OOC

General chatter

As far as the game is concerned, I don't have a preference per see, but I haven't had the chance to try out Black Hack or Old School Essentials. I'd be happy with White Box as well., but I'd mean towards Black Hack if for no other reason I've never run it.

Thoughts?

I'll just list the OSR D&D style games I have access to, in my order of preference. I am fine with playing any of these games though. So if someone has a strong opinion, I'll just go along with the flow.


Black Hack
Fantastic Heroes & Witchery (Has a 3e meets BX vibe. Might not be OSR enough for this game)
Old School Essentials
Warlock! (More of a Warhammer style system)
White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game
Maze Rats
Knave
Basic Fantasy RPG
Macchiato Monsters
Swords and Wizardry
OSRIC
For Gold & Glory

Thanks for having us in and running this game, Phil!

I own an absurd number of OSR games, and am willing to play just about anything... but I'd admit I have a pretty significant bias towards lighter, leaner, and more modern OSR games that are more about the spirit of the OSR than descending AC, XP for gold, multiple saving throws and all the rest. Retroclones don't do a lot for me -- I ran AD&D for years in the 80s and don't have much desire to return to it. ;)

As I stated on the recruitment thread, I'm cool with TBH or White Box (either version of WB, but I really like the WB: FMAG version griffrpg mentions above), and OSE is a pretty distant third for me. If we get into recommending other systems, I've got a few other favorites we can discuss.

I'm for White Box and OSE, I have both of the core books. I don't have Black Hack. I saw a few video reviews on it and wasn't impressed much, but I will play anything you guys decide on.

Looks like we are all in agreement about liking White Box. Except I didn't know there was another version of White Box besides FMAG, lol. So I might not be talking about the same thing. I can't imagine it is too different though. I am having trouble finding where I can download or purchase a copy. Is it out of press?

I think this should be the same release, but a different cover.

Link to Drivethru.

The version I have has a black and white cover, but from the description it doesn't appear that the different covers indicate any substantive changes.

Ok, cool. That is the version I have and am familiar with. It doesn't seem like the black and white cover version is available anymore.

The two I'm thinking of are by two different authors. I believe Marv Breig worked with Matt Finch to cut down the original S&W to the bare bones, resembling the very early days of OD&D, complete with the lack of the thief as a class. Then Charlie Mason took that book and produced the one linked above -- basically it's a cleaned up, slightly expanded, better laid out version of White Box.

Anyhoo -- just fine with that as a selection. But Umbral, you should check out The Black Hack at some point. It's a milestone game and spawned dozens of other cool hacks based on it.

It sounds like White Box might be the group's choice. As an aside, I bought a physical copy through Amazon for just a few dollars. That was a couple of years ago, but it appears to still be listed.

If White Box works for the group, my next questions are if there are any preferences I should try and be mindful of while we're playing, as we'll content. I'm wary of excessive combat because of how much a fight can slow things down in a game, but I'd also like to make sure we're all on the same page for things like content. Rather than give me specifics, maybe just put up a film rating that would make sense for the kind of story. For example, "General Audience", meaning it would be suitable for anyone including small children.

I understand the description of the plot kind of implies that I had something in mind, but I can make any story ideas I have work. If you're not comfortable posting here, feel free to dm me.

I'll take another look at it. As I mentioned before, I watched a few reviews, the one by Ben Milton was fairly in depth and I wasn't really inspired then. It's been a while, so it makes sense to watch it again.

Sorry. I'm a little late to the party. I really enjoyed Maze Rats and Dark Streets and Darker Secrets when I played them last year. I have White Box, Old School Essentials and The Black Hack, but I've never played them. I'm fine with whatever the group decides and am partial to more RP and less combat.

You gotta love how confusing this hobby can be at times thanks to recycling of game names. Thanks for the context. Sounds like we'll all be on the same page (more or less) no matter which version we have.
I am fine with anything from PG to R, but I think a PG-13 rating works best for these kind of games. I don't need or want anything as dark and gritty as Game of Thrones but I would prefer a more serious tone than The Hobbit (the book, I didn't see the movies).

I am very flexible on plot and the RP to combat ratio. Whatever people prefer, I am able to work with.

Agree that PG-13 is a good basis for this game -- though I can swing all the way from "G" to pretty hard "R" with the right group, mood, situation, etc. (For example, gritty low-fantasy like Games of Thrones is a real love of mine. Politics and backstabbing and mud and blood and all the rest. Nummy, but I don't think this is that game.)

I'll be honest here -- I love OSR games, but I'm trying to find the right way to play them via PbP. I've struck gold with one DCC game that transitioned into a Black Hack game, but in many, many cases I've seen both the exploration and combat tropes that are so prevalent with these games really bog them down in the PbP format. So I think I'll say roleplay heavy would be awesome, combat or the threat of it is pretty darned important to me as a cornerstone of the genre, and exploration can be either thrilling or a complete drag if it goes on too long. For combat, I'd add this -- make it thrilling, dangerous, able to be avoided with the right approaches, etc. Slogging through a bunch of low-level encounters that can't be avoided just to gain experience? Not in love with that, but I can deal if others want a more traditional / fight-filled game.

I agree with Harrigan on this and I am also good for ratings from G to R.

I don't really mind whatever rating you choose. I just think adults will use profanities from time to time. Adults killing each other, blood and gore, chopping monster heads off, getting spewed out or bloated gross things don't bother me one whit.

I don't get into erotic rp descriptions unless the scene moves the story and could possibly change the course of things.
EX: A vampire or a succubus begins to seduce a character, and perhaps one's virginity is the key to something that happens in the game.

I don't like rape scenes - abstracting these scenes or possibly passing the information through play is ok. I also don't like scenes with kids getting abused in any kind of way. I just don't go for that stuff.

I prefer ascending AC. Fight scenes can take as long as they need to, doesn't matter to me. I am very flexible and open to almost anything from traditional medieval settings like Dark Albion, Lion and Dragon, to full gonzo like Dungeon Crawl Classics, or World of the Last Sun.

About Black Hack, I'm not really into the way armor works, or player facing rolls, standard damages. Those drop sheets only work at the table, not online and not in the book. I'd play it just to say I played it, but for those reasons I wouldn't choose it as a go to rpg.

Pg-13 it is.

As for character creation, I don't have any special rules to apply. Make what you want. Let me know if you have any questions

So we're proceeding with WB: FMAG then? Cool.

Questions: Thieves are an optional class. Are they in or out? Races are meant to be decided at the outset whether they are on the table or not... specifically Halflings, Dwarves, Elves. I'm a big fan normally of human-only OSR, but I know not everyone swings that way. Where does everyone stand on that?

Will also state a case here to use ascending rather than descending AC...

---

@umbraldragon, every game certainly isn't for everyone, but do understand that TBH has like four ways of doing armor, standard damages are optional, not using the drop sheets detracts nothing from the game, etc. It's probably just not for you -- but I love the player-facing rolls, the usage dice, the roll-under, the simplified foes, etc. To each their own!

I would also vote for the slightly less deadly option Damage and Death rule where you're unconscious at 0hp and losing one per round and all that. Also fine with the base rules, but stand by with generating characters. :)

Thief is fine with me, as is being more forgiving on death and damage. There's another rule I've seen for dead PC's called "meaningful death" where PC's die when it's connected to something substantive, rather than being bludgeoned by kobolds after missing a saving throw, for example.

A subject of lots of conversation in the OSR. Your call -- we just need to be mentally ready if we're heading down the path of 0hp = instant death. 8]

I'll go with the "nicer" rule of letting people bleed out on the battlefield, rather than just outright die if that can actually be said to be nicer.

Sweet. I personally think there's a lot more tension in the game when that type of rule is in place.

I'm not saying BH is a bad choice. I hope I didn't give that impression. I've never played it. My experience with player facing rolls has not been satisfying, but I can say this. I love the artwork and all of the additional GM tables and material. I would gladly play it just to give it a shot.

As far as choosing options:
Races - all human works, not opposed to demi-humans
Classes - Thief can remain off the table, but I'm open to it.
Ac - ascending please.

I'm realizing that I should provide a bit more substance to the world you're in, so I'll start posting all that stuff in the resources section. Please be patient because my notes for the world you're in are all written long-form. It may take me some time to get everything transcribed.

I would only post what our immediate needs are so you won't waste too much of your time. As a GM I don't really expect players to read any of my background material, and I've not been proven wrong yet...lol. I usually fill them in as I go, THEN they find the material rather interesting for some reason, hehe.

I have a question: Could you change the name Half nun say dell to something more palatable since you have the time and the power?
Just asking...

I like a good bit of backstory and lore, but I certainly don't demand it. I'll read whatever is offered but have no problem with a slow trickle of information. I made a character with limited world experience since OSR games tend to take the slow expansion of the world approach.

I'm also fine with a slow trickle. In fact I enjoy that.

All good here too -- we can explore and uncover as we go. As you've already seen, I'll ask questions as things evolve and the scenes change, but I'll try to keep it real. ;)

Yeah, I'd been struggling with naming for this world. I was trying hard to avoid making stuff up that was to "fantasy-sounding". I think that was why I'd left it as "the capital" in my notes.

I feel you. I'm terrible with place names and such.

"How do you want to break away from Arnd and Swaneke?"

Anyone up for doing this or continue as is? I'm fine with it or anything else.

I figured we would do it organically. When it makes sense. Something specific in the fiction driving it.

Guys, I don't know when I'll be able to resume this game. I have a lot on my plate in RL. I apologize. As much as I love playing with you all, I have responsibilities. I really wanted to be in a game with Harrigan. I anticipate returning to run and play games, but it looks like a few months down the road.

Sounds good to me.

I'm sorry to hear that, but I fully understand. Thank you for joining!

That's too bad. Your character was really interesting. I hope we get a chance to game together down the road. Take care of yourself.

Yeah, was looking forward to it, umbral, but no worries. We shall play in the future, I'm sure, and good luck with the stuff keeping you from games!

Good luck Umbraldragon! Hope to see you back on the Plane soon.

Phil_Ozzy_Fer, are we continuing with three or looking for a replacement?

For now, as a trio. I'll repost the game and see if anyone shows interest.

Sounds good.

Hi, everyone. Thank you, Phil_Ozzy_Fer, for the invitation.

It shouldn't take me long to get up to speed on things and get a character submitted. I haven't ready the character creation thread yet, but I figure if I run into any questions I will probably find answers there. I'll speak up if I run into any trouble, though.

Welcome to the game the_puppeteer!

You're welcome for the invitation, and thank you for joining us!

Welcome aboard, the_puppeteer.

I apologize for the delay. I'll post before I hit the sack tonight.

Don't worry too much about this. The game is very RP-heavy right now, and only about a day, day and a half have elapsed. I won't leave anyone behind.

There haven't been any hostile confrontations yet, but that's been deliberate. As you may have noticed, I've been increasing the list of potential threats to the group and the game will be more and more perilous. However, I'm going to keep things mostly text-based/RP-oriented. For now, I've been pacing things slowly on purpose, but I'm always open to comments and feedback. Since I can't check in at the end of a session I thought I'd do the equivalent now.

This isn't RP-heavy, this is RP-just right! It's OSR -- if we're in a bunch of combats out of the gate, it'll be a short game. :)

Also, I didn't mean to nuke the idea of splitting the party and whatnot. Just having Arden speak his mind.

Also also, doing great, Phil. The threats are certainly piling up. The main thing I'm interested in as a player is having enough information to know whether Arden would work for Emil for not. I playing it right now as "he needs to learn more," but that outlook won't hold for long.

I've been really enjoying the game so far. Sorry I haven't been as active as the rest of you. I am normally able to post around once per day but lately have been busy and slipping from the schedule a bit. Hopefully things mellow out soon. Either way, I am having a good time.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I am enjoying the game thus far, too. I'm generally a post/day guy so the pace is certainly fine with me. As far as combat, I enjoy it, but don't see any reason to go out of the way to include it. My experience is that most groups of PCs are going to land themselves in it sooner or later.

Part of what makes the old school what it was is resource management. The party has to know how far they can safely push before being forced back to town to resupply. The wandering monster/random encounter check is a way to blur that line. Since experience points are rewarded for treasure returned to town, my favorite combat encounters are the ones that are avoided.

Coo! Thank you for the kind words, and the feedback. It's appreciated, and I'm enjoying running the game for/with all you.

That is how I envision things, too. Phineas hasn't been into town yet. That is where he was heading when the group intercepted him.

For the record, I thick the cart idea is a cool one and I hope we see it in action at some point. I mean... our halfling could build a whole house in there! ;)

Just playing Arden as Arden, you know the drill.

And I think Aaxi should lead us. ;)

Well, he's getting antsy. He's an explorer and mover and doesn't like staying put. While Arnd and Swaneke are probably happy to loaf around. :-)

My post may not have made this clear, but Phineas is not inclined to move away from the relative safety of the fire, especially not with bare feet.

I mean those marshmellows need tending!

I didn't know that Arden had started roasting marshmallows. That is definitely all the more reason to stay put! If y'all make it back, we'll have s'mores. If not, we'll see if flinging sticky hot marshmallows at intruders is an effective deterrent.

Alrighty -- I hate to be the confused goober, so I'm going to ask a question over here where it's not going to gum up the game. I'm just not grokking how you're seeing skill or attribute type checks working, @Phil_Ozzy_Fer.

So taking the Aaxi stealth example from the game:
Not sure if you mean positive or negative modifiers here since you mention roll-under. Aaxi rolled a 15 and has a +1 from his Dex. So am I right in thinking that roll is a 14 if we're rolling under, or a 16 if rolling over?

Did the DC14 you mentioned come from you, or was Aaxi trying to roll-under one of his attributes?

Enquiring Minds and all that...

I'm a little confused but that is likely because this is my first game with this system. I didn't have my book when I rolled but I was looking at the halfling in the book today and they have a Near Invisibility ability where you roll a d6 to sneak.

I think I see where the confusion was. Yes, it should have been a success, a 14. Its always fair to ask question, but the die result for Aaxi was 16. I squeezed my update in when I didn't have a ton of tim, saw the net result and left it at that. I should have taken an extra moment to double check. It's worth pointing out that it's possible to subtract from a die roll as well. I know the bonus says "+1" on the character sheet, but for our purposes that should be, I believe, reducing the initial roll, rather than increasing the final number.

The DC 14 came from me. I felt like it was a fairly large number to roll under which would increase success, but still have a reasonable chance of missing the check.

This is my first time running this game, so for stuff like a halflings "Near invisibility", please remind me its being invoked so I don't overlook it.

As an aside, it's becoming clear to me that I'm mucking this up a bit from my end. My apologies. You're right to be asking these questions. This may be due to not having as much time in my daily life as needed to ensure things are running smoothly. I'm going to have to take that into consideration as things move forward.

Appreciate the clarification -- I get it now. And you're not mucking anything up. With WB and a bunch of other OSR games there's a lot left to the table and the GM to firm up, so this kind of conversation is to be expected. I'm familiar with a variety of approaches to different things in OSR games, and the pros and cons that go along with them, so just let me know if you want to bounce ideas.

Nice roll btw!

I agree with Harrigan and Its up to me to know the rules at least for my halfing, so thanks for your explanation and patience.

So I don't remember anything about this game or why I got the invite, I'm very sorry. My brain doesn't keep up with things like it used to. If you're needing another player, I can give it a shot. If it was for some other reason that I don't remember, just let me know. >__>

I think you had initially expressed interest when I'd posted it up in the Games Tavern so I sent the invite. I have no idea what your schedule is like, so there's obviously no obligation to join. The invites went out to people that sounded interested, however, when I didn't hear back Id assumed you changed your mind and weren't going to play. No worries! I'd be happy to have join if you'd like, but there's no issue if you don't want to.

The invite only showed up for me two days ago. NO idea why. I'd like to see how it goes. I'll try not to be too slow.
What should I look at for characters?

Wow! The invite must have been stuck in the mail because of COVID, lol!
The whole game is just right out of the core book for White Box fantastic medieval adventure game. Put together whatever kind of character you'd like to play. Will you need a recap of the events thus far?

I have a couple of thoughts to share in response to the OOC portion of Harrigan's latest post.
No offense taken. I will admit to being slightly taken aback at the party's refusal to take Phineas at his word when he turned up on the scene. It didn't take me long, though, to admit to myself that I was 100% responsible for the situation being what it was.

I told the bandit story because in my mind an Itererant Priest, particularly one who had been sent on a mission by the ruling body of his church, ought to have a horse. It was a completely unnecessary detail that I sabotaged myself with because I didn't take the time to think it through. I feel like I did an ok job of digging myself out of that hole with the "maybe they weren't 'professional' bandits" backpedaling I did. Time will tell, I suppose.

The point is that you all, whether intentionally or not, politely let me know that if I tried to hand you a bunch of crap, you weren't going to accept it. And rightly so. I should have thanked you for it then but didn't. So, Thank you for gently encouraging me toward better role play.

Our characters come from very different backgrounds that inform how they view the world. Phineas has no idea that he has led a sheltered life up until now. He is a bit naive, but not a lost cause, I think.
I was expecting some IC pushback regarding Phineas' suggestion (from both parties, actually) and was surprised by the jump, too. That said (and I could be wrong about this), we ended up more or less where I expected that we would, ultimately, be.

I actually like Phineas' bandit story, and the fact that all of it may or may not be true. There are loads of reasons he might not have, or might have lost, his horse -- many of them embarrassing enough to lie or at least embellish the truth about. No issues with any of that, though it did play pretty hard into our presuming there were bandits that needed chasing.

This being an OSR game, I'm trying to have Arden look at things with cold eyes and see them for what they are, or at least how they present themselves to him. I'm enjoying the game, but my biggest struggle so far is the gap between character and player knowledge that exists over this rebellion. I feel like Arden would know which side he was on, but I'm fumbling a little trying to determine that with pretty limited info. We're getting there, though, and I'll just make some assumption about things and keep moving forward.

There was no ill intent. I moved things along because you were surrounded, outnumbered and made an offer to accompany the bound Swaneke, offering to join him in jail, so to speak.

Arnd wasn't going to do much, Phineas made the offer, and Rose refused to abandon Swaneke. That just left Arden. And Aaxi, but our hidden friend is sneaking right now.

It didn't seem worth it to me to prolong that particular scene, but I can make sure everyone gets to add their voice as the game progresses.

As for character/player information, is there something in particular you'd like to know as a player? My goal was to force PCs to take ethical stands based on what kind of perceived outcome they would think is the best. So far, the group has decided to go along with their orders, and are acting as members of Emil's army. It's a perfectly rational position, but I assumed that eventually, the PCs would be making a choice about what objective they wanted to achieve because it was the right one to pursue. Every time I've introduced a character, it was to present another point of view on the same situation. Everyone has a stake in what's happening, but what they see as the best possible outcome varies.

The commanding officer that gave the orders, Swaneke and Arnd, the farmers, and now the militia all have offered varying ideas on the situation. Do the PCs have an opinion on what the best possible outcome might be, why, and how they might achieve it?

Everyone that's been in the game wants some possible outcome. Do people support Emil's rule, do they reject it and seek to re-install a regime like the one that had been toppled, or is another solution going to be proposed? (I was half-expecting all the players to abandon the story and head out into the unknown!)

Does that help, or was there other information you wanted?

Oh, I know it wasn't ill intent! I'm just (perhaps overly) sensitive to players losing agency in situations like the one we're in. No harm no foul here, I'm just hoping we hear all the voices in a scene before we move on.

The additional info does help, btw, and as you'll see from my IC post just now I've decided to just pick a course and run with it. I do have some additional questions that might help color in the picture and make sure we're all working from the same basis.

1. When Emil and the rebels swept into the city, what did they do with the ruling class? Were they executed, imprisoned, banished -- or do we not know?
2. Just how much inequity was present in the situation before? Were there citizens starving while others hoarded wealth and power?
3. At a personal level, what is Emil like? Is he charismatic? Cruel? A man of the people? Vicious and driven?
4. Was the victory hard-fought, or did the rebels wash over Arden and the other aristocratic soldiers in such great numbers that they might as well have not even been there?
5. How equipped do Emil and his cohorts seem to rule? Are they inept, are they skilled and fair-handed, or is it simply too early to tell?

Don't mean to bombard you, Phil_Ozzy_Fer, but some of this will go a long way towards cementing things for me.

Sorry to be a bother -- I like to raise and openly discuss this stuff rather than let it sit and possibly fester. That can make me seem a little forward at times; I don't mean to be.

I don't mind that you're asking questions. I'd rather you be engaged and asking questions about possible holes in the content, rather than bored, indifferent, and looking for the exit.

For your questions:

1. As far as anyone knew initially they were kept alive. Prison, public humiliation in stocks, and possible death sentence after a trial. They vanished from the pubic eye, but no one knows what their ultimate is going to be at this point.

2. This is a very open question, and it doesn't really have a clear answer. How people look at inequity is going to depend on who you ask. For example, Swaneke clearly feels like he got the short of the stick in life. Not being born into a well-connected family, he'd see himself as permanently on the outside. That's certainly inequity, but people who backed the regime would have seen all of that as perfectly reasonable. Consider debates around the distribution of wealth and power where you live in real life. (I have no idea where that might be.) Are the rich and powerful at the top because they earned, or because they were born into the right family? Are the poor simply exploited by people with means, or do they have less wealth because they're lazy? Arden believed in the aristocracy if I understood his character correctly, so he's going to have a different view than Swaneke. Phineas will have an even different view because he's from somewhere else entirely. If people are starving to death in a system that is comfortable with that outcome, does it count as inequity, or is just normal? The problem in this particular city, according to someone like Swaneke, would probably be likened more to a sense of opulence and aloofness on the part of the rulers. They did their jobs admirably but lived in a separate world. Perhaps intentionally so.

3. The reports around Emil are that he's an excellent soldier and a harsh but effective ruler. He commands respect and fear in equal measure.

4. Emil's victory was quick and surprising. Why? Might be worth asking around...

5. Emil's soldiers are capable, but few in number, hence the forced conscription.

Hopefully this helps and feel free to keep asking questions.

Yup, helpful. Thanks -- much appreciated.

A recap would be great, I'll read from here on out. I'll have a character asap.

All the PCs come from a city, or at least the general area that was run by an efficient, if not somewhat disliked aristocracy. That ruling clutch of dukes and duchesses has overthrown someone calling themselves Lord Commander Emil. In the aftermath of his usurpation of the previous rulers, he began forced conscription, this is where the players come in. Them, along with two NPCs, were ordered to the outskirts of the territory to start helping farmers can safely get their goods back into the city proper. Along the way they spoke with a couple of residents and met Phineas (the PC). Phineas comes from a theological community where members play a role as diplomats. He met with the group after being relieved of his horse by bandits. The PCs were in pursuit of said bandits, until Swaneke (an NPC) got himself captured by a militia rebelling against Emil. In an act of solidarity, the group has accompanied Swaneke to the temporary camp the militia is using, and that's about where we are.

Once we resolve how to manage a botched stealth roll, it will be morning, and the group will be heading out, possibly as willing prisoners in the short term.

Hey guys. I am still not able to participate in GP to the degree that I would like to. I am very far behind on reading the in-game posts so I am not entirely sure what is going on right now. But I did notice Rose was directly called out and don't want hold you guys up.

So while I am not sure about the exact context, Rose would be on board with abandoning Emil's cause and would go along with the group consensus.

Sorry for the lack of a proper in-game posts. I hope my absence won't continue for too much longer but it is difficult to predict these things. Thanks for your understanding.

Take care of yourself Griffrpg. Thanks for letting us know and for Rose's sentiments.

Argh, griffrpg, I just saw your note in the Absences thread. Sorry to have called on you directly here. We've got it covered. Hope you get to feeling back and can join back in, I love Rose's spark.

1) Swaneke has made his position perfectly clear. With the way he has acted and some of the comments that he has made, I doubt that our captors can be convinced that he has had a change of heart.

2) I realize that our association with Swaneke, as well as the uniforms that the rest of the party are wearing, are significant barriers to trust. Based on the way the militia has treated the party thus far, I am comfortable with asking them to give us the benefit of the doubt.

3) Phineas hasn't objected to being lumped in with the patrol because

a)he was with them when the two groups met, and
b)there hasn't really been anything objectionable about the way they have treated him.

4) That being the case, since he isn't wearing Emi's colors, he hasn't been branded, he does have the uniform and trappings of office of a member of the Holy Court, and he is extremely charismatic (on paper, at least), he ought to have a decent shot at convincing them that he is an outsider and a neutral third-party.

5)I'll have to look back and see what, if anything, we decided, but I seem to remember that, back in character creation, you raised the question about which side of the conflict had requested a mediator, and I think we decided that the request had come from the legitimate government. If that is the case I feel like that lends even more weight to Phineas' argument and may even be enough that if he vouched for the other PCs, that might give them a mark in their defense.

That will be his argument, anyway.

Ultimately, I think that we are only trying to convince the militia to put us in a supervised probation or work release type situation that would make it possible for us to, eventually, earn their trust.

I'm not fussed at all griffrpg. I didn't post last night because I had a soft deadline that I needed to meet. (Book review) If you're super busy in real life, I fully understand. There's no pressure on my part, and I'm happy to do my best to keep you to speed with what's been taking place in the game if it would help. I could just make up dialogue for Rose if you want as an NPC. Just let me know when you've got a free moment. No worries

My plate was a little full over the weekend and I had to avoid logging into GP so I could finish a project. To the post by the_puppeteer, these are all excellent takes on the group's current situation. I'll go ahead and push things forward in the game.

Had a cross-post; now fixed.

@Phil_Ozzy_Fer,

I looked back at the character creation thread and confirmed that it was the legitimate government that had asked the church to send an Arbiter. Also, I imagine that the full Regalia of a Cleric of Justitia would include the same iconography that has traditionally been associated with her. She carries a sword in one hand, a scale in the other hand, and she wears a blindfold. No one has given any indication that they recognize his affiliation. Although admittedly, there would be few, apart from the nobility, who would have much chance of doing so. If you are willing to accept that as Canon, though, the blindfold might actually increase the chance of someone recognizing him.

As an aside, no one ever needs to apologize for being busy out in the real world. I understand. I have a family, a full-time job and various obligations that come along with all that. I fully empathize with time being tight for people. I'm not at all offended if your posting slows down. If it looks like you need to step away, just let me know. It's really not a big deal, this is only a game after all.

Hey Phil, I'm going to bow out of your game. It didn't turn out to be what I had envisioned and is by no means any reflection on you. Thanks for having me, and good luck with it.

ok @windyridge. Thank you for having joined us. That leaves us with two, maybe three active players for this game at the moment. How would you like to proceed? I can put this up for another player t join us. We can proceed with just a couple of PCs and supplement with NPCs. We can call it a game here. Let me know what you'd prefer.

Unfortunately, I think it's best if I pull up tent stakes as well. Thanks for running, Phil -- sorry if I was a hassle to manage at times.

See you both around GP!

It is your call to make, Phil_Ozzy_Fer. Although, I will say that I have only ever seen one game survive after losing all of its players except for one. In that case, it wasn't an influx of new players that kept it alive. It was 100% GM tenacity. The game had been running for almost two years at that point, and it took another year of new players joining and leaving for it to eventually 'hit its stride' with a regular core group of players. Generally, I think it's easier to start from scratch.

Having said that, I am enjoying the game. I like the socio-political backdrop you have painted and I'd enjoy finding out why Emil revolted. Is he power-hungry? Was the old regime really awful? Is this actually the covert expansion of a neighboring nation? Did he swoop in to prevent some existential threat that only he knows about?

Don't try to keep it going based on me, though. If there is a story to tell that you feel passionate about, let's tell it. If not, that's ok, too.

This game is as good as dead. In my experience, once a game reaches this point it has run its course. Too bad, but thank you all for joining up and letting me run this.

I enjoyed it. Thank you for doing so!