Off the Beaten Track (OOC)

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Dec 16, 2021 7:45 am
Rezart says:
Rook can be familiar to Albert.
Perfect!

Basically, anyone who would has plausibly visited the bar is free to say they know Albert
Dec 16, 2021 9:14 am
And by 'know' we can also say 'are friends with'. It does not have to be that close, but that does smooth the integration into the party.
Details to be worked out between those players.

You guys can narrate seeing each other across the... well across the empty space.
Cook can respond before or after.
We don't have to post things in the order they happen. But try not change what came before.
Dec 18, 2021 1:31 am
GM, does Meht notice anything here? Otherwise he'll go hurry to see what all the 'bandits' are doing.
Dec 18, 2021 10:59 am
theatreofcomets says:
GM, does Meht notice anything here? ...
You say Meht is not good at reading people, so beyond a tingling in the back of the brain that something is afoot, he can not know more than that there might be some weird behaviour. He may put two and two together later, based on his ability to reason about signs and tracks.
Dec 18, 2021 8:49 pm
Cool, just to clarify tho (and apologies if I'm misreading your intent, and just restating how you're already approaching it), Meht is bad at reading people but trying something specific to learn how to do it: using his existing observation skills, and reasoning by analogy from what he is good at, i.e. reading animals and landscapes for signs. In the past he's largely avoided people, but now he has to find some way to try to understand them, and this is what he's trying for the moment.

In any case, if Meht tries this the question I am asking as a player is not What is the NPC genuinely thinking or feeling? but rather What does Meht see/perceive, if anything, that reminds him of the things he is familiar with in animals and landscapes?

Those perceptions/things could be genuinely useful or completely misleading or both or in between, since people are both similar and unlike other animals and landscapes, and I'm always happy to roll if you'd like that to be random. He's trying to bring INT from a different domain to bear on social understanding, because it's the best he's got to work with for the moment, but there's plenty of ways that can go wrong.. :)

For the moment I'll assume it's just the sense something's wrong, as you said, but he's still at a loss as to what it is.
Dec 18, 2021 9:19 pm
theatreofcomets says:
... sense something's wrong ...
I don't know that anything is 'wrong' per se, the captain is just behaving slightly out of character for herself, maybe taking this a little more personally than would be expected. Only characters who know her, or have been watching or interacting with her throughout the whole journey, or who are very good at reading people, would know for sure.

If you think this is Meht then you can act upon it and see what comes of it. Or you can use your observations to later justify taking an interpersonal Skill when the time comes.
Dec 19, 2021 1:31 am
I think Meht would certainly have been watching her closely, because she's in charge and he doesn't have Rook's confidence, but wouldn't be able to pick up anything subtle. So for the moment will assume he sees something that seems out of character, but isn't sure what to make of it.
Dec 19, 2021 11:57 am
Meht had also only met her, like, twice? So does not have a lot to judge from.
Dec 20, 2021 12:20 am
True, but compared to the other characters he's paid a lot more attention to her as an authority figure - currently he doesn't have much going for him except pleasing those in charge, given his inexperience. But let me know if you'd like me to amend my in-character post.
Dec 20, 2021 12:35 am
theatreofcomets says:
... let me know if you'd like me to amend my in-character post.
Not at all. It is completely up to you how much you feel Meht would be aware of, it is only your own characterisation of him as 'not understanding people' --and the fact that we have not seen him interacting much with the captain (which could have happened off-screen?)-- that hinders his interpretation here. If that was not your intent with those descriptions then you are welcome to show us Meht getting better at it quickly (though, WIS would be the main Stat for intuition, INT is often interpreted as the opposite, maybe his INT helps him put two-and-two together later?)

So far there is not much more than hints that the captain has a personal dislike for something related to the tattoo and the temple.
Dec 27, 2021 8:18 am
I'd like to use my Awareness skill to examine Jondur's body. Is this something I should say before hand (maybe in OOC?) or should I just write the fiction and you'll tell me when to roll, GM?
Dec 27, 2021 8:28 am
TheGenerator says:
I'd like to use my Awareness skill to examine Jondur's body. Is this something I should say before hand (maybe in OOC?) or should I just write the fiction and you'll tell me when to roll, GM?
The fiction comes before the dice, so tell us what you are doing to 'examine the wounds' (the answers are always based on what is feasible to learn from the actions taken), what you are looking for, and possibly what you think you find (not only do people miss what they are not looking for, but it tells the GM what the player finds interesting).
Then we can see if any rolls are called for, and then if any Skills apply (be sure to call out Skills that you think might apply, in case the GM neglects to check the sheets or interprets things differently).

When doing things like 'examining infected wounds' the GM will let you know about actions that put you at risk (infection and so on) in time for you to change your minds. Unless things go horribly wrong or deliberately risky choices are made, I don't see that happening here.
Dec 27, 2021 8:29 am
The PCs can speculate about answers to Albert's question based on Cook's description.

We can see where you all land and some of it may be true.
Dec 27, 2021 6:29 pm
TheGenerator says:
OOC:
I'm not sure exactly how to describe this. Albert is not a doctor so he wouldn't know what to really look for. The only experience with wounds he has is regular life experience. I want to use my Awareness in a "noticing something is off" kind of way, as apposed to a medical check. To see if what Meht said could be true in this case.
Yeah, 'Awareness' is not the same as 'Investigation' (what would that be? Decipher, Lore, or Heal in this case?). But maybe your awareness of your god's impression of the situation can be flavouring your interpretation?

Albert can roll +INT for an investigation (their god allowing them to apply Awareness as a Skill) or +WIS if they relying purely on 'prayer' and what their god has to say. The choice of Stat will influence what sort of details can be learned.

I will wait for Cook's answers before replying, but you can add the roll now if you want.
Dec 28, 2021 8:35 am
vagueGM says:
..'Awareness' is not the same as 'Investigation'..
Right, I see what you mean. I figured it was kinda like 'perception' in D&D. But I think you're right, this would lean more towards investigation.
vagueGM says:
..roll +INT for an investigation..
I'd lean towards rolling that instead of +wis.
vagueGM says:
.. (their god allowing them to apply Awareness as a Skill)..
Do you mean that without a god I wouldn't be able to apply Awareness to this? Cause I'm not trying to bend the rules. If it's not possible then I'm fine with it not being possible. ;-)
Dec 28, 2021 7:57 pm
TheGenerator says:
... figured it was kinda like 'perception' in D&D
And in DnD you have an Investigation skill (based on Int) separate from Perception (Wis), they really should not be used interchangeably, but DnD is a mess that way. :)
TheGenerator says:
vagueGM says:
.. (their god allowing them to apply Awareness as a Skill)..
Do you mean that without a god I wouldn't be able to apply Awareness to this? Cause I'm not trying to bend the rules. If it's not possible then I'm fine with it not being possible. ;-)
"Bend the rules"! Heavens no! Those are precisely what the rules do. :)

This is a Fiction First game, so all the rules and items on the character sheet really do, is give narrative permission to do things in the game. If you have a ladder on your sheet you can easily climb things (though walking around is much harder); if you have a spear you can fight at a bit of a distance, keeping someone with only a dagger at bay, but if the dagger wielder manages to get close they will have an advantage.

Meht, with Heal on their sheet, would be justified in rolling to investigate medical stuff, for instance (I am not suggest he needs to, just illustrating the point). In a case like this it would be more appropriate than Lore (which is probably the more obvious 'Investigation' Skill) or Decipher (which is more specialised).

Similarly Albert's 'Awareness of his god' will influence many of his actions and aid him in a lot of things... if he listens... if Raynor chooses to speak.
Dec 29, 2021 8:07 pm
Transcribed from PMs so everyone can participate:
paladintodd says:
How about if the the party heads off on the game trail without Cook, the fog picks up and they find themselves back in the camp - just as was happening to the bandits. Eventually, they realize they have to bring Cook with them. He's the only one that can navigate the fog - for reasons we don't know yet. In the back of my head Cook's magic and the temple are connected in some way.

I was trying to hint at that. Maybe they'll insist Cook comes with them, maybe not.

Don't know if that's presumptuous? Do we tell the others straight off or wait to surprise them with it?
vagueGM says:
Presumptuous? Not a problem. :)

That is fine, we can do that. The slight problems are that it only helps with the temple part. We will then need to cone up with a reason for Cook to continue with the group afterwards, but that can happen as we play (maybe he proves himself useful (seem unlikely:) or they find they need to protect him (there can be many reasons)). Tying too closely to the current story elements can leave a character feeling 'spare' after it is concluded, but we can keep aspects of this going as long as needed to keep Cook relevant.

The problem with private conversations and with 'hints' is that people need to act upon them. Do you really see the other players walking out of the camp and leaving Cook behind without this conversation happening in public?

Player secrets are always a problem, unless the other players know about them, they can not help the characters bring the secrets into the story. Best to be explicit about such things and rely on the players to keep the secret from their characters and to help make them be cool. "Be a Fan of the Characters" applies to everyone at the table.

Is there anything you want kept secret from the players? Or can we move this to the OOC?
paladintodd says:
All of this can be public. Just wanted to check first.

Want me to say something OOC "it's cool if you leave Cook behind, the fog will bring you back and you'll realize you need him". You say something? I don't see Cook heading off on the game trail himself.

As for Cook only being tied to the temple -- if Cook meets his end there or his story resolves there, that's cool with me. I'm more interested in the story than in Cook specifically.
Let us know if you want for Cook to meet his end and we can make it happen, but we can also retire him, or redeem him, or find another reason to keep him along afterwards if we want. We may feel differently at the end, so none of this planning is set in stone. "Play to find out what happens".
Dec 30, 2021 12:00 pm
paladintodd says:
they have to bring Cook with them. He's the only one that can navigate the fog
I like the idea, it's a good way for these ppl who basically don't know each other very well to sit out at least 1 dungeon together. Giving them a chance to bond and become a party.
Do we play this out or just narrate it happening?
vagueGM says:
We will then need to come up with a reason for Cook to continue with the group afterwards
As far as I can tell, Cook is kinda jumbled up in his head. Maybe being around the other PCs can slowly start bringing back order in his mind to the point where he feels like he 'needs' them to stay sane.
Dec 30, 2021 8:31 pm
TheGenerator says:
... it's a good way for these ppl who basically don't know each other very well to sit out at least 1 dungeon together. Giving them a chance to bond and become a party.
Indeed. Though getting characters together is more important than making it make sense in the story. Sense is nice when it can happen. :)
TheGenerator says:
Do we play this out or just narrate it happening?
What do we all think? How much do we want to play this out? Is there anything anyone still wants to do before we go?
TheGenerator says:
As far as I can tell, Cook is kinda jumbled up in his head. Maybe being around the other PCs can slowly start bringing back order in his mind to the point where he feels like he 'needs' them to stay sane.
Or maybe --at the player's discretion, and towards the end of the temple adventure-- dealing with the temple lifts the fog from his mind and they can rebuild Cook more capably, or give him a 'good' retirement with the 'problem solved'. It all depends on whether paladintodd decides to keep the character around (maybe with the same history/background but with a fresh start and new stats and picks).
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