OOC

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Nov 17, 2020 6:44 pm
Invite to the game discord. The discord's going to be for stuff like questions and stuff, so that the game doesn't get slowed down by anything. I also have the Ninpo list in there too for reference, so make sure to join.
Nov 17, 2020 6:58 pm
OOC:
Template for the character sheet.
Clan/Clan Goal:
Cover:
Conviction:

People:

Skills:
[ ] Tech -
[ ] Martial Arts -
[ ] Stealth -
[ ] Scheming -
[ ] Strategy -
[ ] Sorcery -
https://i.imgur.com/9Ssct7i.png

Ninpo List:

Ninja Gear:

Ohgi Info:
Nov 17, 2020 6:59 pm
[ +- ] Example Character w/ Clarifying Comments
Nov 18, 2020 3:46 pm
OOC:
Just a few rolls, don't mind me

Rolls

Secret Roll

Secret Roll

Secret Roll

Secret Roll

Nov 18, 2020 3:49 pm
Posted this also within Discord

So are we doing the games PvP content or are we playing as a team versus a common Enemy(s) -- if the former how are we going about choosing factions so that we each have one -- if vs a collective NPC Enemy(s) are we all one group woring in unison or perhaps a group with varying agendas trying to defeat our common enemy(s) (most important) while doing our best to fulfill or pursue our personal agendas ?? Wondering how this is going to be set up as that will dictate a lot about how the characters are built I would think
Nov 18, 2020 4:11 pm
Clarification on Fumbles in Combat:
Do you have to roll the fumble value exactly, or is it equal to or less than?
So if your plot value is 6, your TN is 7 and you roll a 5, is that a fumble, or just a miss?
Also, if your TN is 5, and you roll 6. Even though you beat the TN, you'd fail and fumble, right? As opposed to succeeding but with the negative consequence from the fumble table because a fumble is an automatic fail.
Nov 18, 2020 4:21 pm
Also, is the fumble based on the raw dice value or the value after modifiers?

How are modifiers applied? Before or after rolling?
Nov 18, 2020 4:30 pm
I don't understand damage and life points. The summary talks about different categories, what are the categories? How many life points do you get per category? Is losing a life point the same as taking damage or are they two different tracks? Is the 1d6 damage from a critical in addition to the lost life point or in place of?
Nov 18, 2020 4:36 pm
What constitutes an Ohgi being revealed? Is it if it is used against you? Or if you witness it being used? So if character Aoki, Mori and Yama are in a scene together. Aoki uses their Ohgi vs Mori, has it been revealed to Yama? Is it "information" you can learn about someone? And if so, does it get passed on via Emobond?
Nov 18, 2020 4:47 pm
When you form an Emobond, is it always reciprocal? In the example, both players roll on the table, so that make me think its reciprocal. Or can you form a one-way bond? Is the Emobond secret or open info before it is used? The existence of a bond is clearly open because everyone will see if you succeed, but the nature and whether it is positive or negative could be secret before it's used?

Do (1) information sharing and (2) choice to join combat work the same way for a positive and negative bond?
Nov 18, 2020 4:57 pm
I've had a good read through of everything and other than those clarifications, I think I've got a reasonable idea of how things work, but it's a pretty novel system to me, so I'm sure there will be things I'm misunderstanding until we play through a round or two. Seems pretty cool though, so I'm excited! Thanks for organizing it all saevikas!
Nov 18, 2020 5:04 pm
Oh, one more question (I'm sure there will be more XD). Does your cost and range have to add up to your plot value, or are they independent? E.g. If you have PV 5, then do you have a range of 5 and can spend up to 5 on the cost of various ninpo, or can you choose a range of 2 and then spend up to 3 on the cost of ninpo?
Nov 18, 2020 5:09 pm
The "only use your Ohgi once per round in combat" doesn't really seem like a restriction since all ninpo you can only be used once per round. Is that correct or a typo?
Nov 18, 2020 5:26 pm
It's going to be a versus scenario, meaning team vs. team, but with varying agendas. See the part about secrets and missions. Shinobigami is built for PvP, so make your character however you want, I'll be handing out secrets and missions after the Introduction Cycle.

Fumbles are equal to or less than the dice value, after mods. So having a higher Plot Value in combat means you fumble more often. Fumbles are automatic failures, regardless of TN. Not sure what you mean by before or after, they work like most mods do, adding a straight bonus to the roll. So a +2 mod is 2d6+2.

The categories refer to the skill table categories. You see how each column of skills in the skill table has a box? That's to mark life points off of. So each category has one life point, and when you mark it off, you lose the use of skills within that category. Life points are the only damage you need to track in this game, besides status ailments. The 1d6 critical is in place of the normal amount of damage.
Nov 18, 2020 5:34 pm
If you use an Ohgi around someone, you revealed your Ougi to them, and they can then try Ougi Break your usage of Ougi anytime after. So, as long as you witness it, you learn the info. You can't learn it through Drama Scenes like you can Secrets or Location. Ougi info is not passed through Emobonds. You can trade that information with others during Drama Scenes like you can other info.

You can create a one sided Emobond through winning a combat and setting the loser's Emobond towards you. Emobonds are open info to the table. Info sharing and combat joining work the same regardless of whether it's positive or negative.

Cost and Range are independent. Range is just telling you which Plot Values you can hit with a Ninpo.

The restriction on Ougi is in the book, probably a failsafe against edge cases where you may be able to use it more than once per round. I haven't thought of a way to do it, but the rule's there. It also may just be clarifying that you can use it like a Ninpo, instead of once per scene like the Drama Scene usage.
Nov 18, 2020 5:55 pm
Thanks for the clarifications! That all makes sense.
saevikas says:
Not sure what you mean by before or after.
By before vs after, I meant natural vs modified. Some games score crits based on the natural roll (like a nat 20, rolling twenty regardless of modifications) so chance of success/failure changes with modifiers but chance of crit is always the same and others take modifications into account, so chance of crit can change too. Sounds like this game takes the modification into account.
saevikas says:
The 1d6 critical is in place of the normal amount of damage.
Wow, crits are a big deal then since there's only 6 categories!
saevikas says:
Cost and Range are independent. Range is just telling you which Plot Values you can hit with a Ninpo.
Ah, I get it now. Each ninpo has a range. I hadn't had a close look at the ninpo yet. I thought there were ranged and non-ranged ninpo, where the range was set by the PV. But I understand now.
Last edited November 18, 2020 5:58 pm
Nov 18, 2020 6:02 pm
saevikas says:
Not sure what you mean by before or after.
Oops, that's not what I meant. I meant, when do players choose to add modifiers, before or after the roll. That is, do players have the knowledge of your roll before choosing to modify. For example, in DnD it would be before the roll, but in Fate you can choose to spend your Fate Point (+2) after your roll.
Last edited November 18, 2020 6:04 pm
Nov 18, 2020 6:17 pm
Nevermind, it only really matters if there's a cost to the decision (i.e. in Fate you spend your point), which doesn't seem to be the case here, so it's probably a moot point. I was thinking about Emobonds and whether or not you choose to modify another character's roll. It doesn't cost anything to use that ability, so there's no reason you would want to know the result before applying the mod, except for a few edge cases maybe (like you want to prove you are an ally and help them succeed, as long as it doesn't cause a crit for some secret reason).
Nov 18, 2020 6:21 pm
Oh, in the case of Emobond mods, it would be before, since you can only do that once a scene.
Nov 18, 2020 6:23 pm
saevikas says:
It's going to be a versus scenario, meaning team vs. team, but with varying agendas. See the part about secrets and missions. Shinobigami is built for PvP, so make your character however you want, I'll be handing out secrets and missions after the Introduction Cycle.
Okay so we arbitrarily make our characters and (not like this will happen but it could) 3 of the players choose 1 organization and one of the players chooses one of the other organizations -- seems kind of lopsided and similar if you get any 2 players choosing the same organization while the remaining players are in different organizations. I mean I could be wrong (not really knowing the game) but I would think you would either want everyone in a single organization -- or -- make sure that all the players are in different organizations. If this assumption is wrong can you explain how/why groups do not have an advantage over single players.
Last edited November 18, 2020 6:24 pm
Nov 18, 2020 6:38 pm
It's a bit more nuanced than "clan vs. clan". I'll be splitting the teams up into even teams, which each have common goals in the form of a Mission, regardless of their allegiance. Also, in this game, pursuing personal interests, in the form of their Secret, is more important than one's clan alliance. If you want a narrative justification for why some people from the same organization are fighting against each other, consider that these clans are really big, and probably have some internal conflicts as well. If you want, you can coordinate to have a variety in clans, but I'm saying that it's not too important.
Nov 18, 2020 6:50 pm
I am okay with whatever just was wanting to understand what I am stepping into so that I can better understand I will be and not be doing kind of thing so thanks for the clarification
Nov 18, 2020 7:46 pm
Is the Prize worth Merit Points? Does it have mechanical benefits? Or is it just narrative in that who ever wins the climax gets the prize and therefore wins the game. Or can someone win the climax fight, but not end up with the prize?
Nov 18, 2020 7:55 pm
Having the Prize by the end does grant Merit Points, which act like XP. I haven't put that table up, but I will later. Merit Points are awarded for fulfilling your various goals and motivations during the session.

Anyways, sometimes holding the Prize has mechanical benefits, sometimes it's a MacGuffin type thing. I don't know if you can win the climax fight and not have the prize, but there's nothing against it.
Nov 18, 2020 9:49 pm
Okay so is this just a one shot game or are we going to be able to continue forward -- and if we can continue forward what happens if some players earn more XP than others would that not give them an advantage on the next contest which could just snowball -- or is that some how covered within the Guidelines ??
Nov 18, 2020 10:05 pm
Since it's mostly trying to achieve personal goals with some overlapping objectives, it might be self balancing. Once one player get a little too strong, the others begin to team up when necessary to balance it out until someone else becomes too strong and so on.
Nov 18, 2020 10:07 pm
I say we start as a one shot and if it goes well then we can talk about continuing.
Nov 18, 2020 10:18 pm
Yeah, that's the cart before the horse, so to speak. Anyways, anybody have character concepts yet? I know ToDream has submitted theirs.
Nov 18, 2020 10:47 pm
If you mean by character just a quick sketch of skills, I still need to chose abilities.
Nov 18, 2020 11:14 pm
I mean, just in general, what kind of character you're making.
Nov 19, 2020 5:34 am
I've got four character seeds that are bouncing around in my head. Any feedback is welcome. If they are too close to anyone else's ideas let me know so I don't develop that one, or if anyone's having trouble brainstorming feel free to grab one of these ideas and run with it, but tell me so I don't develop that one as well:

Husabu Army - Tech
High-speed railway engineer who works for RTRI (Railway Technical Research Institute) the R&D branch of Japan Railways.

Hirasaka Agency - Scheming
English Language Tutor from America. Grandfather was stationed in Japan after WWII but was turned/trained to be a mole/spy within the US. After retiring, he trained his grandchild the ways of the ninja. On the grandfather's deathbed, he told the grandchild to find a way to go to Japan to complete the training. Moving to Japan undercover as an English Teacher, is now training with the Hirasaka Agency to be an elite international spy.

Lost One - Stealth
As a child, she was kidnapped to be trained by the Otogi Private Academy because she showed signs a being a gifted ninja prodigy. Hating the school for ripping her from her family, she ran away once she was powerful enough. Now a shy grown-up terrified of being rediscovered, she has managed to sneak her way into attending university with the hopes of finding a career that will give her enough opportunity to be able to find her lost family.

Otogi Private Academy - Strategy
An old school teacher and children's sports coordinator/coach who uses his position to test children to find the next 'chosen one', or at least the next ninja prodigy for the Academy.
Last edited November 23, 2020 3:59 am
Nov 19, 2020 4:57 pm
Sumomo is a oni-descendant of a long line of such. She is alternately quite and brash, as her long-time mission of staying hidden classes with her oni-blood impulsive brashness.
[ +- ] Spoiler that GM may use
Nov 19, 2020 11:17 pm
ToDream: Sounds interesting! Anyone in particular she's trying to stay hidden from, or just "those in power"?
Nov 20, 2020 5:22 pm
I was going to ask what this mysterious Shinobigami was then I found this : Shinobigami literally means "God of the Shinobi (Ninja)"

In the stories, the Shinobigami might be an actual god or demon; an extremely secretive, ancient and forgotten ninja bloodline; a prophesized unborn ninja master; a viral idea; or some other possibility altogether and thus basically a Macguffin. As such, what it actually means is going to entirely depend upon the events that happen within play, and/or the direction the GM decides when running the game. Further, for the most part, the answer does not matter: For most of the ninjas in the clans fighting for the coming of or the prevention thereof of this Shinobigami do not truly understand what it is. The reality of this Macguffin may or may not completely unfold as the story develops and until then it is simply good to know that it is a very important thing to assist or prevent.
Nov 20, 2020 8:01 pm
Thanks for looking into that, it's good to know. I like how it's super important, but also completely vague, like the holy grail, or the answer to life the universe and everything (or maybe the question ... XD). Makes it mysterious and epic.
Nov 23, 2020 3:05 am
How are your guys' character creation going? If you need any help, let me know.
Nov 23, 2020 3:48 am
Okay I have the basic concept and just trying to put the various elements together -- would it be possible to get a description of the skills. I am currently operating off of assumptions that could be wrong and I would much rather know for sure when deciding the various skills this character has.
Nov 23, 2020 4:41 am
Sure thing. Most are basically what's on the tin.
[ +- ] Skill Descriptions
Nov 23, 2020 8:33 pm
I need to do a few more things, mostly picking jutsu, and add them to the character sheet.
Nov 23, 2020 9:56 pm
Jutsu what is this ? Ninpo?
Last edited November 23, 2020 9:57 pm
Nov 24, 2020 5:38 am
I was having trouble deciding which character seed I wanted to use and then today I got a bit busy, but should have time to polish it off tomorrow. Is the character sheet info open knowledge or private. Or is only the secret and location private? Just wondering whether to post a finished character sheet or just submit it.
Nov 24, 2020 6:19 am
Only the secret and Ougi is private.
Nov 24, 2020 6:12 pm
I've chosen my Ninpo and updated my character sheet. I also designed my Ohgi and put everything on my character sheet.
OOC:
I might also be making a few more harmless rolls. Nothing to see here.
Last edited November 24, 2020 6:17 pm

Rolls

Secret Roll

Secret Roll

Secret Roll

Secret Roll

Nov 24, 2020 7:13 pm
Good so far. You can add another Ninpo, since it's 4 ninpo in addition to the close combat ninpo. Also, which category do you choose for the imperial wrath ninpo?
Nov 24, 2020 11:35 pm
I chose sorcery for imperial wrath. Unfortunately, spoilers don't seem to work on character sheets.
Nov 25, 2020 12:18 am
Well if you do not make the character sheet public no one can see it except you and the GM
Nov 25, 2020 7:37 am
So I decided to go with:
Chalrytharendir says:
Hirasaka Agency - Scheming
English Language Tutor from America. Grandfather was stationed in Japan after WWII but was turned/trained to be a mole/spy within the US. After retiring, he trained his grandchild the ways of the ninja. On the grandfather's deathbed, he told the grandchild to find a way to go to Japan to complete the training. Moving to Japan undercover as an English Teacher, is now training with the Hirasaka Agency to be an elite international spy.
I like this backstory, but I was having trouble coming up with a thematic concept.

So I googled images of "American Ninja" for ideas and came across this woman/instagram model known as the Mermaid Ninja.
[ +- ] Images
I guess she competed on that TV show American Ninja Warrior. Her submission video for the show is on youtube where you can see why they call her "mermaid" ninja as she also likes to dress in mermaid cosplay.

Anyways, unique look and seems like a cool combo: Ninja Mermaid. So I'll use that as my thematic inspiration for picking skills, ninpo and ohgi. She seems almost anime, so I think it will fit nicely.

Personality-wise, I'm thinking my character will be more of a james-bond-type, although when she's using her English Tutor cover, she'll probably act more friendly/fun/approachable.

Name: Salacia (Sally or Lacy) Cove

Clan/Clan Goal: Hirasaka Agency/Protect Japan's national interests

Cover: Training to be a Japanese Spy with the current cover as an English Tutor from America

Conviction: Loyalty

Skills:
[ ] Tech - Hydromancy
[ ] Martial Arts - Aerial Arts
[ ] Stealth
[ ] Scheming (Main) - Trap, Investigation, Seduction
[ ] Strategy
[ ] Sorcery - Transformation


I still need to pick my Ninpo, Gear and Ohgi, but now I feel like I've got a better grasp on my character! I'll try to choose the rest tomorrow.
Nov 25, 2020 2:52 pm
Name : Shinmen Takezō
Cover : Professional Dancer
Clan/Clan Goal : Kurama Shin (Prevent the rise of the Shinobigami)
Conviction : Bushido Code (self-improvement/honor/loyalty)
People : None

Skills
[ ] Tech ......... :
[ ] Martial Arts : Aerial Arts, Footwork, Hand-to-Hand
[ ] Stealth ..... : Disguise
[ ] Scheming . : Performance
[ ] Strategy ... :
[ ] Sorcery .... : Barrier

Ninpo List
... Close Combat Attack ... (Performance) ..... (Attack / 1 / *)
... Plot Restriction ........... (Barrier) ............. (Support / * / 3)
... Vibrato ...................... (Hand-to-Hand) ... (Equip / * / *)
... Silhouette .................. (Clan-Footwork) ... (Attack / * / 2)
... End of the Beginning ... (Clan) ................. (Equip / * / *)

Okay People represent those whose Secret, Location, and/or Ohgi are known by my character but what are these Secret and Location things and am I supposed to have them myself?

DeJoker sent a note to saevikas
Last edited November 25, 2020 6:08 pm
Nov 25, 2020 5:31 pm
Chalrytharendir, cool concept, really like how you drew on outside inspiration. Can't wait to see the complete thing.

DeJoker, you can basically show your entire character sheet, except for your Ougi, and eventually your Secret.

To answer your questions:

Secrets are character motivations I'll give you once the game starts. Think of them like secret missions, which run perpendicular to your Mission.

Location is a binary status, rather than any specific location. Either you know someone's location, or you don't. Narratively, having a character's Location means you've managed to track down their movements. Mechanically, it means that, if you want to fight a person, you can if you know their Location.

Silhouette basically means that you can start on the same plot value as a certain character. See the rules summary for more on plot. The implications of this are that you can basically be in range 0 of any one character, but you don't get to choose your own plot value.

saevikas sent a note to DeJoker
There's not much of an advantage or disadvantage to making Performance your Close Combat instead of Hand to Hand, as long as you can describe it well enough. One advantage is that you spread your skills out more across your Ninpo, so that, if Hand to Hand is locked off, you don't lose access to as many Ninpo.
Nov 25, 2020 6:16 pm
Okay thanks saevikas I will re-look into that Rules Summary on Plot stuff -- also yeah I was thinking about it that based on his subterfuge nature of masking his ninja abilities as part of performing I went with Performance instead as the attack might be "verbal" or some other non-physical-hand-to-hand kind of thing if I am understanding the conceptual nature of these attacks

Also edited my previous post to show those aspects of the character that were to be public will submit this as a character sheet along with his pic but should I use his normal identity pic or his ninja pic ??
Nov 25, 2020 6:23 pm
Whichever you want.
Nov 26, 2020 6:23 am
I'm almost done, but I need a clarification on Combat.

When you choose an attack, the skill associated with the attack isn't used to attack, the attack is automatic. The question is whether the opponent dodges. To dodge you roll against the skill of the attack.

Is that correct? Or does the attacker first need to make an attack roll of the associated skill to initiate the attack?
Nov 26, 2020 6:30 am
Basically following on from that is an Attack Check just a synonym for Dodge Check, or is an attack check and dodge check two different things?
Nov 26, 2020 1:37 pm
Two rolls are needed, the attack roll from the attacker, and the dodge roll from the defender. They both roll using the skill listed on the attack.
Nov 26, 2020 10:01 pm
If Dodger has that skill otherwise if they do not have that skill they have to go through the chart to the closest skill that they do have and roll that one amassing penalties to their roll the further they have to go -- is that correct??
Last edited November 26, 2020 10:02 pm
Nov 26, 2020 10:34 pm
Ninpo:
... Close Combat Attack ... Transformation ... A/1/0
... Ranged Combat Attack ... Aerial Arts ... A/2/0
... Mob Attack ... Hydromancy ... A/4/0
... Counter ... Trap ... S/2/2
... Expertise (Hydromancy) ... --- ... E/-/-

Gear:
... Bead of Life
... Soma Pill

Ohgi:
Chalrytharendir sent a note to saevikas
Nov 26, 2020 11:10 pm
Dejoker, that is correct.

Looking good Chal.
saevikas sent a note to Chalrytharendir
Nov 27, 2020 12:04 am
It was really hard to pick! I wanted all the ninpo 😆

Still not convinced this is the right combo for my character. I kept switch things in and out thinking "oh that's really thematic" but it seemed mechanically weak, then I'd find a cool combo, but felt out of character, and so on ...

Anyways, I think I found an okay balance that's also sticking with the relatively simple moves, which is probably good for the first time. You never really know how all the game elements interact until you see them in play.

Are we going to play with 3 or are we waiting for one more?
Nov 27, 2020 12:06 am
I don't know, those that I invited haven't joined. If they don't join up, I'll just make an NPC or something to even out the numbers.
Nov 27, 2020 12:20 am
Yeah I went with theme - mechanics be danged - if I lose I lose - I would rather maintain theme of a character over exploiting the mechanics
Nov 27, 2020 7:22 am
saevikas says:
I don't know, those that I invited haven't joined. If they don't join up, I'll just make an NPC or something to even out the numbers.
Sounds good, whichever you prefer. I'm happy to give it a try either way.
DeJoker says:
Yeah I went with theme - mechanics be danged - if I lose I lose - I would rather maintain theme of a character over exploiting the mechanics
Awesome, I like that approach too. We all win if it's a good story regardless of which character is the victor. Doesn't mean I won't try, but I also won't betray the character concept if possible. Looking forward to building a cool story together!
Nov 27, 2020 10:37 pm
I also built on a theme, sort of. More specifically I was trying to create a character I had written a story about.
Nov 27, 2020 10:51 pm
Mind telling us about the backstory? Would help when I hand out secrets.
Nov 28, 2020 5:34 pm
[ +- ] Clan History
Dec 2, 2020 9:44 pm
Not idle working on post
Dec 3, 2020 1:49 am
Looking forwards to it.
Dec 4, 2020 8:36 pm
DeJoker sent a note to saevikas
Dec 4, 2020 10:07 pm
Exciting and intriguing! An oni and an oni hunter, can't wait to find out how this is going to go! Which side of the ancient battle will Lacy sympathize with, or maybe neither and Lacy represents a greater threat that brings ancient enemies together in a common struggle! Should be fun!
Dec 4, 2020 10:44 pm
Yeah well I get the impression that lines are not clearly black and white -- and there maybe situations where a member of the Kurama Shin Clan works side-by-side with an Oni -- it is a world of intrigue and hidden-politics and power-balance and such

Maybe a Hasuba is trying to obtain the Ougi of an Oni -- I do not think that is something the Kurama Shin Clan would care to see happen anymore than the Bloodline of Oni

I do have a question though -- in many places its denoted as Ohgi and in others its denoted as Ougi -- I am assuming Ougi is correct as that literally means secret technique
Dec 4, 2020 10:48 pm
I think it's just different romanizations of the long o from japanese to the english alphabet.
Dec 4, 2020 10:53 pm
I agree, I think it's suppose to be quite grey and blurry lines to create many reason to team-up and/or switch allegiances mid-way thru to make it easy to come up with drama. We haven't even seen the mission and secrets yet, which will add a whole other layer! But I like the way things are shaping up.
Dec 4, 2020 11:18 pm
To clarify on the Eight Warrior Monks.
[ +- ] Excerpt from the book concerning the monks
Essentially, the book leaves the specifics of each clan open to interpretation. If you want to elaborate on some elements that are relevant to your character, feel free to do so. Going to put up a post soon.
Dec 5, 2020 9:00 pm
I feel like such an underachiever with my initial post, lol.
Dec 5, 2020 10:01 pm
No such thing -- you posted what you posted and you posted it first ;)
Dec 6, 2020 12:01 am
Definitely don't need to think that ToDream. I agree with DeJoker. And there's something to be said about being concise and gradually revealing more about your character in brief snippets as we play. I felt like I got a good initial sense for your character from your post and clan history. I happened to have some extra time last week and really got into it, but I definitely don't put that much upfront time and effort into all my characters.
Last edited December 6, 2020 12:01 am
Dec 6, 2020 1:11 am
You're doing good ToDream. Looking forwards to learning more about the character together.
Dec 6, 2020 10:22 pm
I'll volunteer to go first. The premise of my scene will be that Lacy heads to Telsa's research facility to look for the phoenix, but on her way she see another shinobi headed in the same direction. She follows them to investigate. I'll invite Sumomo to be that ninja, but if she declines, then Takezo, and if not then it'll be Minamoto.
Dec 6, 2020 10:50 pm
Sure thing. One thing to note is that you can only make one roll per Drama Scene. So if you want to steal the Prize, you can't use the scene to also collect Secrets or Locations.
Dec 7, 2020 12:10 am
Yep, that's fine. I'll decide whether to rush ahead to try getting to the phoenix, follow and spy on the other for info, or interact with them for an emobond depending on who it is.
Dec 7, 2020 9:01 pm
Quick question, how do you send DM only notes?
Dec 7, 2020 9:15 pm
I think you can write a note to me, or write a note to yourself. You can also PM my inbox, or DM me on the discord.

saevikas sent a note to saevikas
Dec 8, 2020 11:15 pm
What is the coding to send a note, that's what I don't know. I don't want to send one now, it just seems something that could be useful in this game.
Dec 8, 2020 11:20 pm
Note
Message goes here
OOC:
Put the username of the person you want to send the note to between the quotes. If you send a note to another player, the gm can see it too.
Dec 8, 2020 11:24 pm
And be careful using other codes/tags inside a note. I've heard some of them expose a note, but I can't remember which one(s).
Dec 9, 2020 12:18 am
I think it's the OOC tag that breaks the note. Anyways, there's also that little orange page widget on the post bar that adds the tag, to the left of the OOC tag.
Dec 9, 2020 2:59 pm
@ToDream: Any thoughts about whether Sumomo will join my first scene or pass to another ninja?
Dec 10, 2020 6:50 pm
Note due to how this Ninja plans to make the scene -- means I have to pass on the above -- as I highly doubt (or at least would hopefully doubt) that Lacy would have spotted my character that easily

Also I was kind of waiting for the resolution of the first post -- determination of the who it would be -- prior to my introducing my character as it seemed like Lacy's scene was not yet complete -- but then again I have not read that example that the book provides to how these things are supposed to work
Last edited December 10, 2020 6:51 pm
Dec 10, 2020 7:16 pm
Yep, that's fine. I was waiting to see who joins me in my scene before moving onto further description and resolution. My understanding is that you can invite other characters into a drama scene and they can accept or decline. Also, anyone who wasn't invited, but thinks it would make sense for their character to be part of the drama scene can request to join, but it is up to the active player to decide. That's why I extended an invite but suggested people could decline/pass. I don't want to pressure anyone into joining the scene if they don't think it makes sense for their character at the moment. So if Sumomo declines (still waiting to hear), then Takezo will decline, so then saevikas would decide if Lacy saw Minamoto. Otherwise, I guess Lacy was just seeing shadows and will continue on to the research facility to try stealing the phoenix with the strange feeling that she's being followed.
Dec 10, 2020 11:18 pm
The way that Chalrytharendir is doing it is good, and pretty much how the book says it.
Dec 11, 2020 12:19 am
Yeah but they are not stating how I should go about what I am to do and/or when I am to do it ;)
Last edited December 11, 2020 12:20 am
Dec 11, 2020 12:48 am
Not sure what your confusion is about. I'll try to clarify the best I can.

Each person takes a turn being the Scene Player. This means that they can choose what kind of Scene they want to play (Drama or Combat), and the details of the Scene. Chalrytharendir has chosen to play a Drama Scene, and has decided that Lacy is en route to the facility. They have also decided that another player will be involved in the Scene.

The Scene itself is mostly going to be roleplaying your actions. When a good time comes, the player will choose what they want to get out of the Scene (Location, Secret, Emobond, Prize, etc). They then roll an appropriate skill to see if they get what they want. After that, they wrap up the Scene, and the next person gets to be the Scene Player, and so forth.
Dec 11, 2020 12:57 am
Okay yeah that kind of gives me a bit better road map -- so I am currently waiting for the current scene which belongs to Lacy to complete prior to beginning a scene of my own.

So if you join someone else's scene do you still get one of your own scenes during that section or does that then count as your scene and at the end of that scene you would also choose what you wanted to get out of that scene and make a roll ??

If the above is true what happens if more than one person wants the same thing out of a specific scene? Is that a contested roll?

Also if you are not in the scene can you contest the results if what they are going for is contrary to what you would want to happen?
Dec 11, 2020 1:05 am
I think only the active player gets something out of a drama scene. Any other characters are only there narratively. They can't do anything mechanically. Of course, the other player could choose to make their next scene start exactly when the last scene finished (effectively extending the scene) at which point they then get to do one mechanical action and the original character can only respond narratively.
Dec 11, 2020 1:11 am
As far as I understand, there's no way to contest the result in a drama scene, that's what fight scenes are for. But I definitely lean towards collaborative storytelling, so if there's something that I create/write that really doesn't make sense to the other players, I'm generally happy to get feedback and edit. And if there's anything we really can't agree on, then I guess that's when the GM has to make a ruling.
Dec 11, 2020 1:36 am
It just seems like it is very easy for the first person to post a scene to acquire the prize by just making an uncontested skill roll while if I am understanding this -- everyone else after that would need to make a contested fight roll to then acquire the prize -- assuming the original player is not willing to give it up -- or if not and one can simply post a drama scene stating they took the prize from another player then the last person would have the greatest advantage ???

So it seems like the order that we go in can be very important depending on what can and cannot be done in ones own scene which is, as you can tell, something I am still a bit foggy on.
Last edited December 11, 2020 1:38 am
Dec 11, 2020 1:53 am
I think that's true, but I think it might balance out because since it's the first scene, then there's tons of opportunity for fight scenes to get it from you before the end. You're basically painting a target on your back if you grab it first because then everyone else has lots of reason to team up against you.
Dec 11, 2020 1:59 am
Chalrytharendir is mostly right on all counts. One thing you can do to affect the results in any Scene is use a Emobond you have with someone to alter their results by +1/-1 once per scene, depending on whether your relationship is positive or negative. You can do this even when you're not at the scene physically.

It's true that whoever steals the Prize from the facility will technically have an easier time acquiring it. Part of the reason I had it as first come, first serve, was to reward whoever responded first. However, having the Prize paints a pretty big target on your back, especially when the Climax Phase comes around, and everyone wants it. To "acquire" a Prize from someone else, you need to beat them in battle and choose the Prize as your reward for winning the fight.

The order that you go in isn't that important in the long run. Since you still seem to be a bit unclear about what can be done in a scene, let me post a summary, with examples.

Drama Scene
You start off describing a scene your character is in. You can invite other characters to participate as well.
With your roll, you can get:
one LP recovered
an Emobond with another character participating in the scene
the Location of another character (does not have to be in the scene)
the Secret of another character (does not have to be in the scene)

Combat Scene:
You start off describing the scene, and who you're confronting.
Requires you to know the Location of whoever you're confronting.
Those with Emobonds with the participants can join in if they wish.
If you win, you can get:
the Location of one of the losing participants
the Secret of one of the losing participants
the ability to set one of the losing participants' Emobond towards you
the Prize, if the losing participant has it

I also dropped the book in the Discord. I'll just leave it at, if you like it, buy it.
Dec 11, 2020 2:16 am
Awesome thanks!

Great summary too. That's helpful.

Also the prize is only worth 1 merit in the scoring system. Alternatively, we could also re-word it slightly so the first person doesn't have as much of an advantage:

1 pt - Prize Held
Obtaining the Prize after a fight or holding the Prize at the end of the scenario. You can only score this point once.

That way the first person to get it needs to hold it for the whole game to get the point, else they need to fight to get it back.
Dec 11, 2020 2:41 am
No then no one is going to want to get the prize early on as then it becomes more difficult to get that 1 point

Also what are the potential points we can acquire by the end of this Story Arc ? Prize - 1 Point , ??? - 1 Point, etc...

Sorry if this was already denoted
Last edited December 11, 2020 2:41 am
Dec 11, 2020 6:29 pm
Are you schrabbing me? 😆 I linked it in the previous post.
Dec 11, 2020 9:18 pm
No I have no reason to schrab (first time I even heard the expression) -- your comment was respectful -- my statement (which is not a redundant question) is in the same vein just disagreeing with the basic premise you put forth -- I am just looking at the base logic -- sort of like looking at a chess move -- and nothing more -- if what I stated is unclear I can outline it in more detail

The question on the other hand which came after the statement is not even directly related (indirectly yes as it includes the former sort-of) -- I am seriously asking what are all the potential points we can acquire by the end -- I know the Prize is 1 -- but what are the remaining points -- Secret ?? -- Additional Thing(s) ??
Last edited December 11, 2020 9:19 pm
Dec 11, 2020 9:30 pm
I was just joking, hence the emoji. I didn't think you were intentionally "schrabbing" me (it's a pretty obscure slang/jargon, but seemed relevant). At least, I hope not, I was assuming you just missed the hyper-link in my previous post. If you click on "scoring system" in my previous post, it takes you to saevikas's post that outlines the Merit points, which exactly answers the question you asked. Unless I'm not understanding your question.

Here it is again:
scoring system
Dec 11, 2020 9:51 pm
Ah okay thanks -- yeah I always error on the side of caution when it comes to communication -- as sometimes things do not come across the same way as one might have intended

Now with the points most are fairly straight forward but I do have a question with this one

1 pt - Last Ninja Standing

Is there a situational that might cause one not to participate in the Climax Phase??
Dec 11, 2020 10:09 pm
Ha ha, no problem, glad we cleared it up. Sorry for the confusion, I'll try to be more clear in the future.
Dec 11, 2020 10:42 pm
Okay I have re-read the guidelines and would like a clarification
Quote:
For this game, we'll be using the standard three cycles, meaning each person gets to be a Scene Player three times.
So if I am understanding this correctly -- we are going to have a total of 3 Cycles (Drama or Combat) for each Character for a total maximum Cycles of 12 then we have Climax which may happen sooner if all Secrets have been revealed.

Okay if that is correct what is meant by "if all Secrets have been revealed" -- does that mean:

At least one other person has learned each person secret such that at least one person knows at least one other person's secret
e.g. A knows B's secret who knows C's secret who knows D;s secret who knows A's secret
--or--
Everyone one has learned every other person's secret
Last edited December 11, 2020 10:44 pm
Dec 22, 2020 10:26 pm
DeJoker, how's your scene coming along? If you're busy, would you like to have ToDream go ahead instead?
Dec 24, 2020 9:33 am
Sorry trying to get it done this week -- contract ended -- holiday week -- so it slowed me down from what I was expecting should have it done tomorrow or the next will focus and do my best sorry for the delay
Dec 30, 2020 5:46 am
Just curious but Lacy's last post appears to be doing more than one thing within a single Drama Scene -- would not Lacy's stealing of the fake phoenix as well as perhaps determining that it was a fake phoenix without prior knowledge since it was made to resemble a phoenix require additional successful attempts??
DeJoker sent a note to saevikas
Last edited December 30, 2020 5:52 am
Dec 30, 2020 6:23 am
I don't think that it's more than one action per scene, since they didn't get more than one benefit. I mean, Lacy got a featherless peacock for her troubles. Since nothing of benefit is at stake, no rolls are needed.

In addition, the others probably would've found out anyways about the phoenix being stolen, whether it be from a belated attempt to swipe the phoenix, or info gathering. Something like, "damn, i went there last night, and found a peacock. oh well, going to go find that other ninja".

I do think mixing scenes is a bit messy though, so I personally would've mentioned the incident in passing while playing the next scene instead of trying to extend a past scene more. It doesn't really hurt though.
Dec 30, 2020 6:29 am
I'm just trying to tie the story together a bit. Lacy's not gaining anything mechanically here. Just setting up drama, which is the purpose of the drama scenes. I'll need to follow-up with an investigation in a follow-up scene, I was just seeding this idea here to foreshadow and give you something to riff off of in follow-up scenes, like a cool description about how you evade the cops. But you can also just say they don't catch-up to you at all if you don't like that. But I think a big part of the game is to drop ideas for each other to build off. I was just trying to interact with your ideas a little. I'm assuming we're all very competent Shinobi, so Lacy might notice the bird is just a peacock. Like I said, it doesn't mechanically get me anywhere yet, I still need to follow-up with more investigation or something in the future to gain your location or secret, etc, so my drama scene only did one thing mechanically (trying to seduce Sumono).

But if you think it undercuts your scene too much, then I'm happy to remove that last paragraph.
Dec 30, 2020 6:32 am
Maybe it makes more sense as a suggestion to add to the conclusion of your drama scene. Players are allow to suggest being apart of other's scenes. If you don't like the suggestion, then I'll leave it out.
Dec 30, 2020 6:36 am
I edited my posts. Let me know if you like the addition, else I'll remove it.
Dec 30, 2020 6:43 am
Cross Posted -- yes that is fine it does no more than you could have done in a normal Drama Scene

Thank you
Dec 30, 2020 6:49 am
Chalrytharendir says:
Maybe it makes more sense as a suggestion to add to the conclusion of your drama scene. Players are allow to suggest being apart of other's scenes. If you don't like the suggestion, then I'll leave it out.
Ah this I was not aware of and had it been made as a suggestion perhaps we could have worked out a compromise that tied the loose ends together as you stated. Still perhaps one of the next Scenes will wrap this up nicely and/or we can do some kind of ending Cycle kind of wrap up of loose ends depending on what the the other ninjas do during their Scenes. Assuming there a loose ends that need wrapping up and the GM allows such a thing.
Last edited December 30, 2020 6:50 am
Dec 30, 2020 9:12 pm
DeJoker says:
... had it been made as a suggestion ...
I thought my edit was clear? I have made it a suggestion. If you like it, then this seems like a good spot for it. Why wait? It's such a short-style of game with only 3 scenes each before the climax, we might as well try to make the most of each scene. Otherwise, I'm not going to force it into a scene later if you don't like this idea for some reason.
Dec 31, 2020 12:15 am
No sorry I did not understand that was a suggestion (will know going forward) but it is what it was and let us just leave it as it stands at this point no sense going back and rehashing it.

Although I am curious had your Drama Scene concluded without anyone else posting what would you have done to tie up your seemingly loose end as you would not have been able to steel the phoenix??
Dec 31, 2020 11:28 pm
DeJoker says:
Although I am curious had your Drama Scene concluded without anyone else posting what would you have done to tie up your seemingly loose end as you would not have been able to steel the phoenix??
Do you mean if we had fully played out the extended part of my scene before you began your scene? If so, then I wanted to see how the interaction with Sumono was going to go. But if nothing arouse from our conversation, then what I had in mind was pretty much the same as what I did: Lacy noticing the late hour and running off into the night insinuating that she was headed towards the research facility to complete her mission. In doing so, I thought someone else might invite me into their scene if it was set at the facility or I might suggest to be apart of any scene that took place at the facility, or if nobody else tried to steal the phoenix this cycle, then I would start my next scene with Lacy arriving at the facility and trying to steal the phoenix next time. But I was open to other possibilities depending on where the conversation with Sumono went. For instance, if Sumono had suggested going somewhere together to foreshadow a scene ToDream was planning next, then I might have played into that instead.
Jan 1, 2021 1:18 am
Ah cool thanks for sharing would you mind in the future if anything like this occurs again sharing this information up front it might have been interesting to have you have dropped in while I was stealing the phoenix -- it just did not occur to me and Takezo had been delayed a bit on posting -- trying to figure out how to portray the "attention to detail" aspect of my character. I find the concept intriguing for a character but never having written for that mentality I am still walking in unfamiliar territory trying to get the right balance between describing the attention to details without creating a monologue of dry uninteresting minutia
Last edited January 1, 2021 1:19 am
Jan 1, 2021 1:21 am
Yes ToDream looking forward to seeing your Scene and hope all goes well at home RL is so much more important than GL ;)
Jan 2, 2021 2:43 am
I'm thinking about it. Hopefully I'll get to post tomorrow.

New Years Eve was a really bad night for me.
Jan 2, 2021 3:28 am
That sucks. Hopefully things get better for you soon.
Jan 3, 2021 4:18 am
Ditto. Hope things are better soon.

Re: DeJoker - Definitely, I can try to do that. Also, maybe we could all give a brief outline of what we're planning for our scenes in the OOC thread before starting it. No obligation to follow through exactly because ideas mature and change as we write them up or even as the scene plays out, but it'll just be enough detail so other players know the premise and can suggest to be a part of the scene if they think it makes sense. Solo scenes are definitely acceptable too sometimes and the active player gets to make the call about whether they want involvement from other players and which ones, but I suspect, in general, the drama scenes are best when characters are interacting and the players are feeding off each others' ideas. I think a brief premise might facilitate that especially in PbP format. If we had been sitting around the table for DeJoker's scene, for example, as it was being described, I might have interrupted by saying "Oh, Lacy was headed that way earlier, maybe she arrives in the scene right after Takezo steals the phoenix, what do you think?" but in PbP format it's easy to miss those opportunities.

As an example, the last scene might have been prefaced:
"Takezo is heading to the Tesla Research Facility to steal the Phoenix. I'm going to be building towards a Performance skill check to see if he succeeds."

Also, I think you're doing a good job portraying Takezo's attention to detail so far, but I imagine that's a tricky edge to walk, as you said. Sometimes when I'm worried about rping something like that, I just say what I want to convey instead of trying to convey it directly, especially if I think the actual description would be boring or tedious. You did a good job of that here: "... Takezo spent a day immersing himself in them going over them numerous times ..." as opposed to listing each detail that he focused on over the course of the entire day repeatedly. But other times it's worth providing some of the details to whet our imaginations, like when you gave us a sampling of the items needed for Takezo's plan to foreshadow how things might go down (bamboo seeds, featherless peacock, etc). So far I'm enjoying.
Last edited January 3, 2021 4:20 am
Jan 3, 2021 4:42 am
I think that Chalrytharendir's suggestion for a scene outline is a good idea, especially given the limitations of the PBP format.
Jan 4, 2021 10:04 pm
Managed to have a good sleep Saturday night, after accidentally doing some serious damage to myself.
Jan 4, 2021 10:50 pm
Damage as in maybe dumping to many toxins into your body kind of damage? ;)
Jan 5, 2021 12:38 am
Damage as almost tearing a toe off in the shower.

Well, maybe not the whole toe, but I certainly got the nail off.
Jan 5, 2021 12:58 am
Dang what do you do in your shower -- I have never done anything but take a shower in mine ;-) are you dancing and singing ??
Jan 5, 2021 1:00 am
Trying to get out apparently. Didn't get my foot clear of the lower sliding door and managed to catch the nail in just the right way...

Surgery was/is not currently needed, but its uncomfortable to say the least.

And work might end up with a surprise inspection from our new supervisor in the next few days, so I have to go in.
Last edited January 5, 2021 1:02 am
Jan 5, 2021 1:05 am
I'm thinking about getting Sumomo to try for the phoenix through a use of Disguise. It's going to be a low-effort attempt, more to determine how much of her lintel matches up.
Jan 5, 2021 1:23 am
Okay so she is going to try and steal the fake phoenix or the real phoenix ??

If you try to steal the fake phoenix maybe you discover a clue about my character's whereabouts -- I believe acquiring Location is one of the goals we might have.
Last edited January 5, 2021 1:25 am
Jan 5, 2021 2:07 am
@ToDream: Ouch! That sounds like it hurts! Hope it doesn't take too long to heal.

I think you can only steal the Phoenix from Takezo by winning a combat scene and to start a combat scene you need his Location, so finding a clue about his whereabouts makes sense.
Jan 5, 2021 2:54 am
Yeah and stealing the fake phoenix is just going to muddy the waters that much more -- ;) plus it helps you definitely learn it was a fake phoenix we did do our best to make it appear like it could be THE phoenix.

Or maybe it makes you feel your intel was wrong and the owners planted that fake phoenix to keep the real phoenix from being stolen and/or you bump into the NPC person or maybe Lacy arrives at about the same time as you do and you try to learn something about her.

The options are quite broad with so many goals to obtain -- I believe we are supposed to continue Cycles until the goal that was set by the GM which was --- I think was 3 Cycles ??
Last edited January 5, 2021 3:08 am
Jan 5, 2021 6:38 pm
Ow, that sounds nasty. Hope that heals up nicely.

Anyways, if you're going to steal the fake phoenix, I can see a lot of ways that could be turned into benefits. If you're trying to steal the real phoenix, you'll need to beat Taizo in combat, which requires that you have his Location first.

I have it at 3 Cycles.
Jan 5, 2021 7:35 pm
If you're stealing the fake Phoenix, then it might make sense for me to be a part of the scene since Lacy just took the fake Phoenix. Presumably you tracked Lacy down instead of Takezo (for a drama scene, not a combat) thinking she had stolen the Phoenix. Otherwise, when you go to steal the Phoenix you'll find an empty box and the alarm going off shortly, but you might find a clue there that would lead you to Takezo.
Jan 5, 2021 10:48 pm
Sounds like an idea to me. While Sumomo prefers to be unsubtle, she's learned the benefit of at least 'casing the joint' first.
Jan 6, 2021 4:32 am
Wait I thought that had not happened Chalrytharendir that you retracted that from your post? Why not go with arriving when Sumomo arrives, as the characters would most likely arrived at about the same time, then assuming ToDream is okay with including you within her Drama scene? Perhaps she could then get an Emobond with your character -- assuming that is what she would like to do for her Drama Scene. Otherwise if not why not let ToDream have her Drama Scene with the fake phoenix still in place?

Ah never mind I see you implemented your "suggestion" to respond to information that your character would not have not have known .... alright noted and adjustments made.
Last edited January 6, 2021 4:56 am
Jan 6, 2021 6:29 am
Sorry DeJoker, I misunderstood. I asked (HERE) whether you liked the suggestion or not, so that I would know what to do about my suggested addition (HERE):
Chalrytharendir says:
If you like it, then this seems like a good spot for it ... Otherwise, I'm not going to force it into a scene later if you don't like this idea for some reason.
I was expecting you to either say something like "yes I like it, let's keep it" or "interesting, but I don't like this detail, what do you think about editing it to ... " or "no, I don't like it because ... Please delete it."
You replied to leave it as it stands (HERE):
DeJoker says:
... let us just leave it as it stands at this point no sense going back and rehashing it.
So I left my post as it stood. I almost replied because I was confused why you didn't want to "rehash" it with an explanation. I'm just trying to learn why you like or dislike my suggestion so that I can hopefully make suggestions that you do like in the future, but based on your post, you really seemed like you didn't want to discuss it for some reason, so I dropped it and did what I thought you meant and left my post as it was.

I'm happy to delete it if you really don't like it, but please give me some feedback. I don't understand what you dislike about my suggestion? If you don't let me know, how can I make better suggestions for your scenes in the future.
Jan 6, 2021 7:25 am
Okay sorry for the confusion if I was not clear but as it stands someone else has already written it in stone -- so when I said let us not rehash it and leave it as it stands you had deleted it -- and leaving as it stood would have meant leaving it deleted -- I think if you read my other posts when talking ToDream I think it would have been fairly evident that I was discounting that part of what you had done - otherwise my posts would made next to no sense -- but again it is what it is.

I will role play my character regardless and just adjust how I go about posting to avoid such issues down the road.
Last edited January 6, 2021 7:29 am
Jan 6, 2021 5:51 pm
DeJoker says:
... so when I said let us not rehash it and leave it as it stands you had deleted it ...
I have not changed or deleted my suggestion post (HERE) since I first edited it after DeJoker and saevikas's initial feedback (HERE and HERE). It is time stamped Dec. 29, 2020 9:19 pm (PST) and last edited about an hour later at Dec. 29, 2020 10:35 pm (PST). After reading the initial feedback, I explained that I wasn't trying to overstep, I was just trying to interact with your post and maybe create a little drama, which I thought is the purpose of drama scenes. I conceded that it was too far of a jump to include Lacy arriving at the fake Phoenix in my drama scene where it was probably seen as an established fact and instead changed it to be a suggestion to the end of DeJoker's scene. After editing, I asked what you thought (HERE)
Chalrytharendir says:
I edited my posts. Let me know if you like the addition, else I'll remove it.
You cross posted with me, so I suspect this is where all the confusion began, but since it seemed like you noticed that you had cross posted (HERE), I assumed you went back and read my previous posts and the edits that I had made. You then seemed to misunderstand that I had changed my idea to be a suggestion (HERE), so I reinforced that I had made it a suggestion and then asked again whether or not you like it (HERE) at which point you said to leave it as it stands (HERE). At that point my suggestion post had been sitting on the thread the whole time since I had edited it, so I don't think my interpretation of "leave it as it stands" is that strange.
DeJoker says:
... I think if you read my other posts when talking ToDream I think it would have been fairly evident that I was discounting that part of what you had done - otherwise my posts would made next to no sense ...
I hope you can empathize that considering I had believed that we were keeping my suggestion in the story then I could have interpreted your posts to still make sense. I thought you meant that Sumono would have found the cage empty or heard that the phoenix was stole and then started tracking the thief. I thought you were suggesting that she either followed Lacy's tracks to steal the fake phoenix or followed Takezo's to steal the real phoenix. Both were good suggestions depending on Sumono's goals. I was a little confused by this part:
DeJoker says:
... maybe Lacy arrives at about the same time as you do and you try to learn something about her.
I thought maybe you meant ToDream's scene would start immediately after my suggested addition, so Lacy was still exiting the facility at the beginning of the scene, but I didn't clarify because I thought it was just a suggestion and I'd wait to see what ToDream actually decided to post. It didn't seem worth the discussion if ToDream decided on at different path.
DeJoker says:
... but as it stands someone else has already written it in stone ...
Do you mean ToDream's game post (HERE) has set it in stone? If so, I'm sure we can revisit the last two posts (ToDream's and mine) if you aren't happy with my addition to your scene. I can't speak for ToDream, but I'm definitely open to revisions/edits (I hope that's clear), especially if the edits are concerning the most recent posts (I agree, going back pages is probably a bad idea). As I said many times before, my post was just a suggestion, and I'm okay to remove it. I would appreciate some feedback about why in order to help me make better suggestions for your scenes later, but if you can't put your finger on why, that's okay too. Please trust me that I'm not trying to sneak a story element into the game that you don't like or agree with.
Jan 6, 2021 10:52 pm
So, the misunderstanding here is that DeJoker thought that Chalrytharendir was retracting the addition, while Chalrytharendir thought that DeJoker was okay with the addition.

I personally think the addition is fine, as DeJoker doesn't have to act on it, since it's reasonable if Takezo is already out of there by the time Lacy gets there. But it's up to you two to come to an agreement.

Also, welcome Aegis to the game, they're joining. Aegis, you can go ahead and make a character. It's the default character, no virtues and no flaws. I think a link to the discord is at the beginning of this thread.
Jan 6, 2021 11:35 pm
Welcome to the game Aegis! Look forward to seeing what you come up with for your ninja!

--
Re: Misunderstanding
Yes, your summary of the misunderstanding is correct. Moving forward, I liked my suggestion so would be happy to keep it, but it is DeJoker's scene so I would be happy to delete it if DeJoker prefers. I don't think it's a huge deal.

My last post was more to defend the idea that my misunderstanding was innocent. I got the impression from DeJoker's last post that DeJoker thought I had intentionally attempted to sneak my idea back in and was not reading or disregarding DeJoker's posts to ToDream. I tried to give a detailed explanation of my thinking during the entire segment to rebuild trust that it was an innocent miscommunication and that I had not intentionally tried to sneak my idea back in. Sorry for the lengthy post, but I thought it was best to be clear so we could move on.
Last edited January 6, 2021 11:36 pm
Jan 7, 2021 2:51 am
Hey! Thanks. Glad to be here. I’ll work something up and post it soon.

I’m excited to play!
Jan 7, 2021 7:28 pm
Alright, I uploaded a character. Let me know what you think Saevikas.
Jan 7, 2021 8:06 pm
Neat, I've approved it. Want to tell us a bit about the character?
Jan 7, 2021 8:11 pm
Yeah could they not do the Introduction post like we all did ? I mean it would have no effect on the game as it stands right ?
Jan 7, 2021 9:34 pm
Sure.

We have Aaron Charles, a political liaison stationed at the embassy and focused on Medical Affairs (I'm not really into politics, so I don't know how believable that is, so just roll with it). A young, fit, handsome man of 22 completely dedicated to his career and calling.

Of course outside of common knowledge, he is a Hirasaka Agent, dedicated to the safe keeping of America and the Agency as a whole. He's a young master of scheming, using his knowledge of medicine, hand to hand combat, manipulation and a few other skills, to keep the world safe from the enemies of the Agency.
Jan 7, 2021 10:08 pm
Interesting! Sounds like there's a reasonable chance that Lacy and Aaron know each other already. With both of them working for the Agency, they probably have some similar and/or overlapping goals, but I suspect they might also be competing for promotion within ;)
Jan 8, 2021 12:27 am
Cool, why don't you make your Introduction post really quick in the main thread. Just tell us a bit about what your character is doing before they get their mission. I'll give you your mission and secret after you post.
Jan 8, 2021 2:18 pm
You got it. I'll get something in there soon
Jan 11, 2021 5:49 pm
ToDream, are you still with us?
Jan 11, 2021 6:36 pm
I posted back again, and now I wait until I’m a scene player or called into a scene correct? Not trying to rush anything, just want to be sure I have the order of operations down.
Jan 11, 2021 6:38 pm
Yep. You should be the scene player after ToDream.
Jan 11, 2021 6:47 pm
Sounds good
Jan 17, 2021 12:18 am
Alrighty! I’ll type something up and get it in there. Thanks!
Jan 17, 2021 1:12 am
Aegis says:
The waiting room has a miasma of depression and a strange ominous energy penetrating it.
Cool description! Definitely sets the mood.

@Everyone: I think this might have been asked already, but I couldn't find it immediately. Is character info (Skills, Ninpo and Gear) public knowledge? I think it is. If so, I was thinking it might be useful to have a "Characters" thread that we can all post our character info. Right now it's scattered throughout the OOC thread, so a new thread might make it easier to reference. Don't post your "Secret" or your "Ohgi" because that's suppose to stay private until it is discovered/used. The other option is to remove the "Secret" and "Ohgi" descriptions from our character sheets and just share the character sheets. What do you think?
Jan 17, 2021 4:45 am
I would opt for a specialized thread that just contains the stuff everyone is supposed to be okay with knowing
Jan 17, 2021 7:00 pm
Chalrytharendir says:
Aegis says:
The waiting room has a miasma of depression and a strange ominous energy penetrating it.
Cool description! Definitely sets the mood.
Thank you!
Jan 20, 2021 3:20 pm
I’ve got to give my guy a picture, lol.
Jan 28, 2021 6:50 pm
@saevikas and @Aegis, nice work on those scenes. I'm enjoying following along!

It's going to be difficult to decide what Lacy is going to do next! I've got a few ideas, but it'll be difficult to choose.

Does the turn order stay fixed from cycle to cycle, or is it determined/random within each cycle?
Jan 28, 2021 7:45 pm
Usually it's a fixed order, but I'll just leave it up to whoever wants to post first.
Jan 28, 2021 10:07 pm
Well I am ready to go once the new thread is made for the next cycle series -- as mine takes place outside the world setting until someone barges in on me ;)

But I would also be willing to do random order generation as that would allow for the real world dynamics to maybe play into the picture -- yeah you were planning on doing this but those others got to you first and now your plans have all changed -- kind of thing.
Jan 28, 2021 11:25 pm
I'm happy with either, but I do like what DeJoker mentioned about random order.

Question about how/when revitalization will happen:
Takezo's mission is a bit different to everyone else because he is trying to destroy the phoenix during the key moment of the revitalization cycle. Can Takezo destroy the phoenix mid-game now that he has it by setting a drama scene during the revitalization or are drama scenes constrained to be prior to the revitalization so the phoenix is in play until the end of the game? Just curious if we need to be rushing to get the phoenix because that opportunity might disappear or if we can play other angles knowing there's still time to steal the phoenix later.
Jan 28, 2021 11:29 pm
I would presume -- but I could be wrong -- that the Climax Phase would handle whatever the final outcome is to be in regards to the Prize -- or at least that is what I understood about it. I mean if the Prize can be removed from the game prior to the Climax Phase that kind of makes the Climax Phase kind of pointless I would think -- again from what I understand of the game thus far.
Jan 29, 2021 12:26 am
That's what I was thinking too, but just wanted to double check.
Jan 29, 2021 12:37 am
It's constrained before the revitalization. Can't let the climax phase be anti climatic.
Jan 29, 2021 1:34 am
Okay so my interpretation of what you just said was -- no the Phoenix cannot be killed prior to the Climax Phase -- is that correct?
Jan 29, 2021 1:45 am
Correct. You would be only able to kill it once the climax phase is over.
Feb 3, 2021 11:03 pm
Cool, thanks for clarifying!

DeJoker, sounds like you know what Takezo is doing next, so if you want to grab the first scene of the next cycle once saevikas has finished the interlude, go for it.

I think I'm pretty sure I know what Lacy will do next, so I'll volunteer to go second unless someone else wants in before me.
Feb 11, 2021 7:27 pm
OOC:
I'll go next. I'm going to work towards an Investigation Roll to discover Sumomo's Secret. But I think to get some new character interactions started, I'm going to pitch this angle:

After dropping off the peacock at the local animal shelter, Lacy will ask around about where she would find out who bought a peacock in the area recently. Following the leads brings me to Takezo, but he's able to distract or trick or convince Lacy in a way that she doesn't realize he's the culprit or that he has the phoenix (so I won't gain Takezo's Location, its just to meet for narrative reasons, the exact details we can play out in the scene). Instead, Lacy will learn that Takezo is an Oni Hunter and because she's interested in Sumomo, she forgets about the phoenix for now and asks questions about how to track down Onis and their secrets to give her clues on how to investigate Sumomo. Depending on how the scene goes, I could see trying for an Emobond with Takezo during this scene and then investigation check for Sumono's secret next cycle, or just finishing with the investigation in this cycle if it doesn't feel like an emobond makes sense.

DeJoker, would that work for you? Would you join that scene? Otherwise, I'll just have Lacy investigate on her own. It might be good to get some input from Sumono too to give us an idea of possible Guardian Oni "clues" that Lacy would then try to follow for the investigation check.
Feb 11, 2021 11:14 pm
OOC:
I could join the scene but I am not understanding fully how you envision this working. He is currently proverbially sitting on the phoenix fully expecting someone to come and try to take it. Further for you to find Takezo you would technically have to know his Location or he would have to know yours. Now I know that is not necessarily mechanically necessary but I am talking more the role playing angle. So with that said I would have to have a better understanding of how that angle is circumnavigated before I could fully agree.

However, I do agree that Lacy could easily discover that the person who took the phoenix belongs to the faction of shinobi who are considered to focus on killing Oni and having met one that she feels is pursuing the phoenix may be concerned for that one she recently met. But then I would think learning that Oni's Secret or their Location would be highest item upon her priority list. So that she could then help that Oni and prevent them from possibly getting killed

Your thoughts.
Last edited February 11, 2021 11:16 pm
Feb 12, 2021 8:44 am
OOC:
So my understanding is that "Location" is a mechanical element that basically represents the information or knowledge needed to track down another character accurately enough to ambush them. It doesn't really represent a specific narrative location since that could be changing over the course of the game.

If you want to meet someone for dramatic reasons, then you can come across their narrative location as long as it makes sense in the fiction (like when Taizo surprised Aaron in his car during saevikas's first scene. Taizo didn't have Aaron's "Location" but he still met up with him to interact).

So I'm proposing that Lacy comes across Takezo's narrative location by following clues stemming from the peacock. Since I'm not interested in mechanically gaining Takezo's "Location" right now, then the interaction can shift away from the phoenix and instead to the fact Takezo is a Oni Hunter, which would capture Lacy's attention because she is interested in gaining Sumomo's Secret. She would ask for advice about how to search for information about an Oni since an Oni Hunter might be particularly good at researching or investigating Oni related-information.

Exactly how the interaction switches from Lacy searching for the phoenix thief to the subject of investigating Oni will be determined by how the scene plays out, but I could envision lots of options. For example, Takezo sees Lacy coming and intercepts her before she sees the phoenix and deceives her or charms her. Alternatively, Lacy actually does discover that Takezo is the culprit, but he bargains with her or threatens her. Anyways, that part would be up to you.

If I feel like the characters might have formed a bond during the interaction, then I might finish the scene with a roll for an Emobond. If successful, we can each choose whether the bond was positive or negative depending on how we felt about the interaction. If it doesn't seem like an emobond is appropriate then I'll finish with the Investigation roll for Sumono's Secret instead.
Feb 12, 2021 9:34 am
Okay then how about a slight counter proposal -- you are searching to find Takezo -- who has recently put the phoenix to sleep and having secured the location, even though he is not concerned that someone steals it since he believes it is dead anyway whether it gets stolen or not, slips out for some Ramen and Tea where you come across him. If you ask him about the phoenix he will honestly tell you not to bother as its already dead, since that is what he believes. Which could segue into your questions about Oni or wherever that conversation goes.
Last edited February 12, 2021 9:52 am
Feb 12, 2021 6:24 pm
OOC:
That sounds great!

I'll get started on the intro post that details how Lacy tracks down Takezo at the Ramen place, but I've got a couple questions for you that will help me fill in some of the details before I post it. I thought I'd give you the chance to provide input since the details are about your character and their previous actions, but if you prefer me to make up the answers for any, I'm happy to do that:

Where did Takezo get the peacock and how did he acquire it? If it wasn't just a straight forward purchase then what sort of clue would an expert investigator find that might lead her to the theater that you often perform at?

What are a few of Takezo's most famous roles and performances?

What's the name of Takezo's favorite Ramen joint?

Thanks
Feb 12, 2021 8:48 pm
OOC:
Takezo is a Kabuki Performer at the National Theatre

He has recently took on the role of Prince Tokiyo in the Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami play however he is simply most known for being a tachiyaku (an actor that specilizes in male roles) and a jitsuaku (evil villain) and his stage name is currently Bandō Mitsugorō V and he carries on the traditional and glorious rivalry for the title of best tachiyaku with his traditional rival Nakamura Utaemon V which is now in its third generation

Ippudo Roppongi is the Ramen Noodles Restaurant that he usually frequents as it is the closest to the National Theatre of Japan

Initially it was not clear where the peafowl (aka peacock) had been acquired until Lacy heard about one that had gone missing and presumed killed by some animal because all that was found were its tail feathers. So it is most likely that this was the peafowl that was used and that she had acquired, however, there is no way to prove her intuitive deductions as his organization could have just as well acquired it from one of the peafowl farms through back channels.
Feb 12, 2021 9:31 pm
OOC:
Awesome Thanks! I'll try to incorporate as many of those details as I can.
Feb 17, 2021 3:47 am
OOC:
Ugh ... No luck for me in this game 🤦‍♂️

Do I get a bonus for rolling the same result twice in a row? 😜
Feb 18, 2021 2:05 am
Haha, no.

If anybody wants to jump in to interrupt the scene, then please go say so.
Feb 18, 2021 2:15 am
I think they might have by now ... but a day or two more should not cause any harm -- we will just sit there holding hands and staring into one another's eyes ;-)
Feb 18, 2021 4:14 am
Lol
Feb 20, 2021 6:53 pm
I can't really think of anything dramatic to interrupt, so go ahead and make something up.
Feb 20, 2021 8:28 pm
Okay Chalrytharendir other than the ones you have already stated that would require some other PC/GM-NPC popping in do you have any other ideas as I find you have an excellent wealth of possibilities bouncing around in that head of yours and I would be seriously remise if I did not check in with you first before moving forward with anything.
Feb 21, 2021 9:18 am
Thanks DeJoker and I appreciate your contribution to the scene so far. It's been a ton of fun, so definitely feel free to give me some input or suggestions to shape these ideas further!

I think one of the following factions storms the restaurant to kidnap or arrest Lacy and/or Takezo:

1) Tesla's or the Minamoto family's private security force (probably made up of Hasabu Army since Taizo Minamoto is from that faction)

2) Yakuza (a 'family' of Lost Ones who have banded together to do organized crime), we learn they are yet another faction that wants the Pheonix and have tracked down Takezo.

3) The police, special forces or swat, to arrest Lacy (the hard drive she stole from Tesla in the Intro) or Takezo (the Phoenix, or a previous crime), or both.

I'm imagining they burst in guns blazing, Lacy and Takezo dive for cover in different directions. We then each finish the scene with a post describing how they each barely escape (separately in different directions). Gives us a good opportunity to give our Martial Arts skills a bit of flavor and gives our characters a chance to finish off the scene by being awesome ninjas despite being interrupted before they could finalize their new relationship.

What do you think?
Feb 21, 2021 2:00 pm
Okay let me address my thoughts to a few of these directly first

1) I would rather not use an organization that is already involved as that should belong to the realm of the player that is part of that organization.

3) This would mean our secret identities have been blown which would be extremely detrimental to my character and I doubt very helpful to yours as well

The issue I see with bursting in guns blazing, so-to-speak, is that is not the way of the Ninja especially within a public place. The need to quickly escape or something along those lines is a great idea but I am not sure about an open attack being the best reason for it.

2) This one seems viable but I am not sure how to implement this as of yet -- still perhaps because Lacy has just recently gone through her database of known shinobi we can work that angle into it -- maybe

Still let me stew on this one a bit today and I will post a counter proposal or two before tomorrow
Feb 21, 2021 8:00 pm
Thanks for the feedback. Here's a bit of expansion on what I was thinking.
DeJoker says:
1) I would rather not use an organization that is already involved as that should belong to the realm of the player that is part of that organization.
Absolutely. Perhaps I should have explicitly said "pending approval from saevikas," but I sort of assumed the GM was following along and would chime in if this idea was off the table. I think this idea is the easiest to explain because it's already established that Minamoto Sr has Takezo's identity since he gave it to Aaron. Also, I like this because it supports the concept that Minamoto Sr teams up with Aaron knowing his own security team might not be up for the job. This would show Lacy and Takezo proving that true.
DeJoker says:
3) This would mean our secret identities have been blown which would be extremely detrimental to my character and I doubt very helpful to yours as well
They wouldn't necessarily have Lacy or Takezo's full id. A little creativity could get around this. For instance, Lacy's blue hair could be how they found her, but they don't actually know who she is yet. I'll concede this might take a lot more creativity to come up with for Takezo given he's sort of a public figure, but not necessarily impossible. Perhaps they are there to arrest Lacy, but also try to arrest Takezo because they think he is working with Lacy. Anyways, I'm happy to rule this option out. I think it was my least favourite of the bunch.
DeJoker says:
2) This one seems viable but I am not sure how to implement this as of yet -- still perhaps because Lacy has just recently gone through her database of known shinobi we can work that angle into it -- maybe
I quite like this option too. We can also leave how they discovered us a bit of a mystery since Lacy and Takezo wouldn't necessarily know this immediately. But it's at least conceivable that they might be interested in the phoenix and have tracked down Takezo.
DeJoker says:
The issue I see with bursting in guns blazing, so-to-speak, is that is not the way of the Ninja especially within a public place. The need to quickly escape or something along those lines is a great idea but I am not sure about an open attack being the best reason for it.
I was perhaps a bit literal there. I was intending "guns blazing" more figuratively, meaning we were directly and suddenly under threat and had to deal with it immediately without resolving the conversation. The exact nature of the sudden attack was very dependent on the faction that we pick. For the Yakuza, it might be guns blazing (they might not fear the repercussions because of their public image, no one willing to testify against them ... ie. typical public gangster display). Also, even though they are headed by shinobi (a bunch of Lost Ones), they might not all be shinobi. Their henchmen might be far less subtle (ie. Beebop and Rocksteady relative to Shredder). Also, some of the "ninja skills" include "Demolition" and "Ballistics," so this leaves room for a variety of ninja in the world, some much less subtle than others. But I was also imagining the possibility of ninjas dropping through the ceiling from above to grab us in quick kidnapping, so less guns and more martial arts based and more in and subtle in and out type tactic. But I'm open to various ways in which this might happen.

Looking forward to hearing if any further ideas/modifications brew up from your perspective.
Mar 13, 2021 6:04 am
Are we still alive here ??
Mar 13, 2021 8:57 pm
Either Aegis or ToDream can do their scene.
Mar 14, 2021 3:35 am
Looks like Aegis and ToDream are active on the site but Aegis hasn't commented in this game since Feb. 9, and ToDream hasn't since Jan. 15. If they aren't checking in they might not realize it's their turns? Maybe we should send them a Message or try to nudge them on Discord again? I hope they check in soon. I'm excited to continue the game!
Mar 18, 2021 12:38 pm
I’ll get a post in today.
Mar 19, 2021 3:02 pm
Ah yeah! Gonna fight over the Phoenix. I’ll get you the Plot Value shortly

Aegis sent a note to saevikas
Last edited March 19, 2021 3:13 pm
Mar 20, 2021 6:44 am
Trying to follow along as a spectator 😁

DeJoker: Nice choice on the locale, good spot for a ninja fight!

Aegis: When you get a chance, can you add your character info to the Character Thread (HERE). I'm excited to see what sort of ninja you've created.

I'm assuming that skill check by DeJoker is for Takezo's Silhouette move? So that means we'll have some simultaneous attacks this round, exciting!

Also, non-participating players can influence the battle, right? It says in the rules summary thread we can give +/- 1 modifier to a roll. Is that every roll, one roll per round, or one roll for the entire fight? I'm assuming I need to declare that before a roll is made, right? If so, can we have a "modifier" step between when a roll is declared and actually rolled, so I can check in to declare if/how I modify it? ToDream hasn't checked in for awhile, so not sure we want to wait for them each time, but I'll try to respond quickly to the modifier step. Or if you think it's too complicated for pbp and will slow down the fight too much, I'm okay to drop this aspect of the game if you'd prefer and I'll just spectate.
Mar 20, 2021 7:06 am
Sure sure let the cat out of the bag ;)
Mar 20, 2021 4:20 pm
Oops 🤐 😆
Nah, I figured ninpo and their usage aren't secret info, but sorry if you were hoping that would be a cool reveal. It actually was, when I realized what that you were doing, I was like, "Ah cool, nice move." 😉
Mar 20, 2021 4:53 pm
For the spectator modifiers, I think it should be okay, with how short battles are. Basically, 1/round, you can modify a roll +1/-1 before it's rolled. Put a description of how that advantage/disadvantage occurs in the scene.

And yeah, Ninpo aren't secrets. How would you be able to brag about your awesome ninja moves if your opponent never sees it?
Mar 23, 2021 3:54 pm
Exciting. I’ll get another post in today.
Last edited March 23, 2021 4:02 pm
Mar 23, 2021 4:55 pm
Nice banter! After reading your intros, this song started to swell in my head 😉
Mortal Kombat Theme

"EXCELLENT!"
"FIGHT!"

@Aegis: thanks for adding you character details. Taking a peek, I think you can add one more ninpo if you want. The rest of us have 5.

Also, since the odds are slightly in the defender's favour, maybe I'll use my modifier to balance that a bit. I'll wait to see what moves you both pick and how you describe them 😁
Mar 23, 2021 5:56 pm
Nice time-warp but not my favorite of all the Mortal Kombat Themes still loved the various movies they put out.

Oh sure make things more difficult for me I thought we were friends ;)
Mar 23, 2021 9:01 pm
First time playing so I'm not sure but it says when you make an attack you pick a Ninpo and a Skill to check it with. Close Combat Ninpo has no default skill assigned to it, so I'm using it with my Pyromancy skill, mostly for flavor. I'll change that to hand to hand, but I have hand to hand as well, so it wouldn't effect a roll. I'll leave the flaming fist in for flavor unless it bothers someone.

It looks like a dodge roll is made by rolling the same skill as used to attack you. So you'd roll hand to hand now. I can't roll my dodge yet until I know what skill you are using to attack me (pg. 143).

Also, I'll tell you this and include the rolls in the thread for the sake of efficiency, that I'm going to use my Continuous Attack Ninpo to make another attack on Shinmen if he dodges this first one.

@Charly - I can try to let you know what I intend to do, but that would mean I have to come in here and post two responses with some amount of time between them to give you an opportunity to jump in. That may throw of my post scheduling, so I can't guarantee I'll do that but will try.

And good catch on the Ninpo. I didn't assign the right number of Ninpo, I think I should have 5 total, I'll take Antitoxin.
Mar 23, 2021 9:18 pm
First time playing here as well but I am pretty sure I have this one correct. When you acquire a Ninpo you are supposed to assign one of your Skills to it. For instance my

Close Combat Attack (Performance) this means my Close Combat Attack Ninpo uses my Performance skill --- thus if someone were to defend against this they would have to use their Performance skill or the closest skill they have to Performance within the Skill Chart and for every box they count getting to that other skill increases the difficulty of that defense.

Looking at your character information I saw the following :
..... Close Combat Attack (Hand-to-Hand)
..... Ranged Combat Attack (Pyromancy)

This means your Close Combat Attack Ninpo uses your Hand-to-Hand Skill and your Ranged Combat Attack Ninpo uses your Pyromancy Skill

Now I could have done this with my Ninpo and Skills :
..... Close Combat Attack (Performance)
..... Close Combat Attack (Barrier)

Which would have meant that I could use either my Performance skill or my Barrier skill as my Close Combat Attack

As for the flavor thing I am sure that is just fine as that does not affect the mechanics at all just gives more flash to the combat
Last edited March 23, 2021 9:22 pm
Mar 23, 2021 9:55 pm
Yeah. That makes sense to me. Thanks.
Mar 23, 2021 10:00 pm
I think we're all first time players, so this combat will probably be a big learning experience for all of us 😆

Re: modifier phase, yeah it'll definitely slow things down a little bit, but I don't think we're in any particular rush to get through the fight, so it would be nice to allow a modifier phase. I had brought this up earlier and saevikas said it shouldn't be a problem because fight scenes are pretty short, so it probably won't drag things out too much. I'll try to respond quickly!
Mar 23, 2021 10:09 pm
Note Aegis I just went through your Ninpo to validate you had not missed anything else and not sure but you are going to want to maybe adjust somethings but here is what I have....

Close Combat Attack ........ (Hand-to-Hand) (Attack / 1 / *)
Ranged Combat Attack ..... (Pyromancy) (Attack / 2 / *)
-------
Continuous Attack ........... (special) (Support / * / *)
Vibrato .......................... (Hand-to-Hand) ... (Equip / * / *)
Antitoxin ....................... (Medicine) (Support / 1 / 3)

Okay first off Vibrato requires you to assign it the Hand-to-Hand Skill and Antitoxin requires you to assign it the Medicine Skill --- Continuous Attack uses whatever Skill the Ninpo that is being repeated uses

This just leaves your Close Combat Attack and your Ranged Combat Attack which you currently have as denoted above. If your solid with leaving them as is there should be no issues.
Last edited March 23, 2021 10:11 pm
Mar 23, 2021 10:17 pm
Alright, let me try and address everything.

So Aaron's Close Combat is Hand to Hand, so defense would also use Hand to Hand. With Close Combat, you assign it a skill during character creation, which will be the skill that you use for it.

You both make attack checks and dodge checks. Dodge checks are made using the same skill as the oncoming attack.

There's nothing stopping you from attacking using a ranged attack when you're close together. Close combat attacks tend to be more effective because when you're hit, you can choose which category takes ranged damage, but you can't choose which category takes close combat damage.

DeJoker, I'm fine with the Ninpo switch, since I didn't notice that guideline earlier.

How Continuous Attack works is that, if your first attack was dodged, you get to repeat the same attack again. It doesn't need to be assigned a skill, since it doesn't require a skill check.

Hopefully this clears things up.
Mar 23, 2021 10:21 pm
Note though if you use Continuous Attack with a Ninpo that has a cost you cannot do so if using that Skill a second time would exceed your current Plot Value as Plot Value not only denotes how fast you go in a Turn but it also creates a totals cap on Ninpo Costs used in a single Turn

Okay so unless I can find that reference I read somewhere -- we are going with even if you are in the same Plot Value you can still use Ranged Combat Attacks -- got it thanks for the clarification.
Last edited March 23, 2021 10:22 pm
Mar 24, 2021 10:20 pm
saevikas says:
How Continuous Attack works is that, if your first attack was dodged, you get to repeat the same attack again. It doesn't need to be assigned a skill, since it doesn't require a skill check.
That's how I understand it too. Sounds good to me.

I added the second damage location just in case you don't make the dodge check, so you can flavor up your text.
Last edited March 24, 2021 10:24 pm
Mar 24, 2021 11:53 pm
Can you fumble on a Dodge? If so, Takezo will also need to make a fumble roll 😬
Mar 24, 2021 11:56 pm
I am not sure but your right although it makes little difference as regardless of that fumble roll or not this fight is over
Mar 25, 2021 12:06 am
Looks like it's all going to come down to Aaron's dodge. If he succeeds, he gets the Phoenix, if he fails ... I was going to say "at least he gets tea," but who's buying if it's a draw? 😆
Mar 25, 2021 12:26 am
Well Takezo was going to treat regardless but he will honor the winner treats aspect -- although I wonder if Aaron knows how to conduct a tea ceremony
Mar 25, 2021 3:14 am
If you fumble in combat, basically all that happens is that you fail all skill checks until the next round. So, yeah, at least Takezo doesn't have to worry about that.
Mar 25, 2021 6:36 am
Ah, i see, I thought you always had to roll on the fumble chart, but you're right, not during combat because the Backlash of a fumble during combat is a pretty bad consequence as it is. That seems fair, it would be pretty harsh if you also had to roll on the fumble chart!
Mar 25, 2021 2:44 pm
Chalrytharendir - Thanks for the assistance. And good flavor on how he'd see it. Very nice.

Dejoker/GM - I'm pretty sure that my second attack took out Takezo's "Scheming" column. I rolled a four for the damage location. Can he/you still attack with Performance? I don't think so... but double check me. I think it's on 7.07 page 146.
Last edited March 25, 2021 2:44 pm
Mar 25, 2021 2:48 pm
Remember that the attacks are simultaneous your damage does not get applied until after the combat is over and thus the reason I did not even roll for where my damage might have hit as of yet. Although I do have one card left to play so just waiting to see whether its worth playing or not.
Mar 25, 2021 3:22 pm
Gotta love a ninja with something up his sleeve.
Mar 25, 2021 4:54 pm
DeJoker sent a note to saevikas
Mar 25, 2021 5:03 pm
saevikas sent a note to DeJoker
Mar 25, 2021 6:25 pm
Interesting.... The stakes have been raised.
Mar 25, 2021 6:26 pm
A♠️ 😯
Wasn't expecting that!
I guess we'll find out the details later.
Very intriguing ...
Mar 25, 2021 8:42 pm
So what's next? Is there another round after we do plot values?
Mar 25, 2021 8:49 pm
Yes you submit your Plot Value for the next round and the GM lets me know he has it so I can either make my Silhouette roll or drop a Plot Value -- then he reveals the results and we begin again. Or at least that is my understanding of it at this point.
Mar 25, 2021 10:10 pm
Yeah, we're onto the next round, so going to need your plot value. I already got DeJoker's.
Mar 26, 2021 5:22 pm
Aegis sent a note to saevikas
Mar 26, 2021 5:33 pm
Alright, I got both of your plot values. If anybody wants to use a plot phase ninpo, go ahead.
Mar 26, 2021 5:45 pm
No thanks.
Mar 26, 2021 8:26 pm
Set here as well
Mar 27, 2021 7:17 pm
Chalrytharendir says:
OOC:
I'll give a +1 to Aaron's dodge again. I don't have any flavor text for it yet, but I'll check back in later today and add some.
Man Chalrytharendir why you pickin' on me I feel so unloved now ;)
Mar 27, 2021 9:10 pm
Gotcha. I’ll update that last post soon.

Good catch.

Good fight.
Mar 27, 2021 9:19 pm
Also take into consideration that it hit your Scheming column so maybe it missed your body but grazed your face or some other element that you might use in scheming based of those skills you do not have ;)
Mar 27, 2021 10:07 pm
DeJoker says:
Man Chalrytharendir why you pickin' on me I feel so unloved now ;)
😆 I figured it was only fair since Takezo seems to have the Phoenix on his side. And I have a feeling later in the game Lacy will probably be on Takezo side given their earlier scene so I wanted to preemptively balance that out ... although, who knows? It will be an interesting internal conflict for Lacy ... Does her loyalty lie with her new found crush or her fellow clan member/rival?!?!?

Beside, those dodge rolls were the only ones I even had the chance to modify because you guys kept rolling before describing what you were doing. I have to apply my modifier before you roll, so the dodges were the only ones I could even go for.

Also, I thought a +1 to Aaron seems like I'm picking on Takezo less than a -1 to Takezo 😉

Looks like it didn't even help though 😔 Probably because I didn't add any flavour ... the dice gods were watching 😆
Mar 27, 2021 10:14 pm
Its okay I smiled and winked we be good and yeah I am looking forward to seeing how this all plays out both short term and long term
Mar 29, 2021 1:02 pm
The good news, for me, is that the defender for ranged attacks gets to pick where the damage is applied (pg 143-144). So I'll put it in stealth.
Mar 29, 2021 2:54 pm
Oh yeah but why not Scheming you have no Skills there either just curious
Last edited March 29, 2021 2:55 pm
Mar 29, 2021 4:05 pm
Yeah, besides his 3 main skills, kek. Anyways, reminder that the winner of combat, in this case, being DeJoker, gets to choose a reward for winning. In this case, either you choose your Emobond towards Aaron, Aaron's Emobond towards you, learn his Secret, or learn his Location.
Mar 29, 2021 4:20 pm
The EmoBond seems like the most organic but I think Takezo would be much more interested in the Secret as that may help in defense in future encounters which I am sure will occur ;) Still it would be nice if that is obtained in a more organic fashion but not knowing the secret makes it hard to determine how to render it organically
Last edited March 29, 2021 4:21 pm
Mar 29, 2021 10:32 pm
So do you want to go for the secret? I could see it as Takezo being able to deduce Aaron's goals, or Aaron letting Takezo know about his secret (without anybody else knowing).
Mar 29, 2021 10:33 pm
Yes that is the correct cliff note version of what I said ;)
Mar 31, 2021 6:54 pm
Got it. I'll work the secret into the next post.

I do actually have three skills in scheming. I'm surprised that didn't make it over to the character thread. Maybe I copied the wrong thing, I'll check.
DeJoker says:
walk in shadows, move in silence and protect against Oni exploitation and violence.
Are you guys the Men in Black? ;) Oddly enough, it was hard to find any avatar pics other than the ones from Men in Black.
Last edited March 31, 2021 6:55 pm
Mar 31, 2021 8:35 pm
Yep when we are in our Ninja suits we dress in black ;) glad you caught the reference hope you enjoyed it
Mar 31, 2021 10:30 pm
Remember that secrets are secret to anybody who doesn't know them.
Mar 31, 2021 10:51 pm
Yep, I don't think this secret affects how Lacy will act, but if it does become relevant to Lacy, I'll try to make her act as though she doesn't know that info. In the future, feel free to censor the "secret" part of the post by surrounding it with note tags. Or censor the whole thing and just put a brief summary of what happened minus the secret underneath. Like "During tea, Aaron reveals his secret to Takezo."
Mar 31, 2021 10:51 pm
I know that was expecting to see it disclosed in a Note and some vague reference to mentioning it in post -- but I am good with it as we all know the only folks currently that know that specific secret are Aaron and Takezo
Apr 2, 2021 7:34 pm
You got it. My bad, lol. Well, I guess this scene is about done if we want to move on.
Apr 9, 2021 6:31 pm
To be honest, I am at a complete lose of how to continue. I need to sit down and re-read everything in one sitting and try to figure out what I want to do at the very least.
Apr 9, 2021 6:59 pm
You could toss out questions and what not here as well and we can all give you feedback and then you can decide from there. I mean this is sort of a learning experience for most of us in one way or the other so sharing your player thoughts should not impact the game since the characters should not be the players and vice versa ;)
Last edited April 9, 2021 7:00 pm
Apr 9, 2021 8:38 pm
Summary of game so far:

Cycle 1:
Scene 1 (Drama Scene): On her way to steal the phoenix, Lacy met Sumomo. Lacy tries to learn Sumomo's "Secret" by friendly conversation (Failed Seduction Roll), but wasn't able to learn anything.

Scene 2 (Drama Scene): Takezo used an elaborate disguise/performance to gain access to the Tesla facility and swap the Phoenix for a fake (a red-dyed, de-feathered peafowl). He escaped with possession of the Phoenix (Successful Performance Roll).

Scene 3 (Drama Scene): Sumomo learns the Phoenix has been stolen and investigates the Tesla facility to identify the thief and discover the "Location" (Failed Investigation(?) Roll). Sumomo doesn't learn anything useful from her investigation.

Scene 4 (Drama Scene): Aaron confronts the President of Tesla's Japanese Research Facility (Shinjou Minamoto, Taizo's father) and convinces him to hire him to find the Phoenix (Successful Investigation Roll). Shinjou Minamoto gives Aaron the list of suspects, which includes Takezo (Aaron gains Takezo's "Location").

Scene 5 (Drama Scene): Taizo surprises Aaron. He was hiding in the back seat of Aaron's car. He condescendingly tells Aaron he is just a puppet of his father and tries to plant a seed of doubt in Aaron's mind about his agency and mission by forming an "Emobond" (Failed Inception Roll). Aaron maintains his confidence and Taizo leaves without any bond.

Cycle 2:
Scene 1 (Drama Scene): At his secret hiding place, Takezo begins a procedure to "terminate" the phoenix. Knowing it is at it's end, he comforts the phoenix with food and song to gain an "Emobond" with it (Successful Performance Roll). He forms a (positive/negative ?) bond (Respectful Inferiority) with it and the Phoenix forms a positive bond (Empathy) with Takezo.

Scene 2 (Drama Scene): Lacy follows clues stemming from the fake phoenix left at the Tesla facility, which leads her to Takezo. They have a friendly and flirtatious conversation over lunch where Lacy tries to form an "Emobond" (Failed Investigation/Seduction Roll), but before they can establish a bond, they are interrupted by the Japanese Mafia (Yakuza) who are also looking for the phoenix. They are separated but are each able to dispatch/escape the mafia.

Scene 3 (Drama Scene): As Taizo gets out of Aaron's car (following on from Cycle 1, Scene 5), Taizo plants a tracking device on Aaron's car to gain Aaron's "Location" (Successful Engineering Roll). Taizo now has Aaron's "Location."

Scene 4 (Fight Scene): Aaron tracks down Takezo and confronts him in Hamarikyu Garden. They fight for the ownership of the phoenix. Takezo narrowly wins with the help of some surprising magic that seemed to come from the bond he shares with the phoenix. After the fight, Takezo respects and honours Aaron by treating him to a tea ceremony where Takezo learns Aaron's "Secret" as spoils for his victory.
Last edited April 9, 2021 9:14 pm
Apr 9, 2021 9:03 pm
Beautiful synopsis bravo and thanks Chalrytharendir
Apr 9, 2021 9:30 pm
Thanks DeJoker!

I hope it's helpful ToDream and like DeJoker said, let us know if you have any questions. We're all learning how the game works at the moment, so don't be shy if you need to ask questions.

Also, another idea: we could all give you a couple suggestions for possible scenes/actions and then you can pick one that you like and go with it, or modify it, or use the ideas as inspiration to come up with one on your own. Sometimes it's easier to pick from a bunch of options than to come up with something from a blank slate.
Apr 9, 2021 9:50 pm
That being said the basic options are :
.... 1) Learn someone's Location
.... 2) Form an EmoBond with someone (which requires someone's Location)
.... 3) Learn someone's Secret (I think this requires someone's Location)
.... 4) Get the Prize (this now requires knowing someone's Location)
.... 5) Learn someone's Ohgi (This requires being present when someone uses it thus knowing their Location)

From the above you currently only have one option (that I am aware of) and that is to try and learn someone's Location. That being said you then need to pick whom and to some degree why? Which could lead to your next Scene which could be Emobond, Secret, Prize, or Ohgi. So now all you have to do is pick whose Location you are going for and how you are going to go about doing that.
.... 1) Aaron
.... 2) Lacy
.... 3) Taizo
.... 4) Takezo

Aaron got Takezo's as outlined in Chalrytharendir's synopsis which is simply one method and was aimed at what his character does best. So what does your character do best?

Also in choosing the whom, one might choose to work off what Sumomo currently knows, she has met Lacy she might reason that Lacy might know about the Phoenix, perhaps your Secret gives you some incite or incentive to connect with someone specifically, or you can roll a random number (1d4) and let it choose for you ;)

This part mostly boils down to how you want to play your character and how you envision your organization working which, because you are the only that belongs to it, means you get to make a lot of those decisions. Granted with GM approval. But for the most part your palette is mostly blank and ready for painting.

The question I would ask myself playing your character would be. Who is Sumomo? What is she about? How would she operate? What is most important to her? And various other things along these lines.

The above is what I have been doing with Takezo. I outlined a basic persona on the character sheet and I have focused on rendering that persona. He is very detail oriented, fairly direct and to the point, and polite and respectful of others regardless of whether he fully agrees with them or not. Then from there I just play it by ear.

I hope that helps orient you to a path or an agenda for your character.
Last edited April 9, 2021 9:57 pm
Apr 9, 2021 9:53 pm
Great summary Chal. As the others have said, we're willing to help out if you're stumped. My personal take is that, when in doubt, pursue your secret mission or the prize.
Apr 9, 2021 11:36 pm
DeJoker, that's a great explanation of the options!

A couple corrections I think:
2) To form an EmoBond, you don't need a character's Location. They just need to be in the scene with you (although that does require the player's permission).
3) To learn someone's Secret, you don't need the character's Location.

So that means in addition to going for someone's Location, Sumono could also go for someone's Secret, or suggest a scene that includes other characters and then go for an EmoBond with anyone who agrees to join that scene.
Apr 9, 2021 11:51 pm
Thanks Chalrytharendir for those corrections that helps I think all of us with what our options are each time
May 1, 2021 5:30 am
My next scene will be a drama scene (obviously because I don't have anyone's location yet). I think when Lacy receives the notice that Sumono in no longer a threat and should stop her investigation, she happens to come across some evidence that another Hirasaka Agent, Charles, has been reporting about the phoenix as well. Concerned she's out of the loop, she wants to find out what's going on, so she searches him out to confront him.

Aegis, would you join my scene? My plan will be to attempt to form an emobond with Charles (positive or negative, depending on how the scene goes). Lacy's curious what his mission related to the phoenix is and why they were not ordered to work together. I'm thinking Lacy probably gets his contact from the Agency directory and calls/emails to setup a meeting, but she could also drop in unexpectedly too if you think that works better. What do you say? Any suggestion on where they meet?
May 1, 2021 5:48 am
Nice I will be posting this weekend been fighting fires at the new job.
May 3, 2021 5:24 pm
Okay just a heads up to you all -- this weekend was a nightmare sort-of -- they went live with something on Friday without testing it and of course I spent the weekend fighting the resultant fires it created looooong hours so was not able to do to anything this weekend my apologies.
May 4, 2021 3:48 am
No worries, take your time. Real life happens sometimes.
May 11, 2021 10:07 pm
Anyone can post their scene.
May 11, 2021 10:56 pm
So sorry, been fighting fires at work and did family stuff over the weekend -- go ahead Chalrytharendir post your scene and I will try to get my done so that I can post it when yours is done.
May 13, 2021 4:50 am
I haven't heard back from Aegis about my suggested scene.

saevikas, what do you think about an encounter with Taizo instead? Maybe Lacy decides to investigate the yakuza that attacked her and in doing so encounters Taizo. Any reason Taizo might be interacting with them or any reason they might be after him too?

The goal of my scene would be to go for an Emobond with Taizo depending on how it plays out.

What do you think?
May 14, 2021 2:20 am
That would be good with me. I would assume that the yakuza is also hostile towards Taizo, so they may try something like an ambush.
May 15, 2021 12:19 am
Sounds good, unfortunately I'm going to be busy this weekend so I'll get it started on Monday.
May 21, 2021 6:51 pm
Sorry, I know I promised to start my scene on Monday, but it's been a busy week. Hopefully catch up on the weekend
Jun 8, 2021 5:18 am
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😆
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/809316414125113367/851690497034027028/imagination_v_perception.jpg
Jun 9, 2021 2:38 am
https://i.imgur.com/iRAxeEi.gif
Jun 14, 2021 5:03 am
Thanks for joining my scene saevikas, it was a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed the war ladder and other esoteric weapons!

DeJoker, too bad the avatar switch didn't work. If you still have the picture, you could post it on our Discord chat and then embed it in the post.

Looking forward to the climax fight everyone!
Jun 14, 2021 8:51 am
Chalrytharendir not really an issue it was mostly just a matter of coolness factor was all which providing the image in another way would not have retained

BTW we might be having another scene here soon talking with saevikas about next steps for my character

Also is Aegis still with us, are you out there still?
Last edited June 14, 2021 8:52 am
Jun 23, 2021 4:10 am
Bump for Chalrytharendir's post.
Jun 23, 2021 4:31 am
And here is what they are responding too for ease
OOC:
A romantic trip for two, just you, me... and uh okay three we're bringing the bird with us. You see I need an Oni to perform the releasing ritual however this dramatic scene will end prior to the actual ritual taking place as that would be after the grand finale -- ours is the lead up to that.

Other than inviting you to the scene, we need to establish a way for Takezo to reach Salacia as right now I am not aware of one. Takezo could have Salacia's phone number assuming the one she gave to her uncle a long while ago is still the one she is using.
Of course, Takezo having Salacia's phone number would be perhaps a small surprise to her although she might write it off as him and the organization he belongs to being what they are.
Last edited June 23, 2021 4:34 am
Jun 23, 2021 10:37 pm
OOC:
Lacy works as an English tutor, so I'm sure Takezo and his organization would be able to track down her number.
Jun 30, 2021 5:01 pm
OOC:
I'm a bit slow at posting at the moment. Work has been a bit busier and the west coast heat wave is surprisingly draining on creativity levels. So even when I have had time, it's hard to think clearly and write in the heat. I'm starting to catch up in some games but haven't got to this one yet. But I'm still around and will hopefully get to this game soon.
Jun 30, 2021 9:28 pm
That's cool or nastily hot ;) still here and I know how it goes sometimes I have to post in spurts when the job gets a bit intense and working in the late evening or early mornings when my home office is cooler. Luckily though I can do that. Yeah its always sunny on the west coast I hear ;) but I guess that can be a mixed blessing at times.
Jul 11, 2021 6:56 pm
OOC:
Bump.
Aug 6, 2021 6:29 pm
OOC:
Just checking in. Sorry again for the delay. I hope to post regularly again to finish off this game starting next week.
Aug 7, 2021 3:50 pm
Sounds good to me.
Aug 23, 2021 8:15 am
Didn't quite have time to get to this game yet, but should be able to tomorrow.
Sep 23, 2021 12:55 am
Just a heads up, I may not have much (or any) internet access for about a week starting tomorrow, so we might need to do the final round or two once I get back.
Sep 23, 2021 1:43 am
No problem.
Oct 19, 2021 7:36 am
Just checking in to say, I didn't get a chance to write my epilogue yet, but I should be able to finish it this week.
Last edited October 19, 2021 7:37 am

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