General Chat

One concern with moving along large sections of the map are the hidden wandering monster checks. We may end up face to face with something just wandering through the halls of Stonehell. It's not a high probably (17% chance every 20 min/180 feet). Still, it's a risk we need to consider.

Smiles. Well, if the trap doesn't kill him, then the trapped glyph surely will. :) (Kidding)

Presumably, between our retreat and waiting to talk to the dwarves, enough time has passed that we can assume the skeletons have moved on. Do we want to go back to that southern passage now (or down the stairs?), or does someone want to ask the dwarves for more precise directions first?

Oh we gotta get turn by turn from these guys haha

Hi everyone, unfortunately I'm not able to catch up the way I'd like with the game anymore. Schedules and duties change and I must keep up with mines.
Hope you can make of my almost non existant equipment good use, and please don't bother burying Lanhkmer 😂

Thanks everyone and have a great game

Ah, that's a shame. Thanks for playing and good luck with your future adventures.

All the best Swiftcloak. I hope to see you in another game.

@swiftcloak - I know very well how life developments can take priority over posts on GP! I've enjoyed being in this game with you, and I hope that we'll run into one another again in a future game.

Tiberious has a wrapped sense of humor. If GM had rolled "6"s. Swan would be dead, and Ricard would be barely alive with 1 HP. Obviously it was a deadly trap.

C'mon. I didn't laugh until I knew you were all safe. These fricken traps are going to be the end of all of us

In light of the current in-game situation, let’s take a quick time out to discuss, as a group, how we’d like to handle decision-making.

Swan is a very assertive character. Rather than offering an opinion on what the group MIGHT do, she tends to state what she IS going to do.

This potentially puts the other party members/players in an awkward position.

To avoid splitting the party, do they go along with Swan, regardless of the apparent wisdom of her decision, treating her effectively as a self-appointed leader?

Or do they let Swan do her own thing, thereby splitting the party? This seems to be what Swan is suggesting and is fine from a DM perspective if that’s what you want to do. It’s easier to manage a split party in a play-by-post game than a live game.

Or should we establish some sort of group etiquette for decision-making? For example, everyone offers their opinion on the next course of action, but there’s a common agreement to proceed with the majority.

Or do you want to appoint an old-school style "Caller" who will consult the group, but who ultimately has the final say?

From a DM-ing perspective, I’m happy to leave it up to you. But for the sake of the flow of the game, I think we need to address this. If we can agree on a general approach, then it will be easier for me to keep the game moving.

Anyway, please discuss.

I rather like Swan's impulsive nature, and I don't really want to rob her of that--Druin for example was hoping she'd flush out danger or traps before they hit him (ironically) and I feel she often gives you at least a quick chance to impress her with another proposal before heading off. So, I'm fine to take actions as they are dictated and deal with the consequences (though I defer to the preference of the group).

I do have a question though--Swan keeps mentioning returning the body to the surface, which body? I thought we had someone wander off but no current casualties.

The body of Bea was left in the Grand Foyer.

Shows you how poor my memory is. Wonder if it's still there...

I agree. I think it works well for progressing the game to have people usually post actions and reactions - group conversation in PbP can lead to a long series of posts that takes days to arrive at a decision. There is a time and place for that, but I don't think it should be standard operations for little decisions. It makes sense to me that the people in the front would lead, with the people behind making suggestions.

I am okay with one person dictating the desires of the party, so long as individual members can override such a decision for themselves. I.e., "You guys can go left, but I'm going right."

Yes, that, too. We need to be able to go our own way, even though we are all painfully aware how dangerous Stonehell can be. Splitting the party isn't usually wise, but there are definitely situations where it should happen: when you feel like everyone else is going to the wrong way, and when the party is exploring a small area (we've done this one several times so far).

While I like the idea of a Caller in RPGs - it forces people to consider and discuss their actions, and so you get fewer rash decisions - I don't think it works well for PbP.

I admit, it does bother me sometimes. I don't mind a caller, but the role is meant to gather feedback from the group and make the final decision.

Swan is a strong character, which is fun, but I'm not a fan of her making a decision for the group every time. It's like she's in a rush to get through the dungeon. This is a massive place. It's going to take time to explore. I want us to make smart decisions. Sometimes taking time and asking questions will give us an advantage. Rushing through rooms is going to get us killed at some point.

Swan put it up to leave the party.

By popular vote, there is no disagreement. So.

Swan takes back her lantern and exit the party.

Gene has messaged me to clarify that Swan's return to the surface represents their retirement from the game. Swan takes her lantern from Tiberious and departs.