The First Sacrifice (OOC)

And mechanically it is a Light Weapon?
If so, it probably can fit fully in your pack (it might be curious to someone who specialises in wayfarers that this group does not have packs, feel free to ask about that when it becomes clear they are travelling some distance).

If it is a Martial Weapon then it would probably stick out.
With experience you will find that you probably want weapons a bit more easily accessible than 'in your pack'.

Thanks, that does ring a bell. In hindsight, I remember using a mallet to tap a chisel (for paring wood slivers, I think) in a carpentry class waaaaay back when. Can't remember much about the size but it was far from being a sledgehammer.
Yikes. Did WoW call that BFW a-la the BFG from Doom/Quake? :)

Can I go with light weapon, please? I think a martial weapon would be a bit out of character for him at this point. He's used to swinging potentially dangerous things, but not at people. So, apologies, but I'll take back what I said about the mallet sticking out. Could still make for a discernible bulge in his pack, perhaps.

He's also got a shield at his back, something that's more a symbol of Selusia than a martial protective item.
Let me read up a bit more on how fighters might've secured blunt weapons in the past - some sort of loop through a belt/sash perhaps? I'm guessing the method would've had to be pretty different from a sheath used for pointy/slashy weapons.

Sure. Remember that you need to deduct the value from your starting Silver. Starting Silver and gear all together represent what you start with and is worth 60 Silver, so it is not like you are 'buying' everything, just a 'balancing cap' on the value.

See the Equipment section for details.
Sure, or a bulge on your belt. A mallet is basically a big-headed hammer.
Though, historically shields were the most important and significant weapon on the battlefield, the type of shield used would define and dictate what sort of unit you were and how you fought. Weapons were designed to work with the types of shields, shield technology dictated what sorts of weapons were carried. Many towns would have laws about people carrying shields in the streets and not define anything about weapons. RPGs seldom get any of this right.
Pretty much, and also pretty much how a carpenter/worker would carry it in a tool-belt. Might be you are actually using a tool-belt? Even if it is currently in your pack till you learn it is good to keep the mallet accessible.

I noticed, but did not care. :P
Quite likely ;)

Char sheet updated to include equipment costs and gold. I'll get his current HP up there too at some point.

I think I now understand the mechanical side of it "reasonably" (stretchy definition) and might not hassle you with too many more questions on that front (till I see some combat anyway). All the same, feel free to tell me if you think I've missed something.

Creatively too, if you think Olden is meandering around, feel free to give me a nudge. I appreciate that Olden's story is for me to narrate but a tip or two or thoughts are welcome.

Don't hesitate to ask. Both about specific mechanics or this or other games, as well as about general gaming stuff. This is a learning game.
Yeah. Combat tends to be more mechanically dense and complicated. This is why so many RPGs spend such a disproportionate amount of their pages on that topic.

Combat is also harder in PbP since it cares a lot more about the minutia of each action. This game --like most of the games I prefer-- does not have 'initiative' turn order, so it does not slow down as much as games that are bound by that mechanic, but there is still a lot more waiting in PbP combat than is ideal. Combat is also deadly in this game, you have 4 HP and your simple mallet can do 6 points of damage, so one hit with a hammer to the head can kill someone... as it should be.
Will do, if it is important.
:) It might be time to get the party moving, but you, yourself, prompted that with your question about what they are up to. We can continue to get to know people as we walk, and our actions speak louder than words to show who we really are.

Unintentional nudge given.👍

Ha ha, thanks. I, as a player, am probably thinking, Take me, take me! I'm also thinking old man Olden might be a no-nonsense mind his own business unless someone's in need sort of person, and was wondering if his posts were going around in circles a bit :),

😬😂

It can be tricky at first, but 'adventurers' have to be, by their nature, the sort of people to get involved in other people's business, else they will do what most people do and avoid trouble. :)

We don't have to trust each other at the start and we don't have to see the value in each other yet, but for this party to continue together after the immediate events they all need to see that the others are worth sticking around with by then end. We can also assume they have seen enough to justify the conceit of the game and to continue to adventure together.
Slightly, yes, but you identified that and fixed it. So there is hope for you yet. :)

:D (I haven't figured out how to get emoticons [or emojis or whatever they're called] to work)

I use those of my (smartphone) keyboard
But you can trust that everything that might seem offensive should have come with a wink 😉. We're quite friendly here.

For the record, I've not yet come across anything remotely offensive :)

Question about appearance please. Albert's staff was out where visible at one point recently (can't remember the exact post). Does Norbert wear his axe and sling on his belt? How about Roald? Shortsword in a sheath? Dagger?

Short sword in a sheat yes. The dagger is on his other side. Both on a belt

OOC this is not particularly interesting. Theo, Phil and Daryl had all the packs when they were captured, so they are presumably at the camp.

If you want to ask this in character, it is only a little more interesting, but an obvious thing to enquire about.

Norberts axe is in a "pouch" for the head, buckled to his belt. His sling is wrapped around his left upper arm with a knot that could be opened by drawing it in one motion.

Cheers, Airshark and fossball, and thanks for the heads-up vagueGM.

Not sure if this should go here or as OOC in the RP thread. Anyway, as the person who mooted that question about packs, can I propose that we assume the pack question was answered off-screen, possibly by Daryl? Doesn't sound, on the surface, like it is plot-critical - Olden now knows about the kidnapping now anyway.

Will make an IC post in the next half hour.

Happy to fast-forward Olden's conversation with Daryl (if Daryl's happy with that) with the net result being that Olden now knows a bit more about Theo and Phil and about the attack ... or to play it out properly. Either one works for me.