Iren's Play-by-post fantasy games - General Discussion thread

[Irenaeus]

What is the skill I'm supposed to roll on? And uhhh, how?

If you mean investigating near the like you posted here:

Alfwine makes a point to get up early the next morning and investigate the general direction of the tunnel aboveground, to find out what nearby structures it might lead toward.

You can roll for "tracking" (or scouting) a skill you don't have at a penalty -2 and try to reach 11+ to find good clues for finding out what you're looking for, with results under that threshold likely being frustrated attempts with few clues.

If you want to interact with anyone else in town, roll 2d6 + CHA bonus/penalty for their impression of you according to the Player reaction table:

NPC Reaction Table
Adjusted Die Roll Result
2 or less - Hostile
3–5 - Unfriendly
6–8 - Neutral, uncertain, indifferent, uninterested
9–11 - Cordial and Helpful
12 or more - Friendly and Very Helpful

[Irenaeus]

If you're going with a relatively realistic take on rangers, they could be based on royal woodsmen. They often were kinda hybrid between a "proper" craftsman guild and a royal court service.
A dedicated royal service. Education is obtained via introductory courses (usually sponsored by a king), then a "master-pupil" model (maybe several journeymen per master). Masters get some fief to look after, a stipend and maybe some hunting or woodcutting rights on that fief. In exchange they should make sure that peasants don't cut down the trees where they shouldn't, don't hunt boars and deer they shouldn't and dangerous animals don't multiply that much. If the trees are fit for shipbuilding, they also could be tasked with looking after them and organizing reforestation.

Another idea is to have rangers also do fur trapping (that might include subduing some unwashed barbarians and forcing them to pay taxes in kind, as well as organizing them into hunting parties and bringing some civilization to them - medics, husbandry specialists, smiths, brewers, etc.).

Great suggestions, I'll keep them in mind. It can't be developed as late medieval ages since I'm basing the fantasy society more on the dark ages, early medieval.

Yes, of course, it's your call.
I'd still like to reiterate that both protected forests, hunting grounds and "fur colonies" were used throughout history.
- Romans created woodcutting latifundiae.
- Sarmatians had royal hunting grounds.
- We have notes of Novgorod's fur expeditions and "fur diplomacy" as early as 9-10th c. (though they were few at the time, because there still was a lot of game in its direct vicinity).

Here, quick google gives this, it partly confirms my examples (and gives more).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_management#History
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Al ... _in_Japan/

That's all very pertinent to writing about rangers and other occupations, I'll give a read for your examples and research to include more as we develop the campaign's setting as we go along the game. Thanks!

Now, I'm back to writing the next post, aiming to post it in a few hours.

[Irenaeus]

Divided the post in two parts, one for the breakfast and stuff inside the inn and the next that will post tomorrow, detailed the town encounters. No need to post more stuff in the game thread between them, but if you want to - go ahead.

[ERYFKRAD]

Divided the post in two parts, one for the breakfast and stuff inside the inn and the next that will post tomorrow, detailed the town encounters. No need to post more stuff in the game thread between them, but if you want to - go ahead.

Wait, breakfast? Is that complementary or are we getting charged from our hardly earned 5 cp per head?

[logincrash]

Divided the post in two parts, one for the breakfast and stuff inside the inn and the next that will post tomorrow, detailed the town encounters. No need to post more stuff in the game thread between them, but if you want to - go ahead.

Wait, breakfast? Is that complementary or are we getting charged from our hardly earned 5 cp per head?

I assume it's on the house since we did agree to look into it and solve the root problem instead of ******* off to do other merc stuff.

[DemoGraph]

I wonder what forced Olwin and Breanna (or anyone) to remain in this town. Are they indentured servants?
There should be something big to force them to sit on top of a proverbial gunpowder barrel.

[TKVNC]

I wonder what forced Olwin and Breanna (or anyone) to remain in this town. Are they indentured servants?
There should be something big to force them to sit on top of a proverbial gunpowder barrel.

The Early Middle-Ages had bonded farmers as a basic structure of society. It's pretty much like serfdom, but serfs were also owned as slaves.

So it's relatively believable to simply say they are bonded, and this is the only area of land they are allowed to live / work on.

[Irenaeus]

Divided the post in two parts, one for the breakfast and stuff inside the inn and the next that will post tomorrow, detailed the town encounters. No need to post more stuff in the game thread between them, but if you want to - go ahead.

Wait, breakfast? Is that complementary or are we getting charged from our hardly earned 5 cp per head?

I assume it's on the house since we did agree to look into it and solve the root problem instead of ******* off to do other merc stuff.

Yes, it's on the house. The adventurers havent overstayed their welcome yet.

[Jordy]

AI generated these lyrcis for Alfred's song with the information given.

"The Ballad of the Last Rat-King

Beneath the valley, dark and deep, Where the soil sighs and shadows creep, A crown was cast, a tale was spun, Of a kingdom lost, now come undone.

The Rat-King ruled with a silver claw, His throne of bone, his reign of awe. The earth would tremble, skies would weep, As whispers woke the stones from sleep.

But men grew bold with fire and steel, They nailed his crown to the valley’s heel. Bound in earth, his shadow sealed, A secret grave, forever concealed.

Yet still the soil breathes tales of woe, Of what lies locked in the depths below. For those who dig and seek his mark, May find the Rat-King’s wrath in dark."

[maidenhaver]

Ballada o ostatnim Królu Szczurów

Pod doliną, ciemną i głęboką, Gdzie gleba wzdycha i cienie się skradają, Korona została rzucona, opowieść została utkana, O utraconym królestwie, teraz rozwiązanym.

Król Szczurów rządził srebrnym pazurem, Jego tron ​​z kości, jego panowanie grozy. Ziemia by się zatrzęsła, niebo by płakało, Gdy szepty obudziły kamienie ze snu.

Ale ludzie stali się odważni z ogniem i stalą, Przybili jego koronę do pięty doliny. Przywiązani do ziemi, jego cień zapieczętowany, Tajemny grób, na zawsze ukryty.

A jednak gleba wciąż oddycha opowieściami o nieszczęściu, O tym, co leży zamknięte w głębinach poniżej. Dla tych, którzy kopią i szukają jego śladu, Mogą znaleźć gniew Króla Szczurów w ciemności

[DagothGeas5]

Ballada o ostatnim Królu Szczurów

Pod doliną, ciemną i głęboką, Gdzie gleba wzdycha i cienie się skradają, Korona została rzucona, opowieść została utkana, O utraconym królestwie, teraz rozwiązanym.

Król Szczurów rządził srebrnym pazurem, Jego tron ​​z kości, jego panowanie grozy. Ziemia by się zatrzęsła, niebo by płakało, Gdy szepty obudziły kamienie ze snu.

Ale ludzie stali się odważni z ogniem i stalą, Przybili jego koronę do pięty doliny. Przywiązani do ziemi, jego cień zapieczętowany, Tajemny grób, na zawsze ukryty.

A jednak gleba wciąż oddycha opowieściami o nieszczęściu, O tym, co leży zamknięte w głębinach poniżej. Dla tych, którzy kopią i szukają jego śladu, Mogą znaleźć gniew Króla Szczurów w ciemności

[Irenaeus]

This post better prove that I can juggle six or seven threads of the same plot simultaneously without spiraling out of control. If you see any errors or have any doubts on how to play next, just ask here or in the rules or setting thread. Thanks for playing!

[logincrash]

Should I roll again for the bureaucrazy navigation and waiting room shenanigans? Or can I use my previous roll of 10?

[Irenaeus]

Should I roll again for the bureaucrazy navigation and waiting room shenanigans? Or can I use my previous roll of 10?

Since it was rolled in the game correctly, it stands (the 10 result). My problem was fitting so much content in a single post. But it's coming.

[DemoGraph]

AI generated these lyrcis for Alfred's song with the information given.

"The Ballad of the Last Rat-King

Beneath the valley, dark and deep, Where the soil sighs and shadows creep, A crown was cast, a tale was spun, Of a kingdom lost, now come undone.

The Rat-King ruled with a silver claw, His throne of bone, his reign of awe. The earth would tremble, skies would weep, As whispers woke the stones from sleep.

But men grew bold with fire and steel, They nailed his crown to the valley’s heel. Bound in earth, his shadow sealed, A secret grave, forever concealed.

Yet still the soil breathes tales of woe, Of what lies locked in the depths below. For those who dig and seek his mark, May find the Rat-King’s wrath in dark."

That's Song of Durin's verse sized.
AI is being lazy)

[maidenhaver]

Was this scenario based on jewish tunnels?

[DemoGraph]

That's a great beginning for the chapter.
And stop calling me thief! I'm not Garrett, I'm... entrepreneur.

[maidenhaver]

Tunnels & Talmuds

[Irenaeus]

Fixed some typos.

[Irenaeus]

Was this scenario based on jewish tunnels?

Tunnels & Talmuds

If there's anyone in this godforsaken town that's jewish, it's got to be Greenwald the Tallyman, I was even inspired by what I imagine were medieval traders somewhat anachronistically (after all this is a fantasy setting). Not that he's even jewish, talmudic or anything like that in the game - he is a regular Arandian as far as we know, but he has some classic jewish trader/financier traits (or so I imagine them to be). **** as we them know from history just aren't part of the setting, or even Christians and other real world religions - it's all fantasy just inspired by our real medieval world. Nevertheless, some people will have definitively traits inspired by them (not just a trader here and there but other peoples - dwarfs? gnomes? goblins?).

About the tunnels, it is up to the players to investigate them or just leave them be, as has been hinted by some townsfolk to not seek what's meant to be buried. More adventure quests will present themselves, they always do.

Here's the money and equipment list for the players. I still haven't been able to provide them as a Google Docs spreadsheet or something but I'm working on it.

► Show Spoiler

Please tell me to correct it if there's anything wrong.

[DemoGraph]

@Irenaeus was I right to assume that I have no input during meeting with Tallyman/Orla? Or am I allowed to ask/offer them something retroactively?

[Irenaeus]

@Irenaeus was I right to assume that I have no input during meeting with Tallyman/Orla? Or am I allowed to ask/offer them something retroactively?

DemoG, let me explain the way I am reading, judging and writing the next post based on player's actions. I try to be as faithful as possible to how the player posts, including dialogue descriptions and even worldbuilding - fitting as close as possible to the setting as is. If there's huge discrepancies I try to correct and adapt the actions. If the actions posted is too long for my next game post, I will keep those actions in the "backlog" to use on the following game post. In some cases, such as yours, I parse the actions and play them in sequence and in connection with each other. This might make the player not react to some of the NPCs reactions and dialogue, but I try to leave it as open ended as possible. In your case with the meeting with Tallyman/Orla, you can now come back to them to input your new actions/dialogue or just move on to the next actions, unburdened by previous posts. If you want more detail or information before posting your next game post, just ask away.

My DMing experience for this PbP is hopefully improving as we go along. I welcome any feedback on these house rules. I'm not writing the next game post until tonight (many hours from now).

[Stack of Turtles]

I think it would be good to DM players for active conversations, maybe even using HQ chat for it. That would allow them to be more reactive. You could then condense the log of the conversation into the finished post.

[Irenaeus]

I think it would be good to DM players for active conversations, maybe even using HQ chat for it.

This would be a good idea for an online pnp, but this is not the game we are playing. It's pbp. I don't have the time to play an online pnp right now. We will have to compromise on NPC conversations.

[SpellSword]

My intent was a day of dignified commerce, I wasn't expecting Stein to lug the entire rat into the market. But it does make sense the craftsmen would need to see it. On the plus side he's dragging it with him so when he sees the town's officials they can't downplay the situation by pretending there are no monster rats.

20-30 silver (200-300 copper) for the glorious rat cloak. There must be a way to earn the coin!

I'll use the act of carrying the rat to deepen his drive to fight the vermin. Somewhere along the line, this fight became personal.

[DemoGraph]

@Irenaeus was I right to assume that I have no input during meeting with Tallyman/Orla? Or am I allowed to ask/offer them something retroactively?

DemoG, let me explain the way I am reading, judging and writing the next post based on player's actions. I try to be as faithful as possible to how the player posts, including dialogue descriptions and even worldbuilding - fitting as close as possible to the setting as is. If there's huge discrepancies I try to correct and adapt the actions. If the actions posted is too long for my next game post, I will keep those actions in the "backlog" to use on the following game post. In some cases, such as yours, I parse the actions and play them in sequence and in connection with each other. This might make the player not react to some of the NPCs reactions and dialogue, but I try to leave it as open ended as possible. In your case with the meeting with Tallyman/Orla, you can now come back to them to input your new actions/dialogue or just move on to the next actions, unburdened by previous posts. If you want more detail or information before posting your next game post, just ask away.

My DMing experience for this PbP is hopefully improving as we go along. I welcome any feedback on these house rules. I'm not writing the next game post until tonight (many hours from now).

It's more of... you throw me a hook, but I can't bite. E.g.

He is receptive to discussing ventures into the borderslands, offering information about recent caravans, rumors of finds, and even hinting at specific opportunities he might fund

Yes, I want to know it all. All of it!
Or this phrase:

perhaps tied to one of the pre-Arandian cults or the valley's... less savory history."

After that I'd say that Felix should've immediately replied: "Such as?.." And tried to milk the guy for information.
Or here:

I have... collectors... who pay well for such unique finds. Naturally, I will offer a fair price for them, based on their rarity.

Felix: Something specific you have in mind?
Orla:

“Little shadows follow you, sharp-fingered. Don’t let them gnaw your sleep.”

Felix: Are these the shadows of my past, old hag? Or someone else's?

A child, Orla’s “little spy” slips Felix a charm made of rat vertebrae and whisper: “It keeps him asleep if you bury it. Don’t forget to bury it.”

Felix: Yes, little one. Seek me if you want anything else disposed of.

[Irenaeus]

My intent was a day of dignified commerce, I wasn't expecting Stein to lug the entire rat into the market. But it does make sense the craftsmen would need to see it. On the plus side he's dragging it with him so when he sees the town's officials they can't downplay the situation by pretending there are no monster rats.

Ah, I never imagined you would quote the prices without taking the rat but it does make sense you would just explain it. I still think that the crafters would want to see what they would be working with.

20-30 silver (200-300 copper) for the glorious rat cloak. There must be a way to earn the coin!

Yeah, that service is expensive! And the adventurers are currently very poor, almost broke. Hopefully that turns around with the next quests.

I'll use the act of carrying the rat to deepen his drive to fight the vermin. Somewhere along the line, this fight became personal.

Now that's the spirit

[Irenaeus]

It's more of... you throw me a hook, but I can't bite. E.g.

He is receptive to discussing ventures into the borderslands, offering information about recent caravans, rumors of finds, and even hinting at specific opportunities he might fund

Yes, I want to know it all. All of it!
Or this phrase:

perhaps tied to one of the pre-Arandian cults or the valley's... less savory history."

After that I'd say that Felix should've immediately replied: "Such as?.." And tried to milk the guy for information.
Or here:

I have... collectors... who pay well for such unique finds. Naturally, I will offer a fair price for them, based on their rarity.

Felix: Something specific you have in mind?
Orla:

“Little shadows follow you, sharp-fingered. Don’t let them gnaw your sleep.”

Felix: Are these the shadows of my past, old hag? Or someone else's?

A child, Orla’s “little spy” slips Felix a charm made of rat vertebrae and whisper: “It keeps him asleep if you bury it. Don’t forget to bury it.”

Felix: Yes, little one. Seek me if you want anything else disposed of.

Got it, you want to extend the conversations. Like I was talking to @Stack, doing the back and forth over chat would demand too much of me right now, I'm not ready to DM a full conversation. So we have to take it slowly. You just post now what you want to say on the next conversations and I'll try to make sure it doesn't go out of hand. But talking will always be somewhat of a risk in the game, that's how it's designed. Particularly if you have a CHA penalties.

The conversations are somewhat abstracted with the most you can extract of information as well, it's not as if people willingly want to share with strangers every knowledge they have. It has to be taken bit by bit, in most cases anyway. For the record, the trader and mad hag NPCs are not supposed to be taken at face value for their different reasons, one is kind of a weasel and the other is, well, lunatic. So take what they say with a grain of salt.

[maidenhaver]

I don't know what everyone's plans are, but we should coincidentally link up at the inn, and petition as a group to the bailif, and if we can get his authority together, then go to the tallyman, then when its all settled, go to the priest so he knows we mean business. Maybe Iren means for us to talk to the three as a force.

[Irenaeus]

I'll post @Stack of Turtles and @Oyster Sauce results first, then wait a bit, then post the next full game post.