Out of Character (OOC)

Welcome to the game, everyone!

Hi everyone! Good to be here, and thanks Jabes for a chance to play in your game.

Thank you for your interest! I have played Dungeon World a lot, but this is only my second time running a DW game, and only my third time running a game in any system. I hope you are as excited as I am!

Some questions to start with (you may message me your responsea privately if you prefer):
1. Can each of you please tell me how much DW experience you have, if any?
2. What made you sign up for an Oriental-flavored game?
3. What do you expect from this game?
4. Any expectations from your fellow players? How about from me as a GM?
5. How do you feel about portrayals of graphic violence, torture, slavery, substance abuse, sexuality, and the like? Is there anything that would make you uncomfortable? Something you would rather we didn't "go there"?

While you are mulling those over, go ahead and create/submit your character sheets. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask.

I just created a Discord server for this game. Click here to join (not required, but recommended). This includes those of you who are here just to read along. :-)

Hello everyone, many thanks for the invite Jabes. To answer your questions:

1) I have none.
2) I love asian/oriental asthetics and action, and I've never played in one before.
3) Wild fights, strange happenings, mysteries needing to be solved.
4) Just a general level of respect for one another.
5) For the most part I am fine with grittier subjects. I'd prefer if things were balanced between lighter and darker depending on the circumstance. Nothing explicit regarding sex please, as it can get kinda weird (although I don't really expect that from you Jabes). Characters of differing sexual orientation is all good with me.

Hello everyone. And let me be the third to thank you for inviting me to the party, Jabes.

1) I don't really have DW experience, but I am in an Apocalypse World game that hasn't quite taken off yet.
2) What really sold me was the art you included in the interest check. It all looked gorgeous and made me want to be a part of whatever was being cooked up. And then, after reading through the character ideas and seeing that artwork accompanying those, I had to throw myself into the mix. I am also a sucker for oriental themes. I have a deep love for anime and a few kung-fu movies (haven't really branched out much yet, but probably will).
3) I am unsure. I imagine a great deal of political drama in the capital city, a lot of over-the-top fights, and probably some drama within the party as well (especially between me and Vorn.) Though honestly, I am just excited to be a part of whatever is going on here and to fuel my addiction for roleplaying.
4) I agree with somebox's answer on this. As long as everyone respects one another as players, that's all I ask for.
5) I am currently running a gothic horror campaign on this site, and I asked this very question of my players. I agree with somebox, again.

Hello everyone, allow me to be the next in line to express my thanks for the invite. Thank you Jabes!

1. I have no experience with Dungeon World, but it seems easy to pick up.
2. I have always been a fan of oriental settings in role playing games. I like the others was sold on how you described the setting and the pictures you posted.
3. I like all of the ideas expressed so far, great fights, puzxle-solving, drama with the group and with everyone else. My character wanting to restore his family's honor is definitely something I'd like to pursue.
4. I agree, an all around respect to each other and to you the DM.
5. Somebox's answer sums it up perfectly.

1. When I first read DW I thought it was a brilliantly innovative take, so I've been waiting for a chance to try it.
2. I've enjoyed all manner of oriental settings since Kara-Tur and L5R. I'm racking my head to remember the artists of those pictures you posted; definitely seen them before and was wowed by them.
3. I'm leaning towards all the oriental tropes I'm familiar with.
4. Regular posts! :)
5. I'm good with everything. So I'd be happy to respect other players' comfort zones.

Thanks for the read along invite. Allow me to say how impressed I am with all the character work done. Top notch one and all.

Yeah, everyone has been great! Exactly the sort of creativity i was hoping for. With everyone's input, I foresee a fun game.

My turn to answer those questions:
1. I've played quite a lot of DW, and ran one other game of it before. That doesn't make me any kind of expert, but it's a very forgiving system so let's just have fun with it!
2. I grew up on kung-fu movies! I read James Clavell's "Shogun" when I was 10, and have been obsessed with feudal Japan ever since. One of the first games I joined on GP was an Oriental-flavored D&D 5e game. Sadly, it died due to posting decline.
3. I'll do my best to deliver!
4. Yes, mutual respect, please. But I don't expect any problems in that department. Apart from that, 'm really hoping for reliably regular posting.
5. I don't intend to go hardcore with anything too sensitive, but I know you guys have some idea what you were signing up for when you read the setting description. There will be lots of opium, and the crab-men are basically slaves. The Opal City is a sensuous place and of course I expect our combat scenes to be as blood-soaked as your favorite samurai movie!

When you play DW face to face it goes like this:
1. GM describes the situation, and asks specific player how their character will react.
2. Player describes their reaction.
3. GM tells player what Move to roll.

The player never mentions the Move by name. The player DESCRIBES what they are trying to do, and the GM calls the Move.

Now, that doesn't work well in PbP - the back and forth is too slow! So if you have a good idea what Move you are triggering, go ahead and roll it. It's still up to the GM to tell you what the results are, or if you should be rolling a different Move. Still refrain from naming the Move except in OOC, and your narrative should always support it. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in no time!

Our adventure will begin near dusk. The Cleric would have already Communed with his deity, so go ahead and select your two spells, Darkreaver.

Likewise, the Monk would have already meditated. So go ahead and roll Meditation now, Bedzone. Either here or on the Character Creation thread.

I see that you've already selected Contact Spirits and Speak with the Dead, Iko. I'm sorry I missed your little X's and 0's there!

Oh no, your fine. I selected those after you sent out the update; I just hadn't replied yet.

Heyo, sorry for not talking here till now. How r we supposed to ans those qns jabes?

What does it mean by hold 1?

Great start, everybody! Obviously there's going to be a bit of a learning curve, but I say that's part of the fun!

Depending on what RPGs you're accustomed to, the idea of players having narrative control can be a little alien.

Remember when I asked you stuff during character creation, and you had total control over the story of your PC's background? Well, SOMETIMES I'll give you free rein with plotlines as well! Unlike in most other games, the DW GM doesn't hold all the cards.

So when I asked, "Xian Feng, the headman can't be trusted. Why not?" I was giving somebox total license to say, "He's secretly on a rival clan's payroll, and he's sabotaged this herd." Such knowledge could be totally unkown to the PCs, or it could be a rumor one or several of you have heard. In any case, it would be canon. A fact. And I would have to build from there.

Contrast this with D&D 5E where the DM knows all the things, and you slowly uncover them with things like Perception, Knowledge, and Insight checks. But I do get to plant secret knowledge for you to discover too, and the appropriate DW moves are Spout Lore, and Discern Realities. And special class-based moves like the Immolator's Give Me Fuel, Give Me Fire, which is triggered here.

Being handed the reins takes some getting used to, and I understand sometimes it's not fun being put on the spot, so here's how we'll do it. When I ask you a question like that you can do 1 of 2 things:
1) Take the opportunity to control the narrative. Make something up.
2) Use an appropriate Move, and I'll either supply the information based on the roll, or just ignore the roll and give you all the info.

@Vorn: At 1st level, no one has any +3 modifiers. Check here and make sure the correct modifiers are noted on your character sheet. Rong Hua's Trap Expert roll would have come up 6, not 7. Fortunately, Weng forestalls her, so we're going to ignore that roll for now.

Hold means different things for different Moves. Check the text of your Move to learn how to spend hold.

Hmm that kinda sucks. I'll let you choose:

1) The roll stands. Start with 2 ki. As normal for any failed Move, mark 1 XP and accept a GM complication. Wu Meng's meditation is marred by troublesome thoughts, and has been plagued by disquiet all day. Take -1 ongoing on all WIS-based moves until you can take a moment to center yourself.

2) Ignore the roll. Start with 4 ki. No XP.

Heh that was a low roll to start with. Nah I'm in favour of letting the dice fall when it makes sense to. Let's keep it. I'll mark 1 XP.

Roger that on your question prompts! Will still propose to roll for moves, but I'll do that after I 'answer' your question to forward the story.

I've just changed the last part of the Guong Estate post because I want to pick up the pace.
I won't make a habit of making belated edits like this. I just want these intro action scenes to really pick up.

I've changed the cockroach pen scene as well.

No prob! Btw don't think I've rolled higher than a 7 yet. Ah well, it'll all average out soon.

Horrible rolls notwithstanding, the cockroach trio survived their first battle! Congrats!

But Xian killed your only lead in this mystery! XD

Working on a cake over the next 22hrs. No post from me today. Will move us forward tomorrow. Thanks!

What roll does hua have to make to attack?

Depends on how you want to attack. Describe it. You'll find the basic moves here.

Best of luck to Vorn, who said on Discord that he will be inactive over the next four days while he is busy with exams.

I don't want to put the game on hold for that long, so unless there are objections I'd like Bedzone to run Rong Hua. I think that setup makes the most sense.

I can do that till Vorn comes back. Will try to keep her alive!

No problems here

@Jabes, I don't have Rong Hua's PC sheet and stats to do her rolls for Vorn :)

Sorry, rookie GM forgot to request that everyone set their character sheets to be view-able by fellow players.

Reposting here for Squadfather, who is not on Discord:

Good idea to have an actual local base. Based on the character creation and roleplay so far, it sounds like Xian and Rong Hua are more or less local, while the rest are more the wandering type, at least were until the group got together.

I think the shop sounds fine. Iko would not have any local properties, as this is his first time in the city.

Alrighty then, shop-base it is.

Please pardon my absence. I have been having migraines again. Daily for a week straight now. Consequently, a drastic reduction in screen time has been prescribed. I will have to think about how to mitigate this development's impact on my gaming. Thank you for your understanding.

Hey don't worry about the game, we're all ok here, you take care of yourself first

Okay, so I went five whole days of not looking at my phone except for important work stuff. Also let my partner do all the computer-related work. Guess what, migraines went away. Now, I know I'm not going to be migraine-free forever (I've lived with them for over 30 years) but it looks like if I don't want to suffer every single day, I will have to extremely limit my screen time.

Don't worry, this game will continue, albeit at slower posting frequency. More frequent is healthier for the game, but unhealthy for me. I'll try to find a good compromise.

Thank you all for understanding!

I hope to have a new in-character post up tonight.

Hey Jabes, health comes first, so if you need to let go of some games, don't be afraid to say so. We understand, and appreciate your running a game in the first place.

Looking back, I see that you are absolutely right! I''m sorry for the confusion!

Squadfather, I just noticed a couple of things missing from Zhang Wei's character sheet: You should have 1 antitoxin (0 weight), and poultices & herbs (1 weight). Might come in handy ;-) That would bring your Load up to 6/28.

Got it, I'll add them now.

I have just made a small but potentially important edit to this post so if you've read it, please read it again.

Here's the thing about spell scrolls in DungeonWorld: only a spellcaster (and the right kind at that) can use them. In other words, only Iko has any use for the two scrolls Meng found. In fact, if I could do that post over I'd say the scrolls only contained gibberish to Meng and Feng's eyes, but they easily guess the symbols are magical.

Since Wu Meng has more than the necessary 8xp to level up, do the extra xp carry over? (It'd be a pity if they didn't!)

Yes, they carry over. That's why on my tracker I have your XP listed as 5/9. 9XP is required to advance to Level 3. You're more than halfway there!

I apologize for the extended absence, folks! Work has been more brutal than usual. I can hardly remember when I last slept. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel; after a couple more days of this I can finally get back on the boards.

Thanks!

No worries Jabes. Gotta do real life. Please take care of yourself first.

Yeah no worries Jabes, make time for yourself.

I think this is also a good time to ask you how you are finding the game. Is it meeting your expectations that we talked about? Is there anything you'd like to see more of, or less of? What works for you, and what doesn't? It can be anything, whether it has to do with my narrative style, or the formatting (fonts, underlines, etc) that I use. How are you liking the DungeonWorld ruleset? Do you find any of it confusing or weird? If so, how can I do a better job explaining it?

Please don't hesitate to give me constructive criticism. I welcome it, because I would like to get better as a GM. And I think a good GM listens to his players. You can post here or PM me, whichever you prefer.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

Looking good so far Jabes, thanks for building a comprehensive and immersive world. Here's a happy complaint, too many leads to follow in your sandbox! :D

I'm quite enjoying everything Jabes, the situations we get into are exciting and varied, not to mention filled with details. I'm slowly adjusting to the DW rule set, but it all makes sense after a bit of reading the mechanics.

I'm having a great time. Keep doing what you've been doing.

With Vorn leaving us (temporarily?) I've edited my post to write Rong Hua out of the story (unexpected bonus plot hook: find a cure for Rong Hua).
I have a couple of players (RoAries and evecar_solaris) interested in filling the gap. Am waiting for their character idea submissions, will choose the one I feel will best fit the current group.

---

Just making sure we're all on the same page: Sungyeol suggested to do the jungle foray first while there's daylight, and recommended to postpone the hunt for the nocturnal beast until nightfall. Wu Meng nods, but suggests the opposite, and Zhang Wei also seems to want to do the beast hunt first. Replies from Iko and Xian could mean either way. You guys can do whichever way you prefer, but at the moment I'm not entirely sure what the consensus is.

Ok thanks for the status update. Let's wait a bit for our new players then.

Will have the new character join the party later. For now, I'd like to know what your next step is (apart from returning Mei to Shen Xin), including what, if anything, Zhang Wei does with the ring.

Hi, I'll be still using the ranger from Yatpun(decide on name later) . Let me know if you accept mine or the other player. Also, what unique things might someone from Yatpun have, in terms of culture, clothing etc.

Submitted my character kinda took a bond with Wu Meng, my shifu is Shifu Qian, of the school of air though. It's on my character sheet in more detail.

@RoAries and @evecar_solaris, you're both in if you can both commit to 1 post every other day. Would like the current players to recommit to this as well.

Welcome to both, looking forward to having more PCs!

Sure, I'm personally committed to a daily post in all my GP games, unless we're on a break.

Barring unusual circumstances, of course! Work, family, school...in other words, life. Just please give prior notice if possible. But if this game is stalled waiting for a response from one of you, and I see you chatting on Discord, and you're showing online on this page, well... I mean, I'm not going to enforce this "rule" but please, it's basic respect for your fellow gamers.

I have submitted my character. Just need to figure what to put as my bond and I believe I'm ready to start.
And also, I'll commit to posting frequently.

Mimi is lacking stats and an avatar. Other than that, good start. You only really need one bond. What are you thinking in terms of backstory?

One option is to be a member of the Explorer's guild that has been assigned to accompany the party. But I'd love to hear your ideas!

New guys, please join our discord server

I'm working towards Mimi's and Kalam's intros. But right now the spotlight is on Wei and Iko. We'll play out this scene first. Meanwhile, I have questions for our two new characters in their respective personal threads.

Beautiful description of Kalam's arcane bladework! So who besides me wants to see a flashback to a sparring session between Kalam and Meng?

Always down for flashbacks

And here I was, thinking of quietly rolling Spout Lore on the flute Meng found, and finding other secret ways to give away my treasure...

Lets do it.

It's on!!! Chapter 2.1: The Sky and the Mountain

There's no initiative or anything. First to post acts first, then take turns. If you roll 6- or 7-9, go ahead and describe your own complication. I won't step in unless necessary.

I'm about to crash in bed, gotta take this up first thing tomorrow morning! Can't wait!

Okay, no problem! I don't think Evecar_solaris is around either.

Is anybody ever going to answer that door? XD

I forgot there was a knock! XD

Great RP all around, guys! Feel free to carry on. But if you'd prefer that I fast forward you guys to the Crippled Crane, or skip over that and go straight to the monster hunt, that's cool, too! :-)

Sorry, folks, it's been a looong day in the middle of a loooong weekend. Was looking forward to updating games as a treat for myself, but I am just dead tired. Will try again tomorrow.

That just means you're constantly trying to DO stuff. Which is really the only way to move the story forward. Which is sort of the point. ;-) So good job!

It's cool. I've been pretty busy myself. Plus not sure how much Kalam would know about what is going on. If it's full non- disclosure that's fine.

The subject of slavery came up in the interest check thread for my Hiptos game.

Looking back, I wasn't really planning to have the PCs be allied with a slaver. But even though it was Vorn, not me, who came up with a slaver criminal contact, it was absolutely me who had Shen Xin ask you to help retrieve one of her slaves. I remember thinking it could go either way - you'd help her, or you'd refuse. So it ended up going the way it did, with Rong Hua treating it like any other job, and Wu Meng setting aside his own distaste for the whole business and hoping his share of the loot will help Mei in the future.

How does this sit with you, as players? Have I perhaps violated our agreement, crossed the line somewhere? Please be honest.

We have two new players who were not present for Session Zero. I have been remiss in not revisiting this discussion.

1. Some, played a few sessions for a few campaigns. Never finished one, real life kept getting in the way.
2. I liked the pitch for the game, also I looked at the quality of the posts and gm responses. Everything looked to make sense and you keep things in order. Looks great, keep it up.
3. Good RP
4. Good RP
5. I'm comfortable/indifferent about all that personally. Though my characters I play are of different mindsets. Only thing that bothers me on a personal level is rape, can't stand it, even when portrayed in movies.

You've been running a great game! I don't think you've come close to violating the guidelines we set..not even close.

1. This is my first game using the DW system.
2. I guess it's unique setting. Also, you invited me to join, so I figured why not.
3. I don't have exact expectations. Maybe world-building, RP and some combat.
4. I expect the usual respectfulness and some decent creativity. GM even more so.
5. I'm not affected by it too much, but I still prefer if it doesn't get into ERP levels of squick.
(In truth, I was kinda surprised by the themes. Normally these won't be expected in the games here. But I suppose having an open mind about a setting that has real-world nastiness doesn't hurt.)

Sorry have been really busy with work. I've been putting in 15 hours a day the past week. Since I'm now driving the semi, i have less time to check and post. I'll have to start doing it at night from now on.

Sorry about being nochalant about the fire guys, im not entirely sure where everyones characters stand morally.

i feel Kalam as a respectable individual but has lived in a caste society for too long. He is an elf and a student of the martial arts and arcane powers, he tends to views things a bit differently than others might.

That's horrible! I had no idea they did that! I know that scorpions will do it if food is scarce. But this monster has not been eating people as far as you can tell.

Yeah, I did research on that afterwards. It affects a mother with newborns. Their maternal instinct naturally makes them protective, but if they are disturbed or threatened, they end up seeing their own young as threats to the nest. Yikes.

I know about the hamsters eating its babies irl. I learnt that its because the babies smell different probably because the pet owner touched the babies, and so the mother ate the babies due to the foreign smell.

That's entirely up to you. Such knowledge is definitely characteristic of a ranger.

As posted on the Absences thread:

Squadfather sent me a PM yesterday to respectfully withdraw from the game as he has been dealing with real-life issues. It's too bad, as I liked Zhang Wei as much as all the other PCs. It will be awkward to have him disappear all of a sudden, so just act like he is still with the group, and I will have him separate from you to tend to Rong Hua as soon as you return to the city.

I have no plans to recruit a new player. I feel like we have a solid group right now. If anyone disagrees, let me know.

That's a bummer, but understandable. I'm pretty happy with the current number of party members.

Out of all of you, I'm most curious about Iko's reaction to this tomb raiding. :-)

Not yet. ;-)

Posted on the Absences thread:

I'm about to hop on a plane for my end-of-year vacation, part of which will still be relaxing through PbP. I'll be regular, but erratic.

Aren't they the exact opposite meanings?

:D :D. I'll post daily as usual, but at different times of the day?

Enjoy your trip, Bedzone!

As for me, I will try my best to return to regular posting, but it's going to be tough given how busy people in my line of owrk are during the holiday season. But I will do my best!

Feel that Jabes.. people love to drink during the holidays. Means more work for me

Hey are just looking to see how everyone is doing

Pretty swell, I suspect Jabes is still recovering from working hell.

Same.. just getting over the holiday restock .. eager to get back into the swing of things

?

Hi, all! Sorry, I was away from GP over the entire holidays because of my workload. Then, as soon as that started to slacken, we had the Taal Volcano eruption. I'm aiming to get this game revived within the next couple of days. Can I have a head count?

Glad to hear you're still well Jabes.

Thanks! I'm glad you're still here!

Sorry to hear. Had some troubles on my end as well, but volcanoe by far trump's those. I'm here and take your time, I'm not giving up on this.

I'm here. And yeah, I hope you're well.

I'm here, too. Sending my well wishes to you too

Thanks, guys! New post is up!

I haven't forgotten! Just wanted to reread the earlier posts to recollect where we're at currently.

Yes, the two newcomers (Mimi and Kalam) met Sungyeol this morning.

If you aren't attending to any more business today (it's well past midnight by now), it's time to Make Camp. I assume you are spending the night at Feng's textile shop like before?

Sounds like a good time to snooze.

Yeah, sounds like the end of a day. Wu Meng will use his racial feature aka 'vow of poverty' to mooch some food and shelter.

Shelter is available at Feng's textile shop. Of course, you can each choose to bed down elsewhere. There are any number of inns in town, including the Twelve Lanterns. Are you sticking together, or splitting up?

BTW, this is OOC thread, just in case if any of us forgot.

Yes, this is the right place for the OOC discussion of where to spend the night. Unless you prefer to roleplay coming to that decision-- that's totally fine, too!

Kalam, not familiar with the city at all, would follow Meng

Mimi will obviously be with Kalam as he brings her to a safe resting place.

Feng's it is then!

Awesomeness.. not sure where that leaves us, but plot advancement is always great

I'll start us on a new chapter. Might not get around to it before the weekend though.

And I'll be sure to start with a little review like I did at the start of Chapter 2.

Great Chapter 2 Jabes!

Sounds lovely.

Agreed.. sounds great

Hey, guys, I'm still here. I keep saying I'll post soon, and I keep letting you down, but I have every intention of keeping this game going. I'll be honest with you: it's writer's block.

I need to watch some anime or some good old kung fu. Ip Man 4 is out.

Lol no problems.. nice. Love ip man

Take a break for a while. We are treating this as if it's the end of a chapter anyway. So we can restart when your new chapter is good and ready!

Is there health recovery when we rest? (and let me know if there is something I should update for my sheet)

Whenever you Make Camp, you heal damage equal to half your max HP. 

Rations: 2 > 1. HP: 20/20
Also, when does my limp recover?

I intend to start the next chapter a few days after the end of Chapter 2. Mimi should be fully recovered by then. :-)

I just spotted a mistake. That should read "ornate scroll case."

Ooh now I need to know what it is. I edited my last post.

Howdy, friends!

No matter where in the world you all are I know everybody's having to make some difficult adjustments. I'm going to keep this game going in case it helps you guys cope the same way it helps me. But at the same time, I'm not going to add to your stress in this already stressful time by bugging you about posting rate. If you're here, you're here. We'll go slow. It's okay. If you need to be away to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, healthy, and sane, that's okay too, and I wish you the best. We'll be here for you when this is all over.

Jabes

*Thumbs up emoji* yeah I'm considered essential personal and still have to work through all this. Things are hard on many levels at the moment but I'll be fine.
I started up my own game before the plague but ig was with people I knew in real life, that was a mistake. I'm glad I didn't have you join Jabes. It's kind of a train wreck, my players didn't transition well into pbp

Sorry guys I've been really busy. Work has me running double routes, and when I'm home I have to take care of kiddos. Wife works from home and takes care of kids, so only fair I do it when I'm home. This quarantine is killing any free time I have really.

Sorry guys I've been really busy. Work has me running double routes, and when I'm home I have to take care of kiddos. Wife works from home and takes care of kids, so only fair I do it when I'm home. This quarantine is killing any free time I have really.

I'll post up today

Same over here. Lockdown in my country means twice the prep for working from home. I'm way slower in all my games too.

No worries, guys. Same here, believe me. I've been sitting on a draft post for this game for four days now! Also working on a quest log, but that's also taking much longer than it normally would.