unmask-ing in this section for inspiration, or invent their own to fit the scene and the character. Like any moment of vulnerability, unmasking is a risk but also a chance to achieve things one otherwise could not. Important moments in a character's life often revolve around the incidents in which they allow their façade to slip, even briefly. Some-times, this bared emotion even allows the character to trans-gress societal norms for an advantage or surpass their own limitations to pursue a goal they otherwise could not. They can also say and do things they normally couldn't—and while such behavior might have a cost in honor or glory (see page 37 for more on honor and glory), a valid point raised in anger is still often valid. The GM should take this into account for the character's checks during the remainder of the scene. A character who rebukes their lord should suffer any natural consequences for doing so (perhaps forfeiting honor or glory, and suffering potential narrative costs), but might also convince their lord to reconsider a foolish course of action. A character who reveals their secret love for someone beyond their station might suffer social repercussions but also catch that person's attention, allowing them to begin a clandestine rela-tionship. A character who challenges a social superior in anger might get that person to accept a duel they would normally refuse without consideration—though of course, this too carries its own deadly risks. The GM and player should consider the risks the act of unmask-ing entails in the scene, but also the unique possibilities it might create.

Would it be possible for Aki to withdraw into quiet contemplation between two tasks or would I have to do that long enough to miss the next challenge in order for it to count as unmasking?

Yeah I'm going to say as all of the days events are presented as a single scene in the adventure (for the purposes of Strife recovery) that if you do that then you would have to miss an event and doing so would incur an Honour and a Glory hit.

That's what I thought. Too bad, though xD

Do I already get the negative effects of strife from having strife equal to my composure or does it have to be higher?

No your strife has to be higher than your composure to become compromised so you're fine at the moment

Nice