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Story Hour
Storyhour Authors Chat Log!
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<blockquote data-quote="Plane Sailing" data-source="post: 1387387" data-attributes="member: 114"><p>Here is a formatted version of the log (I find the one above a little hard to read)</p><p></p><p>Storyhour Authors Chat, Moderated</p><p>by <strong>Harlock </strong>. Enjoy!</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- #dnd3e would like</p><p>to welcome you all to the Story Hour chat. First of all, I want to let everyone</p><p>know that this channel is always open, we'd love to see you here on "less</p><p>formal" occasions as well. Now, if you have a question for the Story Hour</p><p>Crew, please double click on Seri, thatdarncat, Kalanyr or Silvr_Dragon's name</p><p>and ask your question. Your question will be passed to <strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />who will ask the</p><p>questions on your behalf.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Is that Old One?</p><p></p><p><strong>Old - </strong>yeah...brb...</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Is Ryan not here yet?</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Oh, there he is.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Hi, Dustan.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Greetings Destan</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>'Hiya Senor Zad</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Fashionably late, I see. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Back...Hey Destan!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>old one!</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Sorry - putting the last of the demons to bed.</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>hi oo</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Hiya nemm. </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>hey Destan</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- I want to thank</p><p>all the Authors for being here. We've never had a chat with so many guests</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Demons...hehe...</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Hiya joeblank</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>my pleasure.</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>hey guys </p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>and they keep on coming! Hi SpyScribe!</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>better than talking to agents *shudder*</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Hi, SpyScribe!</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>hi!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I love that there are so many story hours; I remember</p><p>when mine was one of like 6</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>No problem.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- So, I want to</p><p>start with a basic question: Why did you folks decide to even start a Story</p><p>Hour?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Hey, spy, got your email, thanks. I too weep at the</p><p>passing of angel</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>After reading Piratecat's.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>how do we decide who answers?</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>After reading Contacts</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Jealousy of Pkitty and Contact...!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- For me, there wasn't a forum for it yet. I had a great</p><p>game, and posted about it... and people wanted to know more.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>after reading Piratecat’s</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Yeah, who makes with the answering, yeah, yeah</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>A combination of Piratecat's and keeping an adventure</p><p>log of our own.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>When we started, 3e was new, and I had wanted to take notes</p><p>to keep a record of the campaign. And people had started posting story hours so</p><p>I took a shot at killing two birds with one stone. </p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Reading everyone else's and needing a birthday present</p><p>for my DM.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I read about how PC's characters put a tape worm in</p><p>another PC and I was like "that is too cool"</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Everybody answer,</p><p>it's a free for all for anyone with +</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- That one great session is now lost, but people badgered</p><p>me into writing more. Turned out it was fun. </p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>also, I wanted to write something that was MINE, not for</p><p>pay or assignment.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I was inspired by Eric Noah's campaign logs on his</p><p>D&D site, and thought that my group would appreciate seeing "what</p><p>happened" 10 yrs. from now.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>For me, it was simply to share the kinds of adventures</p><p>that my group has and loves. This is a good high action, high cinema game, and</p><p>when it hits the action sequences, it's just going to rock.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>kind of crucial to keep the juices flowing that way</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>but I used to keep a log of previous campaigns in my now</p><p>defunct Aquerra newsletter, Thoth's Libram</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I’ve been keeping a player journal for the last 25 years</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I wanted to start writing after a DM wrote up a</p><p>campaign I played in. I wanted to try that, and went through several thousand</p><p>words of horrible writing before anyone started reading me.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>25 years, pfew!</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Damn, Diaglo. That's old skewl.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Plus, I read OldDrewId's story hour, and was HOOKED.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Wow...diaglo...</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Interestingly enough, it was the story hour forum that</p><p>made me an admin. Eric did it one day as a joke, and never changed it back.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I have a lousy memory</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>and it was all down hill from there, PC</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- diaglo, that's just too cool.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I thought you came out of the womb as an admin.</p><p></p><p>Morrus - Yeah, I keep forgetting to</p><p>change that back.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>25 years? bloody..</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Heh, I suppose</p><p>you've earned that Mod status in spades now, p-kitty</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I looooove the P-Kitty.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>man, 25 years, you must have started with 1st</p><p>edition or something.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - </strong>C_Baize...it’s a chain, I was inspired by jonrog</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>stop drooling, tom ;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- So, how DO you</p><p>guys record everything? Notes? Tape recorders? Web Cams?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I keep notes.</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>I use hand written notes as I play</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Notes.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>I take notes too.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>I keep a laptop at the table - I need it to run my character</p><p>plus I take brief notes. They're not overly detailed and mostly just to</p><p>stimulate my memory when I go to write.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I have one player who keeps a "combat log" and</p><p>one who keeps a "quote log" and I keep a calendar with major events</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Nicely enough, one of the things you pick up as a standup</p><p>is almost perfect aural memory. you remember good lines form stage, and the</p><p>skill carries over</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>notes, in a pad with date of session</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I used to rely on memory. For six months we've been</p><p>using a tape recorder.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>My wife takes notes as we play.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I went by memory, and did a pooooooor job of it.</p><p>Players would constantly correct me. "Dartan didn't kill the lich, I</p><p>did!" etc...</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>and my players make a point of reminding me when they did</p><p>something cool. take a few notes when necessary</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I only jotted down great quotes.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - </strong>I started from memory. now we tape each session.</p><p>pierceatwork transcribes them.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>I bribe my players to send me write-ups with XP...that and</p><p>my increasingly bad memory...</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I find the note-taking player spends more time writing</p><p>than roleplaying, so we delegated the duty to a piece of machinery.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I want the tape recorder-- but a hidden one a la LBJ or</p><p>Nixon.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>notes and a good memory... plus sometimes</p><p>"somebody" says or does something so stupid, you can't forget. No</p><p>matter how hard you try...</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Like pecks, Wulf?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- So true. I'm guilty of that, Wulf.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>yeah, memorable dialog is recorded</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>we have a standing rule - game before notes</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>I'm not namin' names.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- But tape recorders are great for capturing confusing</p><p>battles.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>if the notes are getting in the way, the yare put aside</p><p>temporarily</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- (great)</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Here's our first</p><p>submitted question: gfunk - Here's my question: Which character in your Story</p><p>Hour is your favorite?</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I use DM Genie to keep a log of a particularly important</p><p>battle.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>We rarely have a problem with game-before-notes - I just make</p><p>WizarDru stop and repeat himself as needed </p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>The dead ones.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Heh</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>hah!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>well, I can't pick a PC</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Sir Vek Mormont, lich in Wee Jas' service. Just a</p><p>great character that I loved (after hating for months)</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>I like any that the players put the most effort in to</p><p>roleplay</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>so I’ll pick and NPC</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Good rule nem. Although it means the talk-heavy session</p><p>in our game get few notes taken, and those and the ones I need them for.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Quite honestly, since Zad writes most of the player</p><p>material, my favorite viewpoint character is Meepo. Honest.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>gotta be Jo from Dark*Matter. She's so hard done by.</p><p>Although our new player in Scarred Lands, playing Nod the Barbarian, is pretty</p><p>spiffy</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I find that I "know" the older characters</p><p>better than the more recent ones. As a result, I find it easier to provide</p><p>internal dialog for the older PCs. I'm getting better at it, though.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I likeses Lucius.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>me too</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>. . . the besteses</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Actually, one of my favorites, Garrick the Halfling, died</p><p>early in the story...</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Also, ever since Plane Sailing provided a personality,</p><p>I love our depressed svirfneblin Priggle.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Hm. I can't answer that one easily since I'm one of the few</p><p>PC authors rather than a DM author. They've all developed nicely over time and</p><p>each quite deep in their own right. </p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Wulf, he's taking over in the LoT. Runnin' thangs.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I would say Richard the Red, he is so much fun to write</p><p>dialogue for and he always shows up when you least expect him</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - </strong>my fav to write about is Joe Empire, but I don't like</p><p>to write from his POV. much more entertaining if you do not know what is going</p><p>on in his head</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Yeah for Lucius!</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- EricNoah - do you</p><p>ever just "make stuff up" instead of writing what actually happened?</p><p>and a related question: how the heck do you remember all of the details? -- He</p><p>submitted these a while ago; I suppose the last is already answered.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I gotta say though, Wulf really grabbed me, and inspired</p><p>me to play a dwarf in my campaign</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>I'm partial to Lira since she's mine, but a character</p><p>like Anvil writes himself.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Hmm... I think GSGT Jackson is probably my favorite, so</p><p>far, but another is really coming up with great potential.</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>Lucius rocks<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p>I just reread the section of LoT around where they got him back</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Wulf grabbed me, too. Hard.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>har</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>though I do a lot with minor characters too</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>that I like</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Baden from Destan's story just rawks.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Yes I occasionally take liberties with the truth. Sometimes</p><p>it's to add flavor or play something we didn't deal with on camera. Other times</p><p>I re-arrange things for dramatic effect.</p><p></p><p>* Seri pouncer tackles huggles</p><p>Mark_CMG ,meow! </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>like Finn Fisher and Crew (another "small</p><p>time" adventuring group)</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>I'm guilty of making quite a bit up - I'm recording</p><p>sessions that took place about 2 1/2 years ago. The big stuff is all exact, but</p><p>the quotes and flavor are sometimes fabricated. Sorry.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I made stuff up all the time. I was kinda famous for</p><p>adding gravity or details to situations that were pretty simple. If I felt the</p><p>story could use it for drama's sake, I did it. I'm kinda a whore like that.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I seldom make stuff up. Usually no more than dialog</p><p>lines here and there because I've forgotten the proginal wording.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- C_Baize, I like</p><p>Jackson too, but I think the drown has mass potential</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Sure... some of the stuff is made up, especially with the</p><p>game background, that wasn't played.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>reply Eric - -- no, sometimes fill in an attitude or a</p><p>double-take, but if the characters are well-established, no need to make stuff</p><p>up. I'm lucky though, got writers for players</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>We call some of these things 'torch issues' in honor of</p><p>Wulf's Story hour. Handwavers that aren't interesting to read or play out.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I make stuff up. but try and get the others to fill in my</p><p>gaps</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>For Eric...I do take some creative liberties from time to</p><p>time, but really try to stay true to the action...I mostly make up Interlude</p><p>items....thing that happen outside of PC sight...</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Re: make stuff up? No, I'm interested in keeping a record</p><p>of a game, more than a "story."</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Cool, contact</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>WizarDru also gives me some liberties with what happened<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> Some days it's like role-playing with</p><p>yourself.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I make up the details of dialogue</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I wanted a story more than a game, myself</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I will edit occasionally, long conversations or</p><p>interrogations</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>but always based on stuff that I *know* was said</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>I will embellish the actual story, but never actually</p><p>invent things</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I make nothing up whole-cloth</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Right... Jackson has a lot of good lines, and good</p><p>shots... But Mitch took a recent turn in game that is really chock full of</p><p>potential.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - </strong>I combine multiple scenes into one scene sometimes,</p><p>stuff like that, but 98% is straight from the table</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>We all want our games to be a story, don't we</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I wanted more of a game that a story. It's evolved a</p><p>bit, though.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- (that = than)</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- .<strong>Seri - </strong>can we do a quick intro for each</p><p>one? which is there story hour, how long they've played, how long the story</p><p>hours been going for etc? I'll go down the list.. C_Baize, you're up first</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>(strike two, PC)</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>My favorite quote is from Piratecat: "We're all</p><p>just rolling dice, here."</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>well I think Pkitty walks that line well.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Wulf, sort of-- I want them to be fun. Sometimes more</p><p>story = more fun, sometimes you just need more bad guys.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>it is easier to understand and remember in story form</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>more dead bad guys</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>My story hour is Americanarchy. We've been gaming this</p><p>one for about 3 months. And it's getting grittier, and grittier, in game...</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Some of the characters are taking serious hits, that</p><p>change them.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- contact?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>my group always lets the bad guys go free ;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Done.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Ah, remind me to</p><p>ask about that later, Hildy.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Will do.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Um. Yeah. I started with the ToEE2, about 6 mo. before</p><p>3e, <strong>Piratecat </strong>posted it in a serial</p><p>format, what . . .early 2001-ish?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>The ToEE2 progressed to the Liberation of Tenh, and is</p><p>still running.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I love me that game : piles of dead *good* guys</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>for <strong>Seri - </strong>My</p><p>story hour is Sins of Our Fathers, played this campaign about three years,</p><p>story hours been going 8 months.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I also post the Risen Goddess, which is a little more</p><p>heavy than the LoT, but also features more d*ck jokes, and lesbians.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>And more dead bad guys.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Lots more dead bad guys.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Heh</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>d*ck? What is d*ck?</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>quack</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Cards...</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Ask your mama.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>...oh, gross! grow up. I get it now.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>A deck of cards.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- same rules apply</p><p>in channel as on the boards</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I get your filthy little censorship game.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- </p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>ToEE2 is a classic - one game I go to when I want</p><p>justification to kill lots of PCs *grins evilly at seri*</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong></p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>ToEE2 was *brutal*-- I played 8 characters in that game.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>. . . one at a time.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- diaglo, same</p><p>question</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I bounced around...another story...and then Olgar took</p><p>over. we were at it for 16 months</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I started writing from session 1</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I like the computer much better than my old hand scrawled</p><p>notes.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- DrMidnight,</p><p>yourself?</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I've lost track of the question. This page scrolls so</p><p>quickly. Please forgive my errant attention span.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- .<strong>Seri - </strong>can we do a quick intro for each</p><p>one? which is there story hour, how long they've played, how long the story</p><p>hours been going for etc? I'll go down the list.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Break down your SH Doc.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- that's the</p><p>question</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I think tom is spliffed ;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Is he awake? </p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>my story hour is (was) the adventures of the knights</p><p>of the silver quill/ spellforge keep.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>(not tonight Nemm)</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Next?</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- JollyDoc?</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>It ended in spring of last year. I ran it for about a</p><p>year and a half, from 1st to 20th level.</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>I write JollyDoc's Shackled City. This started as an</p><p>offshoot of Gfunk's City of the Spider Queen/Bastion of Broken Souls SH</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Cool</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>I've been running this particular game since about mid</p><p>summer</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>Gfunk was my inspiration</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Shackled City, is</p><p>that the Dungeon Adventure Path?</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>Yes, it is</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Cool</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- jonrog1?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>for <strong>Seri - </strong>story</p><p>hours Dark*Matter: Drunk Southern Girls..., Pulp Spycraft, and SL: None dare</p><p>call them heroes, scarred lands been going for close to a year, been gaming for</p><p>three or so again. DarkMatter's been running off and on for that amount of</p><p>time.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Cool</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- KidCharlemagne?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>The Scarred Lands campaign is actually the only regular</p><p>current game we maintain</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- cool, jonrog1, I</p><p>dm sl too.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - Seri - </strong>Against the Shadows - A Faded Glory Story Hour (SH</p><p>#10 or so), game started in May 2001 and posting started shortly thereafter...I</p><p>am up to Faded Glory VII on the current EN Boards incarnation...it has been</p><p>mostly PG-13 up to this point, but is about to take a swerve into R-rated for</p><p>extreme (and icky) violence - PCs are mostly 6th/7th level now...</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Did I get skipped?</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- .<strong>Seri - </strong>can we do a quick intro for each</p><p>one? which is there story hour, how long they've played, how long the story</p><p>hours been going for etc? KidCharlemagne?</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- not yet, nemmerle</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>No...I butted in line !</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>You're up next Nemm </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Old one confused me</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Hey, I got added to the guest list!</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- yes, you did</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>For length of game, and story hour, the game</p><p>started in 1994, and the story hour many years later, in 2000</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I had no idea I was on a guest list until ten minutes</p><p>into this thing. I'm starting to think Nemm's right, and somehow, I AM</p><p>spliffed.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- (To minimize the wait, make sure you have your answer</p><p>ready to go.<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> )</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>For the first half of my story hour, I was doing</p><p>lots of rehashing of things with my players to remember the sequence of events</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- .<strong>Seri - </strong>OldOne: are those 6-7 lvl PCs</p><p>the same you started with at lvl1 3 years ago?</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>And I've been playing since 1979, so almost as</p><p>long as Diaglo'</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>There's a guest list?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- While Nemm is typing, I'll jump in.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Mine is Piratecat's Story Hour. The campaign is 12</p><p>years old (same characters), and the story hour was one of the first ones</p><p>posted... maybe three years ago when I started writing. The SH has gone through</p><p>two major adventuring locations (city and Underdark), and will soon move on to</p><p>a third (planar.) High lvl PCs, fun players, and no immediate end in sight.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>My SH is "Out of the Frying Pan" - this</p><p>Saturday's session is our 3 year anniversary. I’ve been writing the SH since</p><p>the first session and it is set in my own setting, Aquerra</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- .<strong>Seri - </strong>can we do a quick intro for each</p><p>one? which is there storyhour, how long they've played, how long the storyhours</p><p>been going for etc? nemmerle, you're up.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>no one said my name!</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Apparently all those other poor people on the list</p><p>aren't on the GUEST list! Ha, foosh on you! Foosh on you all!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I was waiting and ready and wondering what the heck was</p><p>goin' on <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I already went</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- SpyScribe?</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>I write "Welcome to the Halmae" (with ample</p><p>input from Fajitas). The game has been going for about two and half years and</p><p>the story hour turns one year old next week.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - Seri - </strong>My storyhour is Medallions d20 Modern. We've</p><p>been doing that one since last spring. My crew has been gaming together weekly</p><p>for just under 4 years now.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Ah, happy</p><p>anniversary</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Fajitas is an expatriate player of mine. I want him</p><p>back!</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I'll let Zad describe our Story Hour. I write intermissions</p><p>and lots of reference material for our story hour, while Zad is the chief</p><p>author. It takes place in real time, that is game on Friday, Story on Monday,</p><p>most weeks.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Sorry, you can't have him!</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Wulf_Ratbane?</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>I started my SH after joining a group of complete</p><p>strangers, looking for my first 3e experience. We did the adventure path, took</p><p>about a year to do it, and advanced at precisely the WOTC indicated rate. We</p><p>finished at 20th level with Bastion of Broken Souls-- though many (including</p><p>myself) would say the Story Hour hit its peak at The Standing Stone. If you've</p><p>read the SH, you know why...</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>peck!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Heward's Handy Body bag....</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Heh</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I still have never read it</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- It's great.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - Seri - </strong>For the most part...five originals PCs...two died</p><p>in Session 2...one PC got possessed around level 5 (player left)and two new</p><p>players have joined the game. Two of the original PCs are left...it seems like</p><p>very slow advancement, but we are only on Session 29 or 30...since we only play</p><p>1x per month...</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I was rather fond of Wulf whacking the girl in the</p><p>beret</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- and finally, Zad</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>I write WizarDru's story hour (at the time, all the story</p><p>hours were named for the DM so I followed suit) We've been playing since the</p><p>start of 3e when we all got back into D&D to give 3e a try. The characters</p><p>began at first level and are now around 23rd into epic levels. Like the</p><p>characters, the story has evolved a lot over the past years and I just try to</p><p>do justice to the great story arcs of the DM and the depth of the characters</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>I’m whacking the girl in the beret right now,</p><p>iykwimaityd</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Is that everyone?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Wulf is a bad bad boy</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>what, are you channeling Hong?</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- it is</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>I think that is </p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- SiderealKnight -</p><p>Question: Has the existence of a written version had an effect on the course of</p><p>your game? free for all</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>speaking of slow progression: my game 3 years = 8th</p><p>level</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>It’s kept my plots honest, especially 3 years down the</p><p>line.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Yes-- my players can freaking remember plot points when</p><p>they care to now. </p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>There is the odd occasion where someone says "Well we</p><p>can't do *that* - it won't look good in the story hour. Otherwise not really I</p><p>don't think.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>yeah, many of the players are regulars here on ENW</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>On the contrary, I think many DMs might be tempted</p><p>to fudge for a character that is a fan favorite</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Hmm. Good question. It's made us more organized about</p><p>what goes on, and thinking about the story hour has probably made me a sneakier</p><p>DM.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Hah! We'll be lucky to make 6th by our 3 year mark.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>No, not at all. Heck. MORALITY doesn't affect their play</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Yes. My players often chided me or outright complained</p><p>that I was holding the story in higher regard than the actual game, which was a</p><p>fair assessment. I'm a jerk.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>There was some concern amongst my players that it</p><p>would once I caught up to real time, but as it turned out, we pretty much</p><p>ignore the story hour implications</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>No it has not</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>And we do take questions about plot! </p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Contact is right; it's easier to look up major plot points!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>except that sometimes after something "cool"</p><p>happens afterwards we'll say - that's gonna be so great in the story hour</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>pogre's story hour is a great exception-- two TPKs</p><p>and counting!</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Although they always knew they were gonna see a</p><p>quote in the SH when I started furiously scribbling notes in my notebook</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>but don't think any choices are altered b/c of it</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - </strong>SiderealKnight -yes. I think it sometimes keeps the</p><p>players in character more, for good or bad.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Yes. Some of the players are finding out things</p><p>retroactively... I'm much more in detail in the story hour background than I</p><p>was for them.. they got the basics, and are enjoying the details quite a lot.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>continuity be damned!</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Direct quote, "Given that this game will someday</p><p>be recorded on the internet, we will say that nothing untoward happens between</p><p>the satyr and the 14-year-old!"</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>Do people find that having a storyhour gets them lots</p><p>of advice?</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>SK - It has enhanced the game...it forces me to be</p><p>consistent with plot and also helps remind PCs about plot points they tend to</p><p>overlook or forget</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>tdc not me...</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Sid - Yes, very much so. I've had to introduce backgrounds</p><p>to characters in the SH and their respective players have grabbed them and ran</p><p>with them. I'm also able to make my "bad guys" seem more deadly than</p><p>they did during the game. Sometimes encounters end rather quick (one bad save,</p><p>for example), and my whole crescendo just pitters out. Not so in the SH, when I</p><p>can control the flow better.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>I feel left out... </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>advice?</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>We have actually had some lively rules discussions on my</p><p>SH based on game outcomes</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>what kind of advice?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>My readers are better DMs than I am . . . no question.</p><p>They have *tormented* my players.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>My gang loves deep background stuff anyway, there's</p><p>probably more in-0game than in the story hour</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>nem - RatBastard tactics, plot ideas etc</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I haven't gotten a whole lot of advice from the</p><p>SH, I'm afraid</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Rising from your SH thread, I assume.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I have actively solicited many suggestions for the game,</p><p>which has improved the game several times, in my opinion. It's nice to have</p><p>someone to offer suggestions or guess at plots behind my players’ backs.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>no</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Yeah <strong>Piratecat </strong>has</p><p>had a bad influence on WizarDru, that's for sure</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I've gotten some fantastic advice: on prestige classes,</p><p>on setups, but mostly for monsters and locations in our current Underdark</p><p>adventure.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>hey!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>my readership seems very "rules light"</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I drop as many RatBastard ideas as I can...but my DM has</p><p>his own</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>well, Pkitty and I have traded tactics -- although I'm</p><p>afraid my group would be a fine red mist in his game in about three seconds</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Use a template once in a while.... <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Mmm. Red mist.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I've sooo stolen from JonRog. </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>and they rarely seem to offer suggestions, but will</p><p>occasionally chide players for choices they've made</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>like resurrecting Jeremy ;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Well, I've sooo stolen from you, so there you are.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I steal bad guys from Piratecat's game, too.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I mostly get a lot of "Poor Jo, why do you do that</p><p>to her?"</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I mean to return them, but . . .</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I steal stuff from everyone</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I prefer red paste, mixed with coarse red chunks. </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>esp. Sagiro</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>We took a lot of flak for our opinions on at least one</p><p>module.</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>I'm sure the defenders don't mind Contact!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Sagiro is the man</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- So, here's one</p><p>that I figure is on a lot of folks minds: I am afraid to write a Story Hour...</p><p>it seems daunting and all those people will read it and critique it... Why</p><p>should I write a Story Hour?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Heh. We're inbred. Actually, that's why I started</p><p>posting my story hour - to share ideas with other folks. If people steal from</p><p>it, I'm doing something right.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>no offense to anyone else here ;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>A few of our more notorious PC's have been used by</p><p>readers in their campaigns...i.e. Entropy the Damned</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Because if you don't, we'll hunt you down, and give you</p><p>atomic wedgies?</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>write it for fun. not readership</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>You should write a story hour because ten years from now,</p><p>you will be fired up to re-read it when you are cleaning out the attic.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - </strong>ditto what P-kitty said. I've sooo stolen from JonRog</p><p>too <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> There is one episode in particular that I started based on the idea,</p><p>"Well if jonrog can do *that*, then I take it as a personal challenge to</p><p>see if I can pull off *this*"</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>word up, contact</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>what he said, except twice and more emphatically</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Write one because you *want* to. Nothing else will motivate</p><p>you over the long term. Don't do it for praise, or for feedback or any of that.</p><p>Delight in it for it's own sake.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>reply <strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- The only way to become a writer is write.</p><p>period. try it. you will suck, and then, after a few months, stop sucking</p><p>somewhat as much.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Write a Story Hour to see if you can write</p><p>consistently over time. Write a SH for a record of your game. DON'T write</p><p>expecting mass adulation, certainly not right away</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>I like the story hour for watching the way the game</p><p>progresses and evolves.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>I get great ideas from reading other SHs...not necessarily</p><p>to steal things...but just to get the brain juices pumping...</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- The</p><p>daunting part is not if readers read it, but if they don't. </p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Although, feedback is also nice... </p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>amen Jon</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Because if you don't, we'd never get folks like Destan</p><p>writing. Further, a good story is a good story. It's not a contest. You can</p><p>never have too many good stories.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Write a story hour because it's fun, for your players.</p><p>There's no point in being nervous about it, though; JonRog excepted, we're all</p><p>kind of feeling our way in the dark.</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>I began writing for my own interest, and to help me keep</p><p>track of my game...not for readership, but my game and my SH has benefited from</p><p>the readers</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />cont'd -</p><p>and if you keep at it, then the few humans you have reading will please you</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>It is daunting. It's really daunting. People</p><p>criticized my rules knowledge all the time, which is perfectly just, because my</p><p>rules knowledge isn't worth d*ck. Otherwise, I feel people respond nicely to</p><p>writing, no matter how bad you may be. Readers respect consistency and fun. All</p><p>else is frosting. </p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>I'll tell you... I was kind of dreading the first few</p><p>comments on my story hour... I figured people would just THRASH it... </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>you know what's nice?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>No, what?</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Then I got comments by some of OldDrewId's players, and</p><p>thought that was just really cool.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>meeting someone in real life for the first time and</p><p>having them ask *you* about your campaign b/c they are familiar with it</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I've seen very little ugly criticism. I think that's</p><p>really cool.</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>That's cusp you write a good yarn.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Well if nobody has trashed *my* writing then I think we're</p><p>fairly safe from that P-cat </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Different story hours work in different ways. contacts</p><p>is a good 'discuss over beer' story, as is PCs, while Sepulchrave's and</p><p>Destan’s are like reading novels. Wulf's is something you print out and read on</p><p>the train...or the toilet. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Here's one reason to write:</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I’ve had players contact me to join cusp they read our</p><p>story hour</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - C_Baize - </strong>we comment because we are impressed <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I've had that too, Diaglo</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I had that! I had someone I'd never met come up to me</p><p>at GenCon and ask if I was Doc Midnight. I was then asked about the story and</p><p>group. That was nice.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- One of my players was in California for a con, and the</p><p>guys at the next table were discussing his character in my game. How cool is</p><p>that?</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>That's pretty cool</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - </strong>hehe</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>That is.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- that rocks,</p><p>actually</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Fajitas loves to tell that story.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- New Question</p><p>Olgar - Best single moment/episode from a story hour?</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>I'd be blown away if that happened to me.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>(although it wasn't him)</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>My biggest charge came when Rel asked if he could borrow</p><p>my homebrew for his own campaign...truly an honor...and I have been fascinated</p><p>with how he has used it (plus, I got to meet him in person...great gaming</p><p>group)</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>that is fun</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - Piratecat </strong>- which character?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- raevynn, tdc.</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>coo </p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Olgar - From my own storyhour, I think it was when GSGT</p><p>Jackson shot that Hook Horror through the eye...</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>for our story hour....it was my character, Bartol's near</p><p>death at the hands of an Ogre</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- For me, it might be the trillith fight, early on. It</p><p>was where I finally found my rhythm as a writer.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Best single moment is the aside in the ToEE2 when</p><p>Zinvellon asks, "Why are you doing this," and the whole back-plot</p><p>becomes clear.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Tough call...but I'd say the rescue of The Gilden was</p><p>one of the greatest moments.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - </strong>Olgar -When Taylor got shot in Episode I</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Olgar - either the zombie slime pit, Andy vs. ET ...</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>It was sort of a tense moment, I think.</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>Best single moment? When the 'lowly' characters, i.e.</p><p>Wathros the druid, Tilly the thief, and Rusty the cleric saved the heavy</p><p>hitters, and the campaign, from a glabrezu</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Or, when the elf gets reincarnated as a Halfling, and</p><p>comes to understand the *full* implications.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I try to leave off my installments as cliff-hangers - so</p><p>there are a lot of moments that come to mind</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>or ALL of the pulp Spycraft. god, that was fun.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>It certainly was one of the greatest gaming moments, that's</p><p>for sure.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Yeah, OldDrewId, I actually felt bad for Taylor...</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>My favorite moment from the campaign would PROBABLY be</p><p>when Sir Vek Mormont went to Wee Jas as a god and defied her, and learned he</p><p>was tricked by her, then kissed, then killed. ...it reads better than that. </p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>For us, definitely the fire at the Mage's academy.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>One moment I liked lately was when I was actually writing a</p><p>sidebar previewing an upcoming story and in that moment when the party was</p><p>about to arrive and destroy an entire githyanki invasion force, everything just</p><p>came together and it painted a great picture.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I think when the half-demon gnome ripped off the party's</p><p>good friend and companions' head off, scooped out his brain and ate it</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Still, t'was gooood.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>I honestly don't have a favorite moment... I am</p><p>ashamed to admit, but my whole story hour keeps me laughing... at my own stupid</p><p>writing... almost the whole way through.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Heh</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Wulf, definitely the peck or the sap against the beret.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Wulf, the commentary is what makes your story our so</p><p>great.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>I just loved writing as "Wulf," fun to be</p><p>in character (cause I am never in character like that in game)</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Olgar - Probably early on when the PCs got chased into an</p><p>abandoned legion hill fort by a howling barbarian horde and had the fight of</p><p>their young PC lives (around level 3/4 IIRC)...one of my players is</p><p>lurking...what is your fav, Tortoise?</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Olgar - tough question - I really like the ending</p><p>of Part I of my SH, it had a big finish (a big battle with several Drow</p><p>Vampires and a Shadow Dragon), a totally appropriate PC death, and a nice,</p><p>emotional epilogue...</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Olgar - there are other memorable moments too... when</p><p>angelsboi left the group... and biorph's character screwed him</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Or a crazy five way fight that included 2/3rds of the</p><p>party chained to the back of a wagon</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Do you find that</p><p>your players get too much background information from your Story Hours?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>No such thing.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>no such thing</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Since I'm a player-author, that's rarely a problem </p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />. No. I</p><p>like them to know everything that has gone before</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- no such thing</p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>In Gfunk's SH, the whole arc with Entropy corrupting</p><p>Noir, a paladin of the Red Knight, and turning her into a Blackguard was cool</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- no,</p><p>because I write the SH like a screenplay -- the audience gets the information</p><p>at the same rate as the characters.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>nope</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>The SH is so far behind the actual action that it isn't</p><p>really a problem...</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>They kill my NPCs to quickly--if it wasn't for the SH</p><p>they'd never know how lovingly crafted the speed-bumps were!</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>No... only one of my players read my story hour, I</p><p>think. The others popped in periodically.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>I am a player, so obviously, I can't write what I don't</p><p>know. </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I wish the read it closely and got even more</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Background information helps them buy into the world.</p><p>They can keep non-player info separate.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />-I</p><p>never wrote anything that the players wouldn't or couldn't know - unlike</p><p>Speulchrave, for example</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I try to use the story hour for teasers to the players.</p><p>And lately I seem to have taken a turn into always writing horror-style</p><p>previews. </p><p></p><p><strong>JollyDoc - </strong>Followed by Entropy destroying Irae Tsarren, and</p><p>assuming her position as Kiaransalee's Chosen</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Yeah, teasing the players is a great way to use the</p><p>story hour as a game tool.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I like that aspect of Sep's SH, but like KidC, I *rarely*</p><p>write "away" from the PCs.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I'm nowhere near caught-up enough to use my SH to tease</p><p>them</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Write more, Jon.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>yeah. thanks <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" />\</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Hah.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- jonrog1, tdc</p><p>keeps asking what you wrote for. I know Jackie Chan adventures was your thing,</p><p>and you're doing the Catwoman movie, right? He's asking what comic you wrote</p><p>for...</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Write faster, Cody wants a pony!</p><p></p><p>* thatdarncat blinks</p><p></p><p>* thatdarncat falls over</p><p></p><p>* thatdarncat worships</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>Jackie Chan Adventures?!?!</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>the core</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>started writing for Cosby on CBS, created Jackie Chan</p><p>adventures, was one of 75 guys on Catwoman, about 14 other films including Rush</p><p>Hour 2 and Count of Monte Cristo</p><p></p><p><strong>Seri - </strong>thanks...now tdc is broken</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Heh</p><p></p><p>* thatdarncat twitches</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>the core, just adapted killing floor for new line, and</p><p>now doing a pilot for global frequency for the WB network</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Here's one for</p><p>everyone - +Silvr_Dragon - Do you ever think the story hour might be more</p><p>trouble than it's worth?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- You need to update your imdb history.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Oh great, you've broken tdc.</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Silvr - Yes, I do.</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>Global Frequency?</p><p></p><p>* thatdarncat twitches again</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>More trouble? No way.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldDrewId - </strong>PCat - so I’m not the only one that immediately hit</p><p>IMDB on that note...</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Never. It's a great archive for my players and I, as</p><p>well as a fun story to share.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Warrw nEllis' comic. it rocks. I'm such a geek</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>trouble? never. I need it to remember</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>jonrog - Count o' Monte Cristo? Really liked that. Never</p><p>knew. Cool.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- For me, no. Not a chance. It takes quite a while to</p><p>write - I spend as much time writing as I do gaming - but I have a lot of fun</p><p>with it, and writing it gives me lots of really good ideas for future</p><p>adventures.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>when I feel that way it is b/c I just don't feel like</p><p>writing so I don't - and then after a break it always comes back</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I sometimes thought that. That's why I don't do the</p><p>story hour thing that often anymore. My recent tries have ended in HORRIBLE</p><p>FAIL-YAH.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Only trouble in terms of time - I burned out a bit</p><p>about a year ago, and haven't gotten back on the horse yet</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Silvr_Dragon - Not really. It's a lot of work, and in some</p><p>ways I doubt anyone who hasn't written it realizes how much work goes into it.</p><p>But it's always a great review in my mind, and I love having a written record I</p><p>can go back to. Especially when it means I remember plot elements better than</p><p>the DM </p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>trouble? no, just a mild guilt when I don't update. But</p><p>seeing as I'm late turning in writing they PAY me for, I'm okay with it</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Silvr Dragon - I have gone through several dry spells</p><p>where RL or mini-burnout have made updates few and far between...but then I am</p><p>a very busy boy !</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>I don't really believe it's more trouble... I like doing</p><p>it, though I wish I could write faster. </p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>What else would I do while underemployed? And I'd hate</p><p>to forget this stuff if it didn't get written down.</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Silvr - Looks like I'm in the minority. </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Zad, don't you often struggle with perspective? As a</p><p>player-author, you've got a greater challenge, in some ways, especially with</p><p>perspective.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I write in surges; a lot one week, nothing the next.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>word</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- ascendance -</p><p>Question for jonrog1: Robin Laws once told me that you need to be in a</p><p>completely different headspaces for writing gaming stuff compared to writing</p><p>comic stuff. Do you find that to be the case? Writing gaming stuff compared to</p><p>writing fiction, basically.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>I constantly struggle with perspective</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Seriously, for me it is a lot of fun. Different than the</p><p>game, but equally as enjoyable.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>well, yes, because in gaming you're creating a situation</p><p>enabling others to create the text...</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>in fiction, you’re creating situation AND reaction.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>have to do my best not to force the PG's toward the story</p><p>path I find satisfying as a writer</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>luckily, my group perversely breaks every plan and</p><p>narrative.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I always did that. Ahem. </p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- I think a lot of</p><p>DMs deal with that</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- +Silvr_Dragon -</p><p>Do you ever steal from other story hours? Be honest now.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Yes.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- God, yes. That's why I read them.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I have taken stuff from Sagiro</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Oh heck yeah</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>How many of us find that the PCs come up with better</p><p>story paths than the ones we dreamt up? I know mine do.</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>amen, contact</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Mine too.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Hell, yes. My players still have a grudge against PC for</p><p>introducing me to the excessive and foul use of templates.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>don't know. maybe the DM does. but I’m not sure</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Steal? Me? Um...err...oh hell yeah!</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Silvr_Dragon - I'm a PC so no. My DM does though, hell yes.</p><p>As a defense mechanism, I read them to be prepared </p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Hee hee.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>I know Fajitas has stolen from Sagiro. Thank you _so</p><p>much_ btw.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>and to some extent P.Kitty - except I can't remember</p><p>what is Rat Bastard forum stuff he suggested or stuff I grabbed from SH</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I never stole from another story hour. I stole from</p><p>comics and movies now and then, sometimes from George Martin, but never other</p><p>story hours.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I don't steal templates, as I’m a very rules-lite DM. Do</p><p>take narrative ideas though, and characters</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>I haven't stolen from any story hours, I was inspired to</p><p>write one, by reading another...</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Although he's just been introduced in my SH, Meepo is a</p><p>very major character in my campaign thanks to the Savage Sword of Meepo SH</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I mean, you always flavor things your own way</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Everyone loves Meepo!</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Cool. I think all</p><p>DMs steal from various sources at times: Here's another question - Jarval -</p><p>Question for the SH authors: If you could go back and change an event in your</p><p>SH, which one would it be, and how would you change it?</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>I don't</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>I hate him</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I occasionally find myself rejecting game ideas for the</p><p>opposite reason, though....i.e. so as not to appear to have copied a story hour</p><p>element that's appeared.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Meepo kicks ass</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>I should have killed him day one.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>A lot of P.Kitty stuff is way out there for me</p><p>level-wise, but the core idea is what matters, you then drape it in what you</p><p>need for the moment</p><p></p><p>* Zad loves to hate Meepo</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Jarval, interesting question. I don't think I'd change</p><p>anything.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>You mean, Meepo Kobold Chief of Kobold Country?</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>I don't think I'd change anything.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Jarval - nothing. One thing in my game itself, but even</p><p>that turned out to have insanely cool ramifications later on down the line</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>God, how I love that little bastard. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I would change the character name "Tenchi",</p><p>which I still seethe about now and then. Just my bad blood with otaku, there.</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>yay Meepo!</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Jarval - Not really...I try to stay pretty close to the</p><p>flow of the game...I did change an IG mistake I made...but that is about it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Dr. Midnight - "I hate you so much, I spit on your</p><p>dog!" </p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Jarval - I have a tendency to get pretty damned</p><p>long-winded, and extend dialogue much further than what it needs to be. As</p><p>such, I can have 3 updates where nothing "happens". If I could change</p><p>something, I'd try to rein myself in a bit and focus on the action a bit more.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I would re-write the first few installments to fit more</p><p>the style the narrative eventually fell into</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Actually, I'd probably fix a rules flub or two, but</p><p>nothing major.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>the last 3 sessions...the DM was getting ready to leave</p><p>and the others were more focused on what campaign to play next</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Jarval -I don't think I'd change anything,</p><p>either... I'm lucky to have great players, so nothing too out and out weird</p><p>happens in my games</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Jarval, I would have killed all the Liberators of Tenh</p><p>when I had the chance, instead of fudging in their favor. </p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - Destan - </strong>Bah...exposit away!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Oh, cancel that. My first few posts were *terrible.*</p><p>I'll rewrite them some day.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>And brought them back as bad guys.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>Jarval - Hell yeah. I should have stopped writing</p><p>after The Standing Stone. </p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Heh</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Valanthe - HI,</p><p>I'm a PC in WizarDru/Zad's game. It's happened to our group once, but has</p><p>anything ever gone wrong or badly and disrupted the PCs in or out of the story.</p><p>Or has anyone ever had to go back and re-write part of the SH, like it never</p><p>happened? </p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I'm actually avoiding that module because of Wulf's</p><p>disdain for it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Valanthe, not for me.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>what do mean by "gone wrong"?</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>(Hey, I loved TSS... but not for the module...)</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Valanthe - I haven't had to do anything like that,</p><p>thankfully</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>does a TPK count?</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>No... I don't care for RetCon...</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- diaglo, I'd say a</p><p>TPK counts</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Valanthe - again, no, because the readers get info at the</p><p>same speed the PC's do. Not a lot of backstory in the SH that needs to be</p><p>retro'd</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>I can explain - we had a session that just went down the</p><p>wrong road. It wasn't a tpk - it lead to bad plot elements and character</p><p>friction.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Being a year and a half behind the game, not an issue.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>There was a horrible almost-TPK with that white</p><p>dragon, that one time... I then posted about it in the General Discussion forum</p><p>and got everyone pissed at me. Blech.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>but I go back and make tweaks to my installments for a</p><p>day or two after I post them when I catch errors or mis-attributions in</p><p>dialogue</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Valanthe, we've changed game-mechanic info for PCs and</p><p>grandfathered it in.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>And the plot arc just didn't work for us so WizarDru decided</p><p>to junk it</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>but no major changes</p><p></p><p>* thatdarncat prods SpyScribe to</p><p>update more </p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>well, I did add in Jo's sister Dawn. but reactions were</p><p>mixed...</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Oi. Fans of our story hour may can relate how I</p><p>'retconned' a whole session. Bastion of Broken Souls described what it was</p><p>doing to my game, IMHO. So we turned back time.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Valanthe - Not to this point...</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I love character fiction</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>makes for great dialogue!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>friction</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>not ficnhshwewr</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>It looked a tad awkward in the story hour, but it worked</p><p>well for the game. And the game ALWAYS takes precedence.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>We'd had plenty</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>oops</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>tdc - I update weekly! What do you want?</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - SpyScribe - </strong>post a day!</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>:d</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Here's an</p><p>interesting one - ascendance - General question: What kind of software</p><p>assistance do you folks use to prepare stat blocks and things? Also, any tips</p><p>on making the game flow more smoothly while keeping it rules lite?</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>*bangs head on desk*</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>pen and paper</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I am mad old skool</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>I use a worksheet I created, myself... No software.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>DM Genie, all the way. With a party of 6 23rd level</p><p>characters, I need help. The SRD on laptop and excel are biggies, too.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Olgar has a bunch of downloaded stuff....I use pen and</p><p>paper</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I may do a word doc occasionally</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>ascendance - a round by round combat tracker sheet, with</p><p>a space on the bottom to scrawl monster stats and tactics.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>3.5 SRD on PDF. Find a stat-block shorthand that works</p><p>for you, and don't sweat the small stuff.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I use the new version of etools for boosting monster</p><p>hit dice. Other than that, just Excel and Word.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I used some utility I've lost track of to generate</p><p>stat blocks. I used that online utility I've lost track of for dragons. I lose</p><p>track of a lot.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>but I am a scribbler</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>ascendance - I use, no *need* an excel spreadsheet to play my</p><p>character. </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Not to mention the shadow companions, animal companions,</p><p>familiars and all the other mounts, followers, etc.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>ascendance - Stat block? What's that? Actually, I use 4 x</p><p>6 cards for everything...makes combat a bit easier...</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>ascendance - I make great use of Word. I have a</p><p>bunch of templates that I use, and I do a lot of copy-n-paste with the SRD. In</p><p>3.0 I used E-Tools a lot, and will again as soon as they get the 3.5 data set</p><p>out</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Same as OldOne -- don't really use software.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I used a lot of Photoshop to scratch together images</p><p>for the SH, but otherwise, I'm low-tech</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- To make a game flow smoothly, *make combat speedy.*</p><p>slow combat is a nightmare.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>yeah, was doing cut and paste form SRD, but then found</p><p>not all monsters were OGL, kinda screwed me</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I also do some Photo shopping for handouts or maps</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Good stuff, that</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>try to figure out how to adjust the rhythm of play using</p><p>verbal clues in your descriptions of things</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Piratecat, that's like saying "to get to the roof,</p><p>go up there." How do you make combat speedy? </p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>I use Hero Machine to give the players NPC pics...</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I actually do my maps on Excel; it's sort of</p><p>embarrassing, but works really well.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>it is different for every group, but I tend to find it</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- I detest slow</p><p>combat myself. We have another here - Umbran - Question for all: Do you find</p><p>yourself occasionally misrepresenting a PC's internal motivations in the</p><p>Storyhour? Have the player come up to you and say, "but that's not what I</p><p>was thinking at all!"?</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>I wanted to mention that - PC's excel maps are amazing.</p><p>Never knew Excel could do that.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>yeah, Pkitty, how do you run those massive things? My</p><p>group started really bogging down once they hit 10th level and all those</p><p>options opened up.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Umbran. No... I always confer with the players.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I do almost no inward dialogue in my SH</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Contact, lots of ways: index cards for it. Call out who</p><p>is next and on deck, so people are ready. Roll attacks and damage at once.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- And minimize table talk.</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Umbran - Yep, I've blown that a couple times. I had one of</p><p>my characters "find his faith" in the story hour much sooner than he</p><p>found it in the real campaign.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>they either show it or say it and it up to the context</p><p>to explain it or the reader to figure it out</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - Piratecat </strong>- I'll see if I can dig up a link to the</p><p>rules for the pig</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Umbran -Not so much, but I did misspell a PC's</p><p>name for like a hundred pages...</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Umbran - no by definition. I'm a PC, I know my motivations.</p><p>If I say another player did something for a given reason, then it's an</p><p>in-character perception, and it adds flavor to the story. It may be wrong, but</p><p>then the resolution also makes great story.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Umbran - Yes. I put thoughts into others heads. or at</p><p>least the way my character interprets them</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Yes. Or, rather, I was accused of "slanting"</p><p>a PC's actions/dialogue to make a more favorable story hour. Again, my drama</p><p>queen thing... futzing the actual game in favor of more exciting writing.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Actually, in fear of that I was very cautious about</p><p>getting inside other characters heads for a long time.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Umbran - again, tend to avoid internals, do it all with</p><p>looks and nods that actually happened at the table.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>-- and, they're not exactly the deepest bunch</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Umbran-- occasionally I mis-represent an emotional state</p><p>or motivation. But I blame society.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Umbran - I tend to write things as I interpret the PCs</p><p>perspective, but all my players are welcome to chime in when I fail to get it</p><p>right...</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Umbran, I've made occasional mistakes. when my players</p><p>call me on it, I edit the story hour.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- I am wondering</p><p>this myself, <strong>Piratecat </strong>- Vaxalon -</p><p>How does Excel do maps?</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - jonrog1 - </strong>Yeah, but they drink a lot. </p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>...I edit it when necessary...</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>When my players call me on it, I also edit Piratecat's</p><p>Story Hour.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>Umbran - I swear to God, every word out in the SH</p><p>actually came out of that peck's mouth.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - WizarDru - </strong>and that’s why I love them</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Vaxalon, now that is a name I have not heard in a long</p><p>time, a long time</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Wulf - hah!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- How to do Excel maps is a thread in itself. Start one,</p><p>I'll explain it!</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- okay</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Lela - Question:</p><p>What makes you keep your SH going?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I'm in it for the money.</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Lela - Readers.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Lela - My two fans...Lela and Darklone !</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Hot chicks too,</p><p>right contact?</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>Readers. </p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Readers. </p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Lela... mostly the readers throwing popcorn at the screen</p><p>and yelling "FOCUS!!!"</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Lela - We keep playing each week. Honestly after three-four years</p><p>and so many open story arcs, I need to keep track of what's going on and I</p><p>think there are people out there who want to see how it ends.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>what else would I do with my notes?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Hell yes, the groupies, the cash and the perks.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Horacio</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>. . . like getting reservations at La Folie on an hours</p><p>notice.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I'm in it for Contact's money.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Lela - I do it for Horacio</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>I'm with diaglo on this one.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Lela - probably a different motivation form most -- no</p><p>notes form execs, no deadlines -- anything I see fit goes in. Like a little</p><p>vacation from the job</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>The game. Although it sometimes amazes me when someone</p><p>points to our story hour and says "lookitthat!"</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>I would like to remind all these authors, not an</p><p>hour ago they swore not to write for the readers.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Tsunami, in most cases</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Contact, I read that "the groupies, the cash,</p><p>and the pecks."</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Seriously? I get a tremendous amount of energy from</p><p>knowing people are enjoying it, and knowing that it's fun to write. Can't beat</p><p>that.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I swore no such thing. I was in it for the glory.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Well, yeah, the pecks!</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Do I have to spell it out!</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>:d</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>True, Wulf, but its a big kick when they like it.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Seriously-- it would be fun if nobody read it but me.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>That's what KEEPS me writing...</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Lela - I think another part is challenging myself. I think of</p><p>myself as a lot of things, but "Writer" is not one of them, so it's a</p><p>way of challenging myself to do something I don't think I do well.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>And that's pretty much how it goes.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I read "kick" as another word that ends in</p><p>"ick", KidC</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Lela - Actually, it is a much needed creative outlet,</p><p>writing helps me relax and its fun knowing some people dig it...</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>If it weren't for the readers, I'd just write it all</p><p>down, and keep it on my home PC.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I have to admit, one time I was on the phone talking</p><p>about my first producing gig, and I was secretly checking my SH views, so yeah,</p><p>the readers fit in there somewhere... </p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Yeah, but we all know how your mind works, nemm...</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Hey, I wont lie and say we don't notice when our view</p><p>count jumps. Not for nothing are we 'the lurker's choice." <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- This one should</p><p>be interesting - ascendance - How do you guys hand out XP for story-oriented</p><p>stuff?</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>For anyone who's interested, the "Paying the</p><p>Pig" suggestions are here: <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forums/showt...5001#post395001" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/forums/showt...5001#post395001</a></p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>my SH views are due to me visiting the site</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Posting in a vacuum is no fun. Of course feedback is a</p><p>factor.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I pull numbers out of my butt</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I hire my neighbor's kids to hit "refresh."</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>ascendance - Depends on the situation, and what came of</p><p>it.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>it really isn't pretty</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Ascendance - I give them "cookies" - with 1</p><p>cookie = 100 XP * Character Level. Few and far between.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I give the PCs 1/5 to 1/4 of a level per session,</p><p>regardless of what they kill, but have no system for story awards beyond that.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>ascendance - passing to WizarDru. I get no exp bonus for just</p><p>writing the story hour though, if that's what you mean</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>100 xp * character level for major story points or</p><p>innovations</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- For story-related xp? Hmmm... like Nemm, I pull numbers</p><p>out of his butt. Err. My butt.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>The idea is just to keep them from feeling like not</p><p>killing stuff creates a leveling ennui.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I offered a few hundred xp for clever or dramatic</p><p>roleplaying. Nothing special. "Nice game tonight, punching that old lady</p><p>in the face. 100 xp."</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Although I like JonRog's formula.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Huh? What?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>You get 100 xp for punching old ladies? I should be</p><p>second level!</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>ascendance - Just like Pkitty and Nemm......actually, I</p><p>usually build about 30% of the session reward in story-type xp...</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I go by the XP for the foes they face, and I give</p><p>XP for dealing with foes in non-fatal ways</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I definitely give more xp for story accomplishments</p><p>than specific monsters.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Do any of you</p><p>make level progression slower in 3rd Ed? </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>the truth is</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I used to tally XP</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>just do it for fun. if it involved xp I wouldn't. we</p><p>advance too fast as it is</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- We go up levels about every ten games. I plan it on</p><p>that.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>That's good, cause those two kuo toa I got under my</p><p>belt aren't getting me anywhere fast.</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I do. I hate D&D leveling. I think it should be</p><p>half that fast, if not a third.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>but as the number for "killing" got smaller</p><p>and smaller - I figured "what is the point?'</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>now I just make up a number</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I cut back on the XP a bit, sometimes as much as</p><p>by half</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- I just</p><p>make a point of emphasizing downtime. I hate the "10levels in a</p><p>game-year" vibe</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>As recently came out in the thread, we level about</p><p>twice a year. I don't *think* that's standard. </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I do give out XP for role-playing material...but XP for</p><p>writing the story hour or contributing to it doesn't happen. All the hot chicks</p><p>Zad scores are reward enough. In game, I give RP/story XP as the mood strikes</p><p>me.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I peg advancement to twice a year also. It works well</p><p>for us.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Gee, what a coincidence.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>8 levels in 3 years seems right to me</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>almost 9</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I also try to emphasize downtime</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Heh. I have Fajitas brainwashed.</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Dru - hahahah</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I tend to average 1 every three months, but we do play a</p><p>full 4 times a month</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>My PCs'd kill me if I only let them level twice a</p><p>year, right Seri?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I make no distinction between up and down time</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>all time is time</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Heh. We've gone from 1 to 23 in slightly over 3 years,</p><p>playing 3 times a month on average.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />, my PCs</p><p>level approx. every third or fourth session. </p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Cool</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>My advancement averages out to 1 level per 4 sessions or</p><p>so...</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>*shakes head* Poor Fajitas</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>the party has been "in town" between</p><p>adventures for like 4 sessions and having a grand old time</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>*hopes that Zad's wife isn't reading.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I have people who are in love with character design, so</p><p>they need the buzz. It's not a power thing, though -- I swear they'd play</p><p>nothing but 1st level and play a different campaign a week just for the fun of</p><p>character building</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>with ya on that jonrog</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>we play 2 a month</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Me three-- char building = teh fun.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Us, too.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>As DM, I get to build lots of expendable characters.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- I've slowed down</p><p>leveling a ton in my Scarred Lands game myself.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>naw</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>character building doesn't have to mean fast leveling</p><p>though</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>That's a lot of the fun, contact.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Here's another</p><p>one from the peanut gallery - SiderealKnight - Question: What (if any) story</p><p>hours do you read regularly?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I hate making stat block</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>One of my players just started running a once a month</p><p>campaign, and now that I got to play again, I was al aquiver with</p><p>character-building excitement</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>all of them</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- As a DM, I get all of my PC design jollies out of</p><p>making NPCs who inevitably die quickly.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Until they slaughter your wiz 5/ rog 3/ asn 4 in one</p><p>round</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>SiderealKnight - I only read (other than mine)</p><p>Medallions, honestly.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Sidereal Knight - Sagiro's is the only one. . I pop into</p><p>P.Kitty's, Old One's and Contact's on occasion - but I am not with the regular </p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>None... sorry. Tried once, couldn't get into it.</p><p>Reading in a computer chair doesn't work for me. </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Destan (well, until he KILLED THEM ALL), Piratecat's,</p><p>JonRog’s and a few others.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I read about a half-dozen regularly, and drop in on</p><p>another half dozen about once a month. Lately, I've been glued to Capellan's</p><p>Q-Ship story hour. Sheer comedy gold.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>SiderealKnight - Easy one: Destan, Speulchrave, Piratecat,</p><p>Sagiro, Wulf's (formerly). I'd read more but time can be rough.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - Piratecat </strong>and pogre. I would say I read jonrog</p><p>regularly, but that would be predicated on him UPDATING regularly</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Not enough? Anything by jonrog1 and Piratecat. Recently</p><p>picked up Company of the Random Encounter.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I only left the story hour side 'cuz the Jester came to</p><p>stay at my house</p><p></p><p>AltReality - what’s up all </p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>SiderealKnight - I read PC's, Sagiro's, Contacts</p><p>Liberators thread, and Wulf.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>As often as not, I pick up a new story hour every few</p><p>weeks and run through it. Makes for good lunchroom reading.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I read PCs, Sagrios, Sepulchrave’s, JonRog’s, Capellan's</p><p>got a couple I like. JRandall, there's more that I can't remember. many many.</p><p>Of course, Wulf's back in the day.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>whoops</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Heh</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- , no problem</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- +Silvr_Dragon -</p><p>ohhh I got a question! Can I make a guest appearance in your story hour?</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>SK - I used to be a SH whore...but just don't have the</p><p>time anymore...I regularly read PCs, Sagiro’s, contacts, Destan's, Seps, Wulf,</p><p>Pogre and Rel's...drop in on Nemm, Jonrog1...damn...I still am an SH whore...</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I've already written you in, <strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />. But I changed</p><p>your name to "Heydricus."</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>So, how about you, jonrog1? Which SHs do you read?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I actually have EN Worlders sit in a fair amount; heck,</p><p>Old One is here tomorrow!</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Silvr_Dragon - If you want to come for a night you can play</p><p>Thorkeld! Just be ready to fail a save and die or something.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Pkitty, SpyScribe, all the modern ones</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Sure. You can play the Silvering. And sleep for the next</p><p>decade. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I would love to have some ENWorlders I know come down</p><p>and sit in</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>got to admit, it takes a heckuva lot to hook me in the</p><p>straight fantasy campaigns</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>It's always the paladins.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - Piratecat </strong>- Wahoo...yes I am!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>of course, no one ever trusts the guest player</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- nor should they.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>That's an interesting concept.... I may have to use all</p><p>the ENWorlders as a bunch of Zombies, and Raiders... </p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Unless they have an honest face like Old One.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I gotta make it out to Boston for a Sox game and</p><p>PC's game sometime</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>last 2 times my friend Sean has "guested" PCs</p><p>have died</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- but this is how I first met Wulf, for instance.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>and not b/c of anything he did!</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>*rubs hands together in secret delight*</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- ascendance -</p><p>General comment: its frustrating that software support's fallen behind for 3.5e</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - contact - </strong>Awwww....</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Yup. Agreed.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Okay.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>ascendance - I'm a fan of simple things I can maintain myself</p><p>like spreadsheets.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Err, hey, that's</p><p>not a question.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>ascendance - I guess, but again, I don't use it much. But</p><p>maybe that's because its fallen behind, chicken/egg thing</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>DM Genie is 3.5 compatible...with templates, even. So</p><p>no, it isn't.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>don't get me started. </p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>ascend - don't really use much either...</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I am old skool</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>3.5 E-Tools is due out the next month or so last I</p><p>heard</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>pen and paper baby</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- diaglo, just once</p><p>could you say... your trademark?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>multi-colored pens. old school</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I have a note book with Out of the Frying Pan scratched</p><p>on the front in ball point pen!</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Its not a real software support unless its written</p><p>in Cobol?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I have the same support for that than there has ever has</p><p>been, the Mead Corp is good that way ;-)</p><p></p><p>* WizarDru claws his own eyes out</p><p>at the mention of COBOL.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>OD&D(1974) is the only true game. All the other</p><p>editions are just poor imitations of the real thing. </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>How about FORTRAN? The language of innovation?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>oh diaglo</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- nemmerle, you</p><p>sound like me. Starting DMing when I was a kid and my quicker clicker and graph</p><p>paper bring me a special chill just to pick up</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>of course. AD&D 2nd Edition -- the Buzzkill Edition.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Heh</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Hey, he made it 1:16 into the chat. That's admirable.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Well, I DID ask</p><p>him for it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Next question?</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Here's a general</p><p>one for all of you - Wee_Jas - Q: Where is your game based out of? (To</p><p>everyone)</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>"you do something cool. Roll on table 5-3 to see how</p><p>you die because of it..."</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Physically? Boston.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>San Francisco.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Forgotten Realms...Dalelands</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>The Planet of Brooklyn, baby!</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I'm in the Chicago suburbs</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Los Angeles</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Physically? Central California... </p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Oh... Hoebre world </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Greyhawk....my version, anyhow. Physically? Malvern, PA.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>L.A.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Home brew. Sheesh</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Rhode Island, Providence area. Reppin' the</p><p>four-oh-one, baby.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Wee_Jas - suburban Philly/Greyhawk</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>In the game, it's America, and sort of all over...</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>Between DC and Baltimore.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Faded Glory H'brew...played in the Baltimore suburbs...</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Huh, I'd stayed back east, I coulda played with Pkitty</p><p>and Wulf. Damn</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>play in Hotlanta</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- My World is home brew, with Planescape.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>stupid career ...</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - Destan - </strong>When we drinking that beer together?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>www.aquerra.com</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - Piratecat </strong>needs more modrons.</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>jonrog1 -but then we wouldn't have had Jo and Ross</p><p>guest starring.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Damn straight.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Look at me, I’m a shill!</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Interesting side</p><p>note, this just in - Olgar - Of course, diaglo recently admitted to considering</p><p>DMing 3.5 ... </p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Scarred Lands -- Elminster can bite my pink behind</p><p></p><p>* Zad wonders what the modrons are</p><p>doing. Oh well couldn't be anything important</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>OO - I'm not 21.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - Destan - </strong>Liar!</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - Zad - </strong>someone else will figure it out, right?</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - </strong>oo - </p><p></p><p>* contact watches modrons roll by,</p><p>and goes home.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>hah!</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - SpyScribe - </strong>and horrifying you with the habits they</p><p>picked up form my campaign...</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>the climax of my campaign involves Modrons</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I want my damn modrons.</p><p></p><p><strong>Destan - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Gotta</p><p>run, thanks for having me.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>shhh! don't tell anyone ;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- thanks Destan</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Too late..</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- So, how long does</p><p>it take, usually to compile notes from a session, then write it up and post it?</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>See ya, Destan. Valanthe just pinched me. Hope you're</p><p>happy. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Wulf_Ratbane - </strong>I also gotta run... Later all!</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>I've gotta run as well. Gonna ride Destan's coattails</p><p>on outta here.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Nemm, can I sit in? Please?</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - jonrog1 - </strong>So come horrify us yourself next time!</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>Gotta run soon too...any other questions?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>of course!</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- seeya DrMidnight</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>When Destan's gotta run... Destan's gotta run.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- and thanks</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>P.Kitty that was for you</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>as for how long?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- only a</p><p>day, just never get around to the fine tuning and posting. but I'm a speedy</p><p>little writer. makes up for my shocking lack of talent</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Usually I</p><p>go into work Monday morning, and work on the story. Depending how busy I am, I</p><p>could have it up as soon as noon if I'm relatively free</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>Bye all, love yers.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Harl... I think you wanted me to remind you of</p><p>something... But I forget what it was...</p><p></p><p><strong>DrMidnight - </strong>for justice!!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>it usually takes 2 to 3 installments (6 to 14 pages</p><p>each) to do one session</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Characters?</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>the whole two weeks in between sessions</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- It takes me about four hours to write up a game. Longer</p><p>if I'm using a tape.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Oh.. What about them?</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- don’t remember.</p><p>=)</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I write teasers in about 1-2 hours, depending.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- About 2</p><p>hours of writing per Session installment...but I usually write 2-5 installments</p><p>per session...so figure 4-10 hours per Session...</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>so that is about 2 to 4 hours of writing each x 3 = 6 to</p><p>12 hours per session</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />, it</p><p>usually takes two to four hours. Longer if I am brain-dead.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>longer than the actual sessions!</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I've got so many sourcebooks, I steal characters like mad</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>oh my god!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I never realized that before!</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I'd say about 4 hours, spread into (typically) 3-4</p><p>installments</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>The Avonshar story hour can take about 4 hours for me to</p><p>write.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Cool</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Nemm, we could game twice as often if we didn't write.</p><p>Damn.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Usually, it takes me a couple of hours to write... but</p><p>I've been trying to get this latest update for over 2 weeks...</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- It isn't unusual to run into writer's block. It</p><p>happens.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- So, are there any</p><p>exciting things about to happen in anyone’s game? Stuff not written up?</p><p>Teasers, character deaths, changes in party mix, etc?</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Don't know per-update. Writing is quick, revising is</p><p>longer.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I am so glad I don't write up the Promised Land game</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>which I want to plug!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>my homeboy Sean writes it</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Lucius is taking over the Liberators, but no one other</p><p>than Lucius realizes it.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>you mean, other than the rapture? :-d</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>and it is relatively new so you can catch up right away</p><p>and I play in it!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I have a few character deaths coming up, as I approach</p><p>the climax of my 2 year long adventure.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Well... in several sessions, the Sniper will have a</p><p>serious crisis, as he LOSES HIS EYE!</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- No the only</p><p>things I drop are tiny details that are unimportant in greater story.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>started a new campaign and new SH</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>writing about PC death is always a big deal b/c in a</p><p>game where there is little or no resurrection, that means they will never</p><p>appear in the story again, and that can be disappointing</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- a few</p><p>roster changes, a few character deaths, the big epic end of the first</p><p>"season".</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>In the Risen Goddess, the upcoming plotline is based on</p><p>the principle that the adventurers failed in the Modron march/ Dead Gods</p><p>plotline. </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>disappointing for the readers, that is</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- So, do you have</p><p>any specific rules based on your Story Hours?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>but I have roster changes coming up too</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>started structuring lot arcs like TV seasons, 5</p><p>levels/season -- get to kill a big bad fairly often, don't bog down, but long</p><p>enough for investigations and side adventures</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Not based on the story hours...</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>including an old rival who joins the group!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- What do you mean, <strong>Harlock</strong></p><p><strong></strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />?</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- I am</p><p>about 7 sessions behind now...VERY big happenings and some very bad things in</p><p>the next couple of sessions...</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>no infinite slings...house rule</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>No, just that Dodge gives a consistent bonus. </p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Specific rules in what sense?</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>But I do have called shots, and a target system...</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- No but we</p><p>have some very specific rules on Bolo running all new spells past the approval</p><p>committee before using them in game - it's for everyone's good.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I try to figure out the players' expectations, and then</p><p>keep them on their toes. I dunno, Wulf; any surprises coming up in the story</p><p>hour?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- :d</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Well, for</p><p>instance, do you try and limit player stupidity, that sort of thing? Allowing</p><p>Int. checks to preserve plot?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>no, but I love describing my bloody crits when they</p><p>happen</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- anything as heavy</p><p>handed as that?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>har - no way!</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Nope - we're allowed to be as dumb as our natural talent</p><p>permits</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>All new Bolo spells must pass....The Committee. I also</p><p>appear to have a house rule concerning Bolo getting eaten every session. </p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>For a sniper, I really had to have a called shot system,</p><p>so it was actually fairly simple to come up with one.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />, et al -</p><p>Gotta run, gang...thanks for the opportunity...see you tomorrow, Pkitty and</p><p>Wulf (will Wulf be there?)</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Nope! Like I said earlier, I'm blessed with great</p><p>players</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Nope. If my players want to be stupid, more power to</p><p>them - although it doesn't happen very often.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>no, she follows plot idiocy -- again, part of the</p><p>challenge is to not turn your game into your narrative, but adapt your</p><p>narrative as the game shifts.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- thanks OldOne!</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>We allow the player of Prisantha to ask the whole group</p><p>for advice when she makes snap decisions, to reflect her 28 Int.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>later oo</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- See you tomorrow, Old One!</p><p></p><p><strong>SpyScribe - </strong>Ack, I've got to run. Thanks for having me.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>we stumble around until we run into something. </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>like rats from a ship!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- By, SS! I can hang around for a while.</p><p></p><p><strong>OldOne - </strong>cya!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Contact, that's a cool mechanic.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>My players are quite clever, so it's never been a</p><p>problem. Trying to outwit them has always been the problem.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>nice</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>28 int. ? broken! I call broken!</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- .<strong>thatdarncat - </strong>Piratecat: spoil us,</p><p>please! We want to know! Contact: Your last LoT update ended on kind of a</p><p>spoiler. Who won! Who died?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I allow "18 int" moments</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Piratecatis like a kid in the candy store tonight</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I guess I shouldn't point out that the wizard in our</p><p>story hour has a 32 INT, huh?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>so we have players asking "can I take an 18 Int</p><p>moment?" to stop play to discuss something</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- err, thatdarncat</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I am greedy with them</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Nope, I'm *so* not spoiling this one little surprise.</p><p>It's a good one.</p><p></p><p>* thatdarncat is in full on fanboy</p><p>mode </p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>The Liberators won, and three of them sort of died, with</p><p>two of them really dying. Later, only one really died, and was then expunged</p><p>from the group.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I give a Wis check or Int. check for remembering plot</p><p>details they may not have remembered.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>25 pt buy. how in the world?</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Of course, there was the time a player summoned a water</p><p>elemental...on the elemental plane of fire. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Oh, and then the Liberators lost.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Steam.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I know who dies in PC's game.... at least one of</p><p>them.... </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I don’t like the randomness of checks</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>My investigation arcs tend to be pretty complex -- those</p><p>checks are like Spycraft inspiration checks.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Might be more than one, that I don't know</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I’d rather the *player* make a decision</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Jonrog-- it's not really. She's 20th level, has a +6 item</p><p>she made herself, and has wished a couple of times.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>The baddies still make their saves.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I tend to agree. Int or Wis checks don't take into</p><p>account the hero's experience.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- This is a great</p><p>question - Umbran - Question for all - what's the best character quote in your</p><p>SH?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>*grumbling* woulda dropped a rock on her a long time ago</p><p>-- none shall rival the DM's power!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>that's a hard one</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Mitch: "Yeah... well... If I were you, I'd shave</p><p>that weasel off my lip."</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>that's too hard. my memory is a mess.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Umbran - I know the one for <strong>Piratecat </strong>- "So what do you think those Modrons are</p><p>doing?"</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>that's tough.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Sigh. Probably.</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>blah, sure, tease me<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>We have a lot of "Run! Run! Run! don't look back!</p><p>Run!"</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Umbran - Andy as he drew his gun on the carnivorous,</p><p>anal-probing ET: "You are SO not phoning home..."</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>lol</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- nemmerle, that</p><p>sounds like the game I am a player in</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I like when Malachite told off his superior Aleax, and</p><p>turned his back on his church in order to stand up for what he believed in.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>"Don't touch anything that is glowing, take it one</p><p>level at a time, kill everything, and move on."</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Umbran - With so many years (and about 600 pages in MSWord)</p><p>I'd need to go back and look.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Of course, turning him into a tapeworm was also pretty</p><p>funny.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>"timmmmmmaaaaayyyy"</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Again, I have a roomful of writers, they do all the hard</p><p>work for me</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Umbran - That's really tough. This one is from</p><p>that game but before the actual SH... "It'll be a quick in-an-out".</p><p>This was followed by the Party getting waylaid, and enslaved, and teleported</p><p>halfway across the continent, not getting back for six months of game time</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>oh and a lot of "I willing to sacrifice my</p><p>life!"</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - contact - </strong>my PCs need to learn from that</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>everyone always in a hurry to die</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>TDC-- So do mine, they just say it all the time. </p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- They need a new advisor.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Jackie Chan</p><p>Adventures is coming on Cartoon Network, for the jonrog1 fans.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Olgar reminded me..."..went down like Bernedette in</p><p>an elven village"</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>I wanna know when I can buy jca on DVD</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>My current favorite from PCs hour: "You know how.</p><p>You just aren't very good at it."</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>"run! run! run! don't look back! run!"</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>they JUSTG started releasing them in a truly idiotic</p><p>pattern</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>sadly, Sony Kids not really on the ball there</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Jon, are you still involved with the show?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- So, let me ask a question: writers, how do you create</p><p>memorable villains?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>not much anymore, two good guys running it.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Pkitty - actually, my PC's create my villains</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I try to keep them rules-obscured-- that helps.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Well, it's been consistently great. You should be proud.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I let Olgar do that...it is my job to find them.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>And, of course, I steal all the villains from PCs SH.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>for me it is all about dialogue and description -</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- how, jonrog?</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I like to link them emotionally to the players...it</p><p>makes them resonate more when they have an investment in the villain. Oh, and</p><p>Black Dirge helps. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - Piratecat </strong>- Well I do what I can, but it comes down to</p><p>character perceptions and how I think my character would see it</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I will sometimes make notes of things I want a villain</p><p>to say and then craft their speech pattern around it to be consistent</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I look for an interesting hook, and make sure the</p><p>PC's have ways to interact with them enough to breed the familiarity that leads</p><p>to enmity</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>at the beginning of every season, I have a choice of</p><p>three or four main plots, run them through the intro adventures, and whoever</p><p>they hate the most, I make the main villain, advance him along with them</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>like when he describes his evil plan in great detail ;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>PC - I dunno... the one they are facing, in game, now, is</p><p>a former teammate of the Military PCs...</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>also</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>always keep them on their toes</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Do you Story Hour</p><p>Authors ever bring back supposedly dead villains? True Ress go both ways in</p><p>your games?</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>The toughest villain was the LG one. He took some</p><p>effort.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>make them have real motives that the PCs might consider</p><p>reasonable and thus fill them with loathing and self-doubt</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I agree that a hated villain is a good villain. I need</p><p>to do a better job at making them emotionally tied to the PCs.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>old PCs make surprise appearances.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I've never Rezz'd a villain. I believe strongly</p><p>that a good DM needs to be able to let his beloved bad guys go</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>not much res in my game</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>though people come back as undead a lot ;-)</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- heh</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>No. No. NO. Well...OK, Yes. I just did the most recent</p><p>session featuring the return of a Blackguard from 2+ years ago, now a fiend.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- We just had</p><p>a supposedly dead villain come back to assassinate us last week. He's dead now</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I've used an undead version of true ress to bring back</p><p>powerful ghouls that the group had trouble killing one at a time. Now they're</p><p>banded together and hunting the group.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>hehe... They faced the Hook Horror again. Only this time</p><p>it was a cybernetic Hook Horror with nasty pointy spiky things installed on</p><p>him.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>I had a villain recently that they kind of *liked*. It made</p><p>it interesting for them to oppose him.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- JRandall - story</p><p>hour ? for (contact): How many years ago (real life) did what is now the Risen</p><p>Goddess campaign start?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- That's always fun. In Sagiro's game, we can tell the</p><p>villains because we like them and they're nice to us. If someone is rude and</p><p>nasty, they're probably a good guy.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>my last session ended w/ the party getting back to the</p><p>inn to find an old villain waiting for them</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Well, wasn't that one wizard nice? But then, he died.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Joshua knows that the Risen Goddess game originally</p><p>started around 1986 when my core player and I spent our misanthropic</p><p>high-school years playing these two characters who reincarnated into a homebrew</p><p>world called Isk . . .</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>The recent incarnation (the one chronicled in the SH)</p><p>started at the same time that 3e was released.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>he has not spoken a word yet and they are considering</p><p>attacking him right away b/c they are afraid he is going to point out some</p><p>nebulous gray moral thing and they won’t be able to kill him with clear</p><p>consciences</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Nemm, that's funny.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>It's always the paladins.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- New question?</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Do you find</p><p>yourself ever writing up a hook or arc and thinking, "Yeah, this'll look</p><p>great in my thread!"</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>my villains are always scrupulously reasonable. they have</p><p>agendas, and if the PC's would just GO AWAY there wouldn't be a problem.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- I'm a PC -</p><p>I'm reactive </p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Nemm: "Hush! Hush! Don't speak. I'm going to stab</p><p>you now."</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>naw, I write it up for the game and when it plays out</p><p>then I think "this will rock the story hour"</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- god no,</p><p>because I never know what it's going to look like once my players are done with</p><p>it.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I’m with Zad... but i feed my DM plot hooks.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Actually... I've done the opposite... Get the arc going,</p><p>and I'm like, "Oh man... this is going to look cheesy.... Oh well! ROLL</p><p>THE DICE!"</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Hmm. I more think, "That'll work wonderfully in the</p><p>game." I tend to design based on cool cinematic moments. I know when I get</p><p>an idea right; it snaps into place with almost an audible "click."</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Not as I'm writing it...but later, when reviewing it, I</p><p>do. I generally think in terms of cinematic approach, even if that approach</p><p>doesn't always survive contact with the players.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>most of their "rescue attempts" end up with</p><p>things on fire and corpses.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- jonrog1, yeah</p><p>that's how most of my plots go. =) Makes being DM fun.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>I'm with Nemm, the games make me excited for the</p><p>story hour more than the session preparation</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />,</p><p>absolutely. Some bits you just know you're going to hit it out of the park.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Other bits, you hope that *they* will do something fun</p><p>with.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>They usually do.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Here's an</p><p>interesting question - JRandall - follow up question for other authors - is the</p><p>length of a campaign tied to your satisfaction with running/playing in it? or</p><p>can short campaign also be fun?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>for example, I never anticipated what EITHER group I ran</p><p>through the small town zombie DM game would do with the zombie toddler...</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Anyone thought of</p><p>a one shot Story Hour?</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>One offs can be a blast! </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>in my experience short campaign means either TPK or loss</p><p>of interest, so I guess no</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>I enjoy long term play...but I’m not opposed to one shots</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Pulp</p><p>Spycraft was a one-off</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I also tend to design like "Raiders of the Lost</p><p>Arc"... interesting and varied action every so often, with some pauses</p><p>between them. different challenges, but ones that involve everyone and make</p><p>them try new tactics.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>JRandall - Well we definitely wouldn't be at it if we weren't</p><p>enjoying it so I'd have to say yes.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Short campaigns, to me, are one-offs, usually. I like</p><p>long games, with developing characters.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>and as I mentioned, my campaign is broken into</p><p>"seasons" so I have a mix of long and short-term goals</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Raiders of the Lost Ark is my bible for good pacing. I</p><p>think it's paced *perfectly*.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>the characters carry over from season to season, but the</p><p>"big bads" change</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- We do lots of one-shots, but I’ve never written them</p><p>up. Dr Midnight has done so quite often, especially with Feng Shui games.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Jon, that's the way to do it - except my players keep</p><p>making short term goals into long ones</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>JRandall - Length of campaign is key for some</p><p>games, but I've had big fun with short games too. My SH group tend to break up</p><p>long stretches of my campaigns with two or three short 6-10 session games </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>I try to keep things to major storylines, but often the</p><p>plot gets too involved for that to be more than a recommendation of the story.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>well, my PC's try, but if the NPC has a time-dependent</p><p>agenda, it can control how long the PC's drag out a storyline</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Question: Do you sometimes find the pressure of updating</p><p>to be a serious chore, with regards to keeping a regular schedule?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>right</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>We also will play the NPCs within a storyline as</p><p>"one-shots" that tie back into the larger arc.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Here's one from a</p><p>Story Hour reader - Lela - Question: How do you prefer to handle Religion? From</p><p>divine intervention/interaction to the more secular acts of the church.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>at the beginning of each season, I figure out the</p><p>timeline for each villain plot if the PC's didn’t exist...</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- (contact), that's</p><p>a cool idea.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Absolutely. I hate the feeling of knowing that I'm behind</p><p>on my updates.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>and if they bugger off, then the bad guys advance.</p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>Well folks, I gotta run now... See y'all later!</p><p>and thanks for having me!</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - WizarDru - </strong>Not really. I find doing it on schedule makes it</p><p>easier for me</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>WizarDru-- I don't feel the pressure. When it's a chore,</p><p>I ignore it. </p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- seeya</p><p>KidCharlemagne and thanks</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Lela - I use the Scarred Lands pantheon, and its a great</p><p>mix of physical worship and divine intervention</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- bye, rob!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Lela - does it serve the plot? but I doubt I’d ever do</p><p>direct divine intervention as a storyline</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>just not my kind of fantasy</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Lela, religion plays a major role in my campaign. </p><p></p><p><strong>KidCharlemagne - </strong>buhbye!</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Lela, the gods are the biggest bad guys in my game(s).</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- It drives politics, motivations, and quite a few plots.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Lela - We have a number of religious issues in the game, and</p><p>some characters are primarily driven by it. But the divine never seems to interfere</p><p>with player choice or overshadow them</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - WizarDru - </strong>never really had trouble with pacing</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>divine intervention, no. but divine commentary, yes. My</p><p>pc's sometimes have dreams that let them know just how bad they're screwing up</p><p>...</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Lela - Religion is central to our game, what with divine</p><p>politics taking up so much of the game.</p><p></p><p><strong>C_Baize - </strong>Well.... time to fix dinner. It's been great, all.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Religion and religious conflict are at the heart of both</p><p>of my current SHs.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- thanks Hildulf!</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>take care</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Of course, some characters just want to kick the deities</p><p>in the junk, but there you are.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Lela - religion is a part of the game</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- One of the reasons that religion is so much fun is that</p><p>it's tailor-made for nasty politics, and it produces zealots beautifully.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>bye!</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Pantheonistic religion just lends itself to political</p><p>plotlines.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>the group's paladin has been dealing with a schism of</p><p>monks of his order - and he is not sure which side is "right" yet</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>That's the best, Nemm.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>yes, religion can give you cool shades of grey for your</p><p>PCs to deal with</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- This one could be</p><p>fun - Pierce - how about_: Have there been happenings in your games that you</p><p>considered inappropriate for your SH?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Contact's Liberators of Tenh are currently going up</p><p>against Pholtus; it's beautiful.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>and places for them to spend their loot</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Pholtus is kicking their collective butts.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>there was a ceremonial coupling in a druid grove. . . </p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>in front of scores of bugbears</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>My deities tend to be aloof and distant, which makes</p><p>them more than a little unpopular amongst the non-devout. In Destan's game,</p><p>Destan would tell you how the Risen Gods are basically not very nice people.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>with a captive woman</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>a-hem</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Pierce -</p><p>Follow-up: How did you get around it?</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Pierce - nope not really. Romantic encounters are handled off</p><p>camera but that's more of an artistic choice.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>iykwimaityd</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Pierce, we usually hand wave over sex in the game.</p><p>We've had both straight and gay/lesbian relationships between PCs and NPCs, but</p><p>that can usually be summed up in a sentence or so. Graphic violence has never</p><p>been a problem.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>pierce - recently. my gender-switched bard seduced a mad</p><p>druid and poisoned him. roleplaying that, me as the druid flirting with my</p><p>friend Denis .. errrg.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Pierce - yes. but we did a fade to black</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I just used suggestion</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>omg pix? thx!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>oh we also had a male rape</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>early on</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>most romantic stuff, just a suggestion, nothing more. </p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Pulp Fiction fun.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- JRandall - on</p><p>religion - do the players ever get uncomfortable because of in-character</p><p>religious issues?</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I was actually pretty graphic about that. . . but still</p><p>did not violate the grandma rule</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- That happened in a game I was once in, and it caused a</p><p>layer to quit. You have to be careful with those things.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>JRandall - No it's really a central part of our game and we</p><p>embrace it.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>JER-- I've never had that trouble. </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Not in our game, no. I try to be mindful of my players’</p><p>beliefs, and it's usually handled as enough of an abstraction that I don't</p><p>think it's ever been an issue.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>PC - I warn my players there will be adult themes and it</p><p>is never made into a joke</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>JRandall - once, the player had a hard time reconciling</p><p>his PC's religion with the group's overall tone. but I think that was more a</p><p>player dynamic thing</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>JRandall - I don't think so...but we don't talk RL</p><p>religion if we can help it</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I love my players for stuff like that</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>for being able to deal with it, that is</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Here's a spiffy</p><p>question - Lela - Follow up: Good and Evil are easy to turn against each other.</p><p>How do you handle turning good against good?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I have a player who doesn't usually play a cleric</p><p>because they have real-life religious concerns. It's never been a problem.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>my group's a mix of southern Baptists, lapsed Catholics,</p><p>etc, and we manage to get along fine. Working with a pantheon definitely steps</p><p>it away form real life issues</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Good vs. good is really interesting to do. I model a</p><p>lot of that on real life.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Lela - Good folks don't always agree on the best course of</p><p>action - all they need is different ideas on how to respond to the same</p><p>problem.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I have more than one player WHO LOVES playing priests</p><p>b/c in real life has no religious conviction and it is a neat thing to RP for</p><p>him</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Lela - well, if I had a good party, I'd tackle that. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite7" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue :p" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":p" /></p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Lela - read my story hour in the last 3 pages...2 good</p><p>churches with separate agendas.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Good vs. good is . . . well you know.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Again, two good churches clashing is understandable; so</p><p>is good monarchs struggling over succession.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>it has to do with agendas and do the ends justify the</p><p>means?</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Like I said, having splinter factions among LG</p><p>characters was an interesting dilemma. The Gilden, head of the gold dragons and</p><p>mentor to the players had been kidnapped. And the replacement chose inaction</p><p>over open war and rescue...much to the players’ consternation.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I just did evil vs. evil, and THAT's fun. Who do you ally</p><p>with when your enemies split up? To take on the greater evil, do you make your</p><p>deal with the devil?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Jonrog, did you put them in a position to have to?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Mine did, Jonrog. they chose to team up with the lesser</p><p>evil and ran with it.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>one of the villains in my game released some</p><p>uber-powerful evil Drow witches from captivity b/c he knew the shockwave</p><p>through Drow culture would retard their progress in war</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>the PCs disagreed with his tactics</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>Well, they never HAVE to do anything. But it was one of</p><p>those things, like real life "If we don't deal with this, this WILL come</p><p>bite us in the butt later, because the really evil guys got too</p><p>powerful..."</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>So, you did. </p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- We've tried to set one enemy against another in</p><p>Sagiro's game, with mixed results.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>we ventured into the bane warrens...do you let the stuff</p><p>out or keep it there?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>no, not at all. They could have moved easily out of the region</p><p>where it would have affected them</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Heh.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- If you could sum</p><p>up your Story Hour/campaign in one word; what would it be?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>and there were other plot options to handle the</p><p>uber-problem of the approaching war.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>Funtastical</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Evolving</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Har - worth reading</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I cheated.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- heh</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Cute.</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- yes, I see that</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>har - "Pulptastico."</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>ha!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Originally? Political. </p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Sounds like a Mexican wrestler.</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Hey, is 'ass-kickin' one word or two? <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- I am Pulptastico the Magnificent! Fear me!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>Jon - yes and no, the war he was talking about was a</p><p>long term thing - the party thought it could wait to be dealt with later by</p><p>unforeseen means</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>"you will never remove my mask! NEVER!"</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- We have a few</p><p>traditions in this channel regarding interviews, certain questions I am</p><p>required to ask... So, do you like egg rolls?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>no.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Ehh. Not really.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>spring rolls</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Hell Yeah. Joe's Peking Duck House, baby.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>yup</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>if I’m famished</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>with hot mustard</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- right on diaglo!</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>I prefer pot-stickers</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Me too.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Mmm. Pot stickers.</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>speaking of which time for dinner</p><p></p><p><strong>nemmerle - </strong>later all!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Now I'm hungry!</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Mmm. Dim sum would be nice, right about now. </p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Thanks, everyone. This was fun!</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>it certainly was. good luck all</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>thanks gang</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Yes, thanks a lot!</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>Chicken balls and honey garlic chicken</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>yum!</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>thanks for coming guys </p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- heh, another</p><p>channel tradition: Can each of you write a haiku about, player death?</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>that’s 5 7 5 right?</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- yip</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Even Chris Pramas</p><p>had to do this</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- heh, I love this</p><p>gig.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>players die a lot / so they need to come prepared/ next</p><p>time they know</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>My Silly Bolo. Tastes good in Barbecue Sauce. Don't do</p><p>that Again.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Purple tentacles -- grab a hold of empty eyes -- opens</p><p>like an egg.</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Not a spoiler, honest.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>In Gulthias lair, an evil mummy slew me, I bled a whole lot</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I curse the red die / fate has kick'd me in the junk / a</p><p>one on my d20</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>o_o</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>darn - I think that last one was off</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- JonRog, make "d20" into "die"</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Shhh! Quiet, you fool. They're listening!</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- heh</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- or "save"</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I curse the red die / fate has kick'd me in the junk/ I</p><p>fail my save throw</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>hmmm</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I may be at this all night</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Let's see, one</p><p>more tradition, the Psionics question ... Do you guys use Psionics in your</p><p>campaign?</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- "I just failed my save"?</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />....I</p><p>assume a transcript will be made available later?</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>A spray of red life / Bursting from your plate armor /</p><p>Lost initiative</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- WizarDru, it sure</p><p>will!</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>nice!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Psionics is a major part of my campaign.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Psionics where it does</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>No...never have...never will</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>Yes, yes we do. But not often. It's good for confusing</p><p>the players.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>. . 't break the flavor of the game, yes.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- the bad</p><p>guys have yes. No PC's but that's just by happenstance</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>I may try the new Green Ronin feats skills Psi system.</p><p>much yummy</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>I'm looking forward to April and the new system</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- Me too, Zad.</p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Pimpin'! If you haven't read any of my SH's, but would</p><p>like to, start here:<a href="http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/show...&threadid=25093" target="_blank">http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/show...&threadid=25093</a></p><p></p><p><strong>contact - </strong>Thanks to everyone-- been fun.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Bye contact</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- Yes, thank you</p><p>all for coming, and remember this channel is always open! drop in any time!</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- One last thought: go read a story hour you've never looked</p><p>at before! And when you do, comment. The author will love you for it.</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>ciao</p><p></p><p><strong>thatdarncat - </strong>later contact </p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>What P-cat said!</p><p></p><p><strong>WizarDru - </strong>what pc said.</p><p></p><p><strong>jonrog1 - </strong>it has been, I need to go too -- talk to the grownups</p><p>about the show. take care all</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- seeya jonrog1</p><p></p><p><strong>Piratecat </strong>- thanks. bye!</p><p></p><p><strong>Zad - </strong>Thanks very much - was an honor to be invited - good night</p><p>all</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- thanks again</p><p></p><p><strong>diaglo - </strong>and I’m off also</p><p></p><p><strong>Harlock </strong><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />- So, we're about done question wise.</p><p></p><p>I'd just like to thank all the story</p><p>hour authors who graced us with their presence.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Plane Sailing, post: 1387387, member: 114"] Here is a formatted version of the log (I find the one above a little hard to read) Storyhour Authors Chat, Moderated by [b]Harlock [/b]. Enjoy! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- #dnd3e would like to welcome you all to the Story Hour chat. First of all, I want to let everyone know that this channel is always open, we'd love to see you here on "less formal" occasions as well. Now, if you have a question for the Story Hour Crew, please double click on Seri, thatdarncat, Kalanyr or Silvr_Dragon's name and ask your question. Your question will be passed to [b]Harlock [/b]:)who will ask the questions on your behalf. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Is that Old One? [b]Old - [/b]yeah...brb... [b]WizarDru - [/b]Is Ryan not here yet? [b]WizarDru - [/b]Oh, there he is. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Hi, Dustan. [b]Zad - [/b]Greetings Destan [b]Destan - [/b]'Hiya Senor Zad [b]WizarDru - [/b]Fashionably late, I see. :-) [b]OldOne - [/b]Back...Hey Destan! [b]nemmerle - [/b]old one! [b]Destan - [/b]Sorry - putting the last of the demons to bed. [b]Destan - [/b]hi oo [b]Destan - [/b]Hiya nemm. [b]nemmerle - [/b]hey Destan [b]Harlock [/b]:)- I want to thank all the Authors for being here. We've never had a chat with so many guests [b]OldOne - [/b]Demons...hehe... [b]diaglo - [/b]Hiya joeblank [b]jonrog1 - [/b]my pleasure. [b]thatdarncat - [/b]hey guys [b]thatdarncat - [/b]and they keep on coming! Hi SpyScribe! [b]jonrog1 - [/b]better than talking to agents *shudder* [b]Piratecat [/b]- Hi, SpyScribe! [b]SpyScribe - [/b]hi! [b]nemmerle - [/b]I love that there are so many story hours; I remember when mine was one of like 6 [b]C_Baize - [/b]No problem. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- So, I want to start with a basic question: Why did you folks decide to even start a Story Hour? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Hey, spy, got your email, thanks. I too weep at the passing of angel [b]Destan - [/b]After reading Piratecat's. [b]nemmerle - [/b]how do we decide who answers? [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]After reading Contacts [b]OldOne - [/b]Jealousy of Pkitty and Contact...! [b]Piratecat [/b]- For me, there wasn't a forum for it yet. I had a great game, and posted about it... and people wanted to know more. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]after reading Piratecat’s [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Yeah, who makes with the answering, yeah, yeah [b]WizarDru - [/b]A combination of Piratecat's and keeping an adventure log of our own. [b]Zad - [/b]When we started, 3e was new, and I had wanted to take notes to keep a record of the campaign. And people had started posting story hours so I took a shot at killing two birds with one stone. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Reading everyone else's and needing a birthday present for my DM. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I read about how PC's characters put a tape worm in another PC and I was like "that is too cool" [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Everybody answer, it's a free for all for anyone with + [b]Piratecat [/b]- That one great session is now lost, but people badgered me into writing more. Turned out it was fun. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]also, I wanted to write something that was MINE, not for pay or assignment. [b]contact - [/b]I was inspired by Eric Noah's campaign logs on his D&D site, and thought that my group would appreciate seeing "what happened" 10 yrs. from now. [b]C_Baize - [/b]For me, it was simply to share the kinds of adventures that my group has and loves. This is a good high action, high cinema game, and when it hits the action sequences, it's just going to rock. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]kind of crucial to keep the juices flowing that way [b]nemmerle - [/b]but I used to keep a log of previous campaigns in my now defunct Aquerra newsletter, Thoth's Libram [b]diaglo - [/b]I’ve been keeping a player journal for the last 25 years [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I wanted to start writing after a DM wrote up a campaign I played in. I wanted to try that, and went through several thousand words of horrible writing before anyone started reading me. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]25 years, pfew! [b]contact - [/b]Damn, Diaglo. That's old skewl. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Plus, I read OldDrewId's story hour, and was HOOKED. [b]OldOne - [/b]Wow...diaglo... [b]Piratecat [/b]- Interestingly enough, it was the story hour forum that made me an admin. Eric did it one day as a joke, and never changed it back. [b]diaglo - [/b]I have a lousy memory [b]nemmerle - [/b]and it was all down hill from there, PC [b]Piratecat [/b]- diaglo, that's just too cool. [b]WizarDru - [/b]I thought you came out of the womb as an admin. Morrus - Yeah, I keep forgetting to change that back. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]25 years? bloody.. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Heh, I suppose you've earned that Mod status in spades now, p-kitty [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I looooove the P-Kitty. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]man, 25 years, you must have started with 1st edition or something. [b]OldDrewId - [/b]C_Baize...it’s a chain, I was inspired by jonrog [b]nemmerle - [/b]stop drooling, tom ;-) [b]Harlock [/b]:)- So, how DO you guys record everything? Notes? Tape recorders? Web Cams? [b]contact - [/b]I keep notes. [b]JollyDoc - [/b]I use hand written notes as I play [b]C_Baize - [/b]Notes. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]I take notes too. [b]Zad - [/b]I keep a laptop at the table - I need it to run my character plus I take brief notes. They're not overly detailed and mostly just to stimulate my memory when I go to write. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I have one player who keeps a "combat log" and one who keeps a "quote log" and I keep a calendar with major events [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Nicely enough, one of the things you pick up as a standup is almost perfect aural memory. you remember good lines form stage, and the skill carries over [b]diaglo - [/b]notes, in a pad with date of session [b]Piratecat [/b]- I used to rely on memory. For six months we've been using a tape recorder. [b]C_Baize - [/b]My wife takes notes as we play. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I went by memory, and did a pooooooor job of it. Players would constantly correct me. "Dartan didn't kill the lich, I did!" etc... [b]jonrog1 - [/b]and my players make a point of reminding me when they did something cool. take a few notes when necessary [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I only jotted down great quotes. [b]OldDrewId - [/b]I started from memory. now we tape each session. pierceatwork transcribes them. [b]OldOne - [/b]I bribe my players to send me write-ups with XP...that and my increasingly bad memory... [b]Piratecat [/b]- I find the note-taking player spends more time writing than roleplaying, so we delegated the duty to a piece of machinery. [b]contact - [/b]I want the tape recorder-- but a hidden one a la LBJ or Nixon. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]notes and a good memory... plus sometimes "somebody" says or does something so stupid, you can't forget. No matter how hard you try... [b]OldOne - [/b]Like pecks, Wulf? [b]Piratecat [/b]- So true. I'm guilty of that, Wulf. [b]diaglo - [/b]yeah, memorable dialog is recorded [b]nemmerle - [/b]we have a standing rule - game before notes [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]I'm not namin' names. [b]Piratecat [/b]- But tape recorders are great for capturing confusing battles. [b]nemmerle - [/b]if the notes are getting in the way, the yare put aside temporarily [b]Piratecat [/b]- (great) [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Here's our first submitted question: gfunk - Here's my question: Which character in your Story Hour is your favorite? [b]WizarDru - [/b]I use DM Genie to keep a log of a particularly important battle. [b]Zad - [/b]We rarely have a problem with game-before-notes - I just make WizarDru stop and repeat himself as needed [b]Destan - [/b]The dead ones. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Heh [b]WizarDru - [/b]hah! [b]nemmerle - [/b]well, I can't pick a PC [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Sir Vek Mormont, lich in Wee Jas' service. Just a great character that I loved (after hating for months) [b]JollyDoc - [/b]I like any that the players put the most effort in to roleplay [b]nemmerle - [/b]so I’ll pick and NPC [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Good rule nem. Although it means the talk-heavy session in our game get few notes taken, and those and the ones I need them for. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Quite honestly, since Zad writes most of the player material, my favorite viewpoint character is Meepo. Honest. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]gotta be Jo from Dark*Matter. She's so hard done by. Although our new player in Scarred Lands, playing Nod the Barbarian, is pretty spiffy [b]Piratecat [/b]- I find that I "know" the older characters better than the more recent ones. As a result, I find it easier to provide internal dialog for the older PCs. I'm getting better at it, though. [b]contact - [/b]I likeses Lucius. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]me too [b]contact - [/b]. . . the besteses [b]OldOne - [/b]Actually, one of my favorites, Garrick the Halfling, died early in the story... [b]Piratecat [/b]- Also, ever since Plane Sailing provided a personality, I love our depressed svirfneblin Priggle. [b]Zad - [/b]Hm. I can't answer that one easily since I'm one of the few PC authors rather than a DM author. They've all developed nicely over time and each quite deep in their own right. [b]contact - [/b]Wulf, he's taking over in the LoT. Runnin' thangs. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I would say Richard the Red, he is so much fun to write dialogue for and he always shows up when you least expect him [b]OldDrewId - [/b]my fav to write about is Joe Empire, but I don't like to write from his POV. much more entertaining if you do not know what is going on in his head [b]OldOne - [/b]Yeah for Lucius! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- EricNoah - do you ever just "make stuff up" instead of writing what actually happened? and a related question: how the heck do you remember all of the details? -- He submitted these a while ago; I suppose the last is already answered. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I gotta say though, Wulf really grabbed me, and inspired me to play a dwarf in my campaign [b]SpyScribe - [/b]I'm partial to Lira since she's mine, but a character like Anvil writes himself. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Hmm... I think GSGT Jackson is probably my favorite, so far, but another is really coming up with great potential. [b]thatdarncat - [/b]Lucius rocks:) I just reread the section of LoT around where they got him back [b]Piratecat [/b]- Wulf grabbed me, too. Hard. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]har [b]nemmerle - [/b]though I do a lot with minor characters too [b]nemmerle - [/b]that I like [b]WizarDru - [/b]Baden from Destan's story just rawks. [b]Zad - [/b]Yes I occasionally take liberties with the truth. Sometimes it's to add flavor or play something we didn't deal with on camera. Other times I re-arrange things for dramatic effect. * Seri pouncer tackles huggles Mark_CMG ,meow! [b]nemmerle - [/b]like Finn Fisher and Crew (another "small time" adventuring group) [b]Destan - [/b]I'm guilty of making quite a bit up - I'm recording sessions that took place about 2 1/2 years ago. The big stuff is all exact, but the quotes and flavor are sometimes fabricated. Sorry. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I made stuff up all the time. I was kinda famous for adding gravity or details to situations that were pretty simple. If I felt the story could use it for drama's sake, I did it. I'm kinda a whore like that. [b]Piratecat [/b]- I seldom make stuff up. Usually no more than dialog lines here and there because I've forgotten the proginal wording. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- C_Baize, I like Jackson too, but I think the drown has mass potential [b]C_Baize - [/b]Sure... some of the stuff is made up, especially with the game background, that wasn't played. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]reply Eric - -- no, sometimes fill in an attitude or a double-take, but if the characters are well-established, no need to make stuff up. I'm lucky though, got writers for players [b]WizarDru - [/b]We call some of these things 'torch issues' in honor of Wulf's Story hour. Handwavers that aren't interesting to read or play out. [b]diaglo - [/b]I make stuff up. but try and get the others to fill in my gaps [b]OldOne - [/b]For Eric...I do take some creative liberties from time to time, but really try to stay true to the action...I mostly make up Interlude items....thing that happen outside of PC sight... [b]contact - [/b]Re: make stuff up? No, I'm interested in keeping a record of a game, more than a "story." [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Cool, contact [b]Zad - [/b]WizarDru also gives me some liberties with what happened:) Some days it's like role-playing with yourself. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I make up the details of dialogue [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I wanted a story more than a game, myself [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I will edit occasionally, long conversations or interrogations [b]nemmerle - [/b]but always based on stuff that I *know* was said [b]JollyDoc - [/b]I will embellish the actual story, but never actually invent things [b]nemmerle - [/b]I make nothing up whole-cloth [b]C_Baize - [/b]Right... Jackson has a lot of good lines, and good shots... But Mitch took a recent turn in game that is really chock full of potential. [b]OldDrewId - [/b]I combine multiple scenes into one scene sometimes, stuff like that, but 98% is straight from the table [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]We all want our games to be a story, don't we [b]Piratecat [/b]- I wanted more of a game that a story. It's evolved a bit, though. [b]Piratecat [/b]- (that = than) [b]Harlock [/b]:)- .[b]Seri - [/b]can we do a quick intro for each one? which is there story hour, how long they've played, how long the story hours been going for etc? I'll go down the list.. C_Baize, you're up first [b]Destan - [/b](strike two, PC) [b]WizarDru - [/b]My favorite quote is from Piratecat: "We're all just rolling dice, here." [b]jonrog1 - [/b]well I think Pkitty walks that line well. [b]contact - [/b]Wulf, sort of-- I want them to be fun. Sometimes more story = more fun, sometimes you just need more bad guys. [b]diaglo - [/b]it is easier to understand and remember in story form [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]more dead bad guys [b]C_Baize - [/b]My story hour is Americanarchy. We've been gaming this one for about 3 months. And it's getting grittier, and grittier, in game... [b]C_Baize - [/b]Some of the characters are taking serious hits, that change them. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- contact? [b]nemmerle - [/b]my group always lets the bad guys go free ;-) [b]C_Baize - [/b]Done. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Ah, remind me to ask about that later, Hildy. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Will do. [b]contact - [/b]Um. Yeah. I started with the ToEE2, about 6 mo. before 3e, [b]Piratecat [/b]posted it in a serial format, what . . .early 2001-ish? [b]contact - [/b]The ToEE2 progressed to the Liberation of Tenh, and is still running. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I love me that game : piles of dead *good* guys [b]Destan - [/b]for [b]Seri - [/b]My story hour is Sins of Our Fathers, played this campaign about three years, story hours been going 8 months. [b]contact - [/b]I also post the Risen Goddess, which is a little more heavy than the LoT, but also features more d*ck jokes, and lesbians. [b]contact - [/b]And more dead bad guys. [b]contact - [/b]Lots more dead bad guys. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Heh [b]DrMidnight - [/b]d*ck? What is d*ck? [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]quack [b]C_Baize - [/b]Cards... [b]contact - [/b]Ask your mama. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]...oh, gross! grow up. I get it now. [b]C_Baize - [/b]A deck of cards. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- same rules apply in channel as on the boards [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I get your filthy little censorship game. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- [b]thatdarncat - [/b]ToEE2 is a classic - one game I go to when I want justification to kill lots of PCs *grins evilly at seri* [b]contact - [/b] [b]contact - [/b]ToEE2 was *brutal*-- I played 8 characters in that game. [b]contact - [/b]. . . one at a time. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- diaglo, same question [b]diaglo - [/b]I bounced around...another story...and then Olgar took over. we were at it for 16 months [b]diaglo - [/b]I started writing from session 1 [b]diaglo - [/b]I like the computer much better than my old hand scrawled notes. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- DrMidnight, yourself? [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I've lost track of the question. This page scrolls so quickly. Please forgive my errant attention span. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- .[b]Seri - [/b]can we do a quick intro for each one? which is there story hour, how long they've played, how long the story hours been going for etc? I'll go down the list. [b]contact - [/b]Break down your SH Doc. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- that's the question [b]nemmerle - [/b]I think tom is spliffed ;-) [b]contact - [/b]Is he awake? [b]DrMidnight - [/b]my story hour is (was) the adventures of the knights of the silver quill/ spellforge keep. [b]DrMidnight - [/b](not tonight Nemm) [b]Piratecat [/b]- Next? [b]Harlock [/b]:)- JollyDoc? [b]DrMidnight - [/b]It ended in spring of last year. I ran it for about a year and a half, from 1st to 20th level. [b]JollyDoc - [/b]I write JollyDoc's Shackled City. This started as an offshoot of Gfunk's City of the Spider Queen/Bastion of Broken Souls SH [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Cool [b]JollyDoc - [/b]I've been running this particular game since about mid summer [b]JollyDoc - [/b]Gfunk was my inspiration [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Shackled City, is that the Dungeon Adventure Path? [b]JollyDoc - [/b]Yes, it is [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Cool [b]Harlock [/b]:)- jonrog1? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]for [b]Seri - [/b]story hours Dark*Matter: Drunk Southern Girls..., Pulp Spycraft, and SL: None dare call them heroes, scarred lands been going for close to a year, been gaming for three or so again. DarkMatter's been running off and on for that amount of time. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Cool [b]Harlock [/b]:)- KidCharlemagne? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]The Scarred Lands campaign is actually the only regular current game we maintain [b]Harlock [/b]:)- cool, jonrog1, I dm sl too. [b]OldOne - Seri - [/b]Against the Shadows - A Faded Glory Story Hour (SH #10 or so), game started in May 2001 and posting started shortly thereafter...I am up to Faded Glory VII on the current EN Boards incarnation...it has been mostly PG-13 up to this point, but is about to take a swerve into R-rated for extreme (and icky) violence - PCs are mostly 6th/7th level now... [b]nemmerle - [/b]Did I get skipped? [b]Harlock [/b]:)- .[b]Seri - [/b]can we do a quick intro for each one? which is there story hour, how long they've played, how long the story hours been going for etc? KidCharlemagne? [b]Harlock [/b]:)- not yet, nemmerle [b]OldOne - [/b]No...I butted in line ! [b]thatdarncat - [/b]You're up next Nemm [b]nemmerle - [/b]Old one confused me [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Hey, I got added to the guest list! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- yes, you did [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]For length of game, and story hour, the game started in 1994, and the story hour many years later, in 2000 [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I had no idea I was on a guest list until ten minutes into this thing. I'm starting to think Nemm's right, and somehow, I AM spliffed. [b]Piratecat [/b]- (To minimize the wait, make sure you have your answer ready to go.:) ) [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]For the first half of my story hour, I was doing lots of rehashing of things with my players to remember the sequence of events [b]Harlock [/b]:)- .[b]Seri - [/b]OldOne: are those 6-7 lvl PCs the same you started with at lvl1 3 years ago? [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]And I've been playing since 1979, so almost as long as Diaglo' [b]C_Baize - [/b]There's a guest list? [b]Piratecat [/b]- While Nemm is typing, I'll jump in. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Mine is Piratecat's Story Hour. The campaign is 12 years old (same characters), and the story hour was one of the first ones posted... maybe three years ago when I started writing. The SH has gone through two major adventuring locations (city and Underdark), and will soon move on to a third (planar.) High lvl PCs, fun players, and no immediate end in sight. [b]nemmerle - [/b]My SH is "Out of the Frying Pan" - this Saturday's session is our 3 year anniversary. I’ve been writing the SH since the first session and it is set in my own setting, Aquerra [b]Harlock [/b]:)- .[b]Seri - [/b]can we do a quick intro for each one? which is there storyhour, how long they've played, how long the storyhours been going for etc? nemmerle, you're up. [b]nemmerle - [/b]no one said my name! [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Apparently all those other poor people on the list aren't on the GUEST list! Ha, foosh on you! Foosh on you all! [b]nemmerle - [/b]I was waiting and ready and wondering what the heck was goin' on :-) [b]nemmerle - [/b]I already went [b]Harlock [/b]:)- SpyScribe? [b]SpyScribe - [/b]I write "Welcome to the Halmae" (with ample input from Fajitas). The game has been going for about two and half years and the story hour turns one year old next week. [b]OldDrewId - Seri - [/b]My storyhour is Medallions d20 Modern. We've been doing that one since last spring. My crew has been gaming together weekly for just under 4 years now. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Ah, happy anniversary [b]Piratecat [/b]- Fajitas is an expatriate player of mine. I want him back! [b]WizarDru - [/b]I'll let Zad describe our Story Hour. I write intermissions and lots of reference material for our story hour, while Zad is the chief author. It takes place in real time, that is game on Friday, Story on Monday, most weeks. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Sorry, you can't have him! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Wulf_Ratbane? [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]I started my SH after joining a group of complete strangers, looking for my first 3e experience. We did the adventure path, took about a year to do it, and advanced at precisely the WOTC indicated rate. We finished at 20th level with Bastion of Broken Souls-- though many (including myself) would say the Story Hour hit its peak at The Standing Stone. If you've read the SH, you know why... [b]WizarDru - [/b]peck! [b]Piratecat [/b]- Heward's Handy Body bag.... [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Heh [b]nemmerle - [/b]I still have never read it [b]Piratecat [/b]- It's great. [b]OldOne - Seri - [/b]For the most part...five originals PCs...two died in Session 2...one PC got possessed around level 5 (player left)and two new players have joined the game. Two of the original PCs are left...it seems like very slow advancement, but we are only on Session 29 or 30...since we only play 1x per month... [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I was rather fond of Wulf whacking the girl in the beret [b]Harlock [/b]:)- and finally, Zad [b]Zad - [/b]I write WizarDru's story hour (at the time, all the story hours were named for the DM so I followed suit) We've been playing since the start of 3e when we all got back into D&D to give 3e a try. The characters began at first level and are now around 23rd into epic levels. Like the characters, the story has evolved a lot over the past years and I just try to do justice to the great story arcs of the DM and the depth of the characters [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]I’m whacking the girl in the beret right now, iykwimaityd [b]Piratecat [/b]- Is that everyone? [b]nemmerle - [/b]Wulf is a bad bad boy [b]WizarDru - [/b]what, are you channeling Hong? [b]Harlock [/b]:)- it is [b]thatdarncat - [/b]I think that is [b]Harlock [/b]:)- SiderealKnight - Question: Has the existence of a written version had an effect on the course of your game? free for all [b]nemmerle - [/b]speaking of slow progression: my game 3 years = 8th level [b]WizarDru - [/b]It’s kept my plots honest, especially 3 years down the line. [b]contact - [/b]Yes-- my players can freaking remember plot points when they care to now. [b]Zad - [/b]There is the odd occasion where someone says "Well we can't do *that* - it won't look good in the story hour. Otherwise not really I don't think. [b]diaglo - [/b]yeah, many of the players are regulars here on ENW [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]On the contrary, I think many DMs might be tempted to fudge for a character that is a fan favorite [b]Piratecat [/b]- Hmm. Good question. It's made us more organized about what goes on, and thinking about the story hour has probably made me a sneakier DM. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Hah! We'll be lucky to make 6th by our 3 year mark. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]No, not at all. Heck. MORALITY doesn't affect their play [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Yes. My players often chided me or outright complained that I was holding the story in higher regard than the actual game, which was a fair assessment. I'm a jerk. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]There was some concern amongst my players that it would once I caught up to real time, but as it turned out, we pretty much ignore the story hour implications [b]nemmerle - [/b]No it has not [b]thatdarncat - [/b]And we do take questions about plot! [b]Piratecat [/b]- Contact is right; it's easier to look up major plot points! [b]nemmerle - [/b]except that sometimes after something "cool" happens afterwards we'll say - that's gonna be so great in the story hour [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]pogre's story hour is a great exception-- two TPKs and counting! [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Although they always knew they were gonna see a quote in the SH when I started furiously scribbling notes in my notebook [b]nemmerle - [/b]but don't think any choices are altered b/c of it [b]OldDrewId - [/b]SiderealKnight -yes. I think it sometimes keeps the players in character more, for good or bad. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Yes. Some of the players are finding out things retroactively... I'm much more in detail in the story hour background than I was for them.. they got the basics, and are enjoying the details quite a lot. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]continuity be damned! [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Direct quote, "Given that this game will someday be recorded on the internet, we will say that nothing untoward happens between the satyr and the 14-year-old!" [b]thatdarncat - [/b]Do people find that having a storyhour gets them lots of advice? [b]OldOne - [/b]SK - It has enhanced the game...it forces me to be consistent with plot and also helps remind PCs about plot points they tend to overlook or forget [b]C_Baize - [/b]tdc not me... [b]Destan - [/b]Sid - Yes, very much so. I've had to introduce backgrounds to characters in the SH and their respective players have grabbed them and ran with them. I'm also able to make my "bad guys" seem more deadly than they did during the game. Sometimes encounters end rather quick (one bad save, for example), and my whole crescendo just pitters out. Not so in the SH, when I can control the flow better. [b]C_Baize - [/b]I feel left out... [b]nemmerle - [/b]advice? [b]JollyDoc - [/b]We have actually had some lively rules discussions on my SH based on game outcomes [b]nemmerle - [/b]what kind of advice? [b]contact - [/b]My readers are better DMs than I am . . . no question. They have *tormented* my players. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]My gang loves deep background stuff anyway, there's probably more in-0game than in the story hour [b]thatdarncat - [/b]nem - RatBastard tactics, plot ideas etc [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I haven't gotten a whole lot of advice from the SH, I'm afraid [b]contact - [/b]Rising from your SH thread, I assume. [b]WizarDru - [/b]I have actively solicited many suggestions for the game, which has improved the game several times, in my opinion. It's nice to have someone to offer suggestions or guess at plots behind my players’ backs. [b]nemmerle - [/b]no [b]Zad - [/b]Yeah [b]Piratecat [/b]has had a bad influence on WizarDru, that's for sure [b]Piratecat [/b]- I've gotten some fantastic advice: on prestige classes, on setups, but mostly for monsters and locations in our current Underdark adventure. [b]WizarDru - [/b]hey! [b]nemmerle - [/b]my readership seems very "rules light" [b]diaglo - [/b]I drop as many RatBastard ideas as I can...but my DM has his own [b]jonrog1 - [/b]well, Pkitty and I have traded tactics -- although I'm afraid my group would be a fine red mist in his game in about three seconds [b]WizarDru - [/b]Use a template once in a while.... :-) [b]contact - [/b]Mmm. Red mist. [b]Piratecat [/b]- I've sooo stolen from JonRog. [b]nemmerle - [/b]and they rarely seem to offer suggestions, but will occasionally chide players for choices they've made [b]nemmerle - [/b]like resurrecting Jeremy ;-) [b]WizarDru - [/b]Well, I've sooo stolen from you, so there you are. [b]contact - [/b]I steal bad guys from Piratecat's game, too. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I mostly get a lot of "Poor Jo, why do you do that to her?" [b]contact - [/b]I mean to return them, but . . . [b]nemmerle - [/b]I steal stuff from everyone [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I prefer red paste, mixed with coarse red chunks. [b]nemmerle - [/b]esp. Sagiro [b]WizarDru - [/b]We took a lot of flak for our opinions on at least one module. [b]thatdarncat - [/b]I'm sure the defenders don't mind Contact! [b]nemmerle - [/b]Sagiro is the man [b]Harlock [/b]:)- So, here's one that I figure is on a lot of folks minds: I am afraid to write a Story Hour... it seems daunting and all those people will read it and critique it... Why should I write a Story Hour? [b]Piratecat [/b]- Heh. We're inbred. Actually, that's why I started posting my story hour - to share ideas with other folks. If people steal from it, I'm doing something right. [b]nemmerle - [/b]no offense to anyone else here ;-) [b]JollyDoc - [/b]A few of our more notorious PC's have been used by readers in their campaigns...i.e. Entropy the Damned [b]C_Baize - [/b]Because if you don't, we'll hunt you down, and give you atomic wedgies? [b]diaglo - [/b]write it for fun. not readership [b]contact - [/b]You should write a story hour because ten years from now, you will be fired up to re-read it when you are cleaning out the attic. [b]OldDrewId - [/b]ditto what P-kitty said. I've sooo stolen from JonRog too :-) There is one episode in particular that I started based on the idea, "Well if jonrog can do *that*, then I take it as a personal challenge to see if I can pull off *this*" [b]nemmerle - [/b]word up, contact [b]nemmerle - [/b]what he said, except twice and more emphatically [b]Zad - [/b]Write one because you *want* to. Nothing else will motivate you over the long term. Don't do it for praise, or for feedback or any of that. Delight in it for it's own sake. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]reply [b]Harlock [/b]:)- The only way to become a writer is write. period. try it. you will suck, and then, after a few months, stop sucking somewhat as much. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Write a Story Hour to see if you can write consistently over time. Write a SH for a record of your game. DON'T write expecting mass adulation, certainly not right away [b]C_Baize - [/b]I like the story hour for watching the way the game progresses and evolves. [b]OldOne - [/b]I get great ideas from reading other SHs...not necessarily to steal things...but just to get the brain juices pumping... [b]Destan - Harlock [/b]:)- The daunting part is not if readers read it, but if they don't. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Although, feedback is also nice... [b]Zad - [/b]amen Jon [b]WizarDru - [/b]Because if you don't, we'd never get folks like Destan writing. Further, a good story is a good story. It's not a contest. You can never have too many good stories. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Write a story hour because it's fun, for your players. There's no point in being nervous about it, though; JonRog excepted, we're all kind of feeling our way in the dark. [b]JollyDoc - [/b]I began writing for my own interest, and to help me keep track of my game...not for readership, but my game and my SH has benefited from the readers [b]jonrog1 - Harlock [/b]:)cont'd - and if you keep at it, then the few humans you have reading will please you [b]DrMidnight - [/b]It is daunting. It's really daunting. People criticized my rules knowledge all the time, which is perfectly just, because my rules knowledge isn't worth d*ck. Otherwise, I feel people respond nicely to writing, no matter how bad you may be. Readers respect consistency and fun. All else is frosting. [b]C_Baize - [/b]I'll tell you... I was kind of dreading the first few comments on my story hour... I figured people would just THRASH it... [b]nemmerle - [/b]you know what's nice? [b]contact - [/b]No, what? [b]C_Baize - [/b]Then I got comments by some of OldDrewId's players, and thought that was just really cool. [b]nemmerle - [/b]meeting someone in real life for the first time and having them ask *you* about your campaign b/c they are familiar with it [b]Piratecat [/b]- I've seen very little ugly criticism. I think that's really cool. [b]Destan - [/b]That's cusp you write a good yarn. [b]Zad - [/b]Well if nobody has trashed *my* writing then I think we're fairly safe from that P-cat [b]WizarDru - [/b]Different story hours work in different ways. contacts is a good 'discuss over beer' story, as is PCs, while Sepulchrave's and Destan’s are like reading novels. Wulf's is something you print out and read on the train...or the toilet. :-) [b]Piratecat [/b]- Here's one reason to write: [b]diaglo - [/b]I’ve had players contact me to join cusp they read our story hour [b]OldDrewId - C_Baize - [/b]we comment because we are impressed :-) [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I've had that too, Diaglo [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I had that! I had someone I'd never met come up to me at GenCon and ask if I was Doc Midnight. I was then asked about the story and group. That was nice. [b]Piratecat [/b]- One of my players was in California for a con, and the guys at the next table were discussing his character in my game. How cool is that? [b]Zad - [/b]That's pretty cool [b]OldDrewId - [/b]hehe [b]Destan - [/b]That is. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- that rocks, actually [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Fajitas loves to tell that story. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- New Question Olgar - Best single moment/episode from a story hour? [b]Zad - [/b]I'd be blown away if that happened to me. [b]SpyScribe - [/b](although it wasn't him) [b]OldOne - [/b]My biggest charge came when Rel asked if he could borrow my homebrew for his own campaign...truly an honor...and I have been fascinated with how he has used it (plus, I got to meet him in person...great gaming group) [b]jonrog1 - [/b]that is fun [b]thatdarncat - Piratecat [/b]- which character? [b]Piratecat [/b]- raevynn, tdc. [b]thatdarncat - [/b]coo [b]C_Baize - [/b]Olgar - From my own storyhour, I think it was when GSGT Jackson shot that Hook Horror through the eye... [b]diaglo - [/b]for our story hour....it was my character, Bartol's near death at the hands of an Ogre [b]Piratecat [/b]- For me, it might be the trillith fight, early on. It was where I finally found my rhythm as a writer. [b]contact - [/b]Best single moment is the aside in the ToEE2 when Zinvellon asks, "Why are you doing this," and the whole back-plot becomes clear. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Tough call...but I'd say the rescue of The Gilden was one of the greatest moments. [b]OldDrewId - [/b]Olgar -When Taylor got shot in Episode I [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Olgar - either the zombie slime pit, Andy vs. ET ... [b]C_Baize - [/b]It was sort of a tense moment, I think. [b]JollyDoc - [/b]Best single moment? When the 'lowly' characters, i.e. Wathros the druid, Tilly the thief, and Rusty the cleric saved the heavy hitters, and the campaign, from a glabrezu [b]contact - [/b]Or, when the elf gets reincarnated as a Halfling, and comes to understand the *full* implications. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I try to leave off my installments as cliff-hangers - so there are a lot of moments that come to mind [b]jonrog1 - [/b]or ALL of the pulp Spycraft. god, that was fun. [b]WizarDru - [/b]It certainly was one of the greatest gaming moments, that's for sure. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Yeah, OldDrewId, I actually felt bad for Taylor... [b]DrMidnight - [/b]My favorite moment from the campaign would PROBABLY be when Sir Vek Mormont went to Wee Jas as a god and defied her, and learned he was tricked by her, then kissed, then killed. ...it reads better than that. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]For us, definitely the fire at the Mage's academy. [b]Zad - [/b]One moment I liked lately was when I was actually writing a sidebar previewing an upcoming story and in that moment when the party was about to arrive and destroy an entire githyanki invasion force, everything just came together and it painted a great picture. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I think when the half-demon gnome ripped off the party's good friend and companions' head off, scooped out his brain and ate it [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Still, t'was gooood. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]I honestly don't have a favorite moment... I am ashamed to admit, but my whole story hour keeps me laughing... at my own stupid writing... almost the whole way through. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Heh [b]Piratecat [/b]- Wulf, definitely the peck or the sap against the beret. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Wulf, the commentary is what makes your story our so great. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]I just loved writing as "Wulf," fun to be in character (cause I am never in character like that in game) [b]OldOne - [/b]Olgar - Probably early on when the PCs got chased into an abandoned legion hill fort by a howling barbarian horde and had the fight of their young PC lives (around level 3/4 IIRC)...one of my players is lurking...what is your fav, Tortoise? [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Olgar - tough question - I really like the ending of Part I of my SH, it had a big finish (a big battle with several Drow Vampires and a Shadow Dragon), a totally appropriate PC death, and a nice, emotional epilogue... [b]diaglo - [/b]Olgar - there are other memorable moments too... when angelsboi left the group... and biorph's character screwed him [b]nemmerle - [/b]Or a crazy five way fight that included 2/3rds of the party chained to the back of a wagon [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Do you find that your players get too much background information from your Story Hours? [b]contact - [/b]No such thing. [b]diaglo - [/b]no such thing [b]Zad - [/b]Since I'm a player-author, that's rarely a problem [b]C_Baize - Harlock [/b]:). No. I like them to know everything that has gone before [b]Piratecat [/b]- no such thing [b]JollyDoc - [/b]In Gfunk's SH, the whole arc with Entropy corrupting Noir, a paladin of the Red Knight, and turning her into a Blackguard was cool [b]C_Baize - [/b]. [b]jonrog1 - Harlock [/b]:)- no, because I write the SH like a screenplay -- the audience gets the information at the same rate as the characters. [b]nemmerle - [/b]nope [b]OldOne - [/b]The SH is so far behind the actual action that it isn't really a problem... [b]contact - [/b]They kill my NPCs to quickly--if it wasn't for the SH they'd never know how lovingly crafted the speed-bumps were! [b]DrMidnight - [/b]No... only one of my players read my story hour, I think. The others popped in periodically. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]I am a player, so obviously, I can't write what I don't know. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I wish the read it closely and got even more [b]Piratecat [/b]- Background information helps them buy into the world. They can keep non-player info separate. [b]KidCharlemagne - Harlock [/b]:)-I never wrote anything that the players wouldn't or couldn't know - unlike Speulchrave, for example [b]WizarDru - [/b]I try to use the story hour for teasers to the players. And lately I seem to have taken a turn into always writing horror-style previews. [b]JollyDoc - [/b]Followed by Entropy destroying Irae Tsarren, and assuming her position as Kiaransalee's Chosen [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Yeah, teasing the players is a great way to use the story hour as a game tool. [b]contact - [/b]I like that aspect of Sep's SH, but like KidC, I *rarely* write "away" from the PCs. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I'm nowhere near caught-up enough to use my SH to tease them [b]contact - [/b]Write more, Jon. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]yeah. thanks :P\ [b]WizarDru - [/b]Hah. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- jonrog1, tdc keeps asking what you wrote for. I know Jackie Chan adventures was your thing, and you're doing the Catwoman movie, right? He's asking what comic you wrote for... [b]contact - [/b]Write faster, Cody wants a pony! * thatdarncat blinks * thatdarncat falls over * thatdarncat worships [b]thatdarncat - [/b]Jackie Chan Adventures?!?! [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]the core [b]jonrog1 - [/b]started writing for Cosby on CBS, created Jackie Chan adventures, was one of 75 guys on Catwoman, about 14 other films including Rush Hour 2 and Count of Monte Cristo [b]Seri - [/b]thanks...now tdc is broken [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Heh * thatdarncat twitches [b]jonrog1 - [/b]the core, just adapted killing floor for new line, and now doing a pilot for global frequency for the WB network [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Here's one for everyone - +Silvr_Dragon - Do you ever think the story hour might be more trouble than it's worth? [b]Piratecat [/b]- You need to update your imdb history. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Oh great, you've broken tdc. [b]Destan - [/b]Silvr - Yes, I do. [b]thatdarncat - [/b]Global Frequency? * thatdarncat twitches again [b]contact - [/b]More trouble? No way. [b]OldDrewId - [/b]PCat - so I’m not the only one that immediately hit IMDB on that note... [b]WizarDru - [/b]Never. It's a great archive for my players and I, as well as a fun story to share. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Warrw nEllis' comic. it rocks. I'm such a geek [b]diaglo - [/b]trouble? never. I need it to remember [b]Destan - [/b]jonrog - Count o' Monte Cristo? Really liked that. Never knew. Cool. [b]Piratecat [/b]- For me, no. Not a chance. It takes quite a while to write - I spend as much time writing as I do gaming - but I have a lot of fun with it, and writing it gives me lots of really good ideas for future adventures. [b]nemmerle - [/b]when I feel that way it is b/c I just don't feel like writing so I don't - and then after a break it always comes back [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I sometimes thought that. That's why I don't do the story hour thing that often anymore. My recent tries have ended in HORRIBLE FAIL-YAH. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Only trouble in terms of time - I burned out a bit about a year ago, and haven't gotten back on the horse yet [b]Zad - [/b]Silvr_Dragon - Not really. It's a lot of work, and in some ways I doubt anyone who hasn't written it realizes how much work goes into it. But it's always a great review in my mind, and I love having a written record I can go back to. Especially when it means I remember plot elements better than the DM [b]jonrog1 - [/b]trouble? no, just a mild guilt when I don't update. But seeing as I'm late turning in writing they PAY me for, I'm okay with it [b]OldOne - [/b]Silvr Dragon - I have gone through several dry spells where RL or mini-burnout have made updates few and far between...but then I am a very busy boy ! [b]C_Baize - [/b]I don't really believe it's more trouble... I like doing it, though I wish I could write faster. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]What else would I do while underemployed? And I'd hate to forget this stuff if it didn't get written down. [b]Destan - [/b]Silvr - Looks like I'm in the minority. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Zad, don't you often struggle with perspective? As a player-author, you've got a greater challenge, in some ways, especially with perspective. [b]Piratecat [/b]- I write in surges; a lot one week, nothing the next. [b]nemmerle - [/b]word [b]Harlock [/b]:)- ascendance - Question for jonrog1: Robin Laws once told me that you need to be in a completely different headspaces for writing gaming stuff compared to writing comic stuff. Do you find that to be the case? Writing gaming stuff compared to writing fiction, basically. [b]Zad - [/b]I constantly struggle with perspective [b]contact - [/b]Seriously, for me it is a lot of fun. Different than the game, but equally as enjoyable. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]well, yes, because in gaming you're creating a situation enabling others to create the text... [b]jonrog1 - [/b]in fiction, you’re creating situation AND reaction. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]have to do my best not to force the PG's toward the story path I find satisfying as a writer [b]jonrog1 - [/b]luckily, my group perversely breaks every plan and narrative. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I always did that. Ahem. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- I think a lot of DMs deal with that [b]Harlock [/b]:)- +Silvr_Dragon - Do you ever steal from other story hours? Be honest now. [b]nemmerle - [/b]Yes. [b]Piratecat [/b]- God, yes. That's why I read them. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I have taken stuff from Sagiro [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Oh heck yeah [b]contact - [/b]How many of us find that the PCs come up with better story paths than the ones we dreamt up? I know mine do. [b]Destan - [/b]amen, contact [b]Piratecat [/b]- Mine too. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Hell, yes. My players still have a grudge against PC for introducing me to the excessive and foul use of templates. [b]diaglo - [/b]don't know. maybe the DM does. but I’m not sure [b]OldOne - [/b]Steal? Me? Um...err...oh hell yeah! [b]Zad - [/b]Silvr_Dragon - I'm a PC so no. My DM does though, hell yes. As a defense mechanism, I read them to be prepared [b]Piratecat [/b]- Hee hee. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]I know Fajitas has stolen from Sagiro. Thank you _so much_ btw. [b]nemmerle - [/b]and to some extent P.Kitty - except I can't remember what is Rat Bastard forum stuff he suggested or stuff I grabbed from SH [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I never stole from another story hour. I stole from comics and movies now and then, sometimes from George Martin, but never other story hours. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I don't steal templates, as I’m a very rules-lite DM. Do take narrative ideas though, and characters [b]C_Baize - [/b]I haven't stolen from any story hours, I was inspired to write one, by reading another... [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Although he's just been introduced in my SH, Meepo is a very major character in my campaign thanks to the Savage Sword of Meepo SH [b]nemmerle - [/b]I mean, you always flavor things your own way [b]Piratecat [/b]- Everyone loves Meepo! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Cool. I think all DMs steal from various sources at times: Here's another question - Jarval - Question for the SH authors: If you could go back and change an event in your SH, which one would it be, and how would you change it? [b]Zad - [/b]I don't [b]Zad - [/b]I hate him [b]WizarDru - [/b]I occasionally find myself rejecting game ideas for the opposite reason, though....i.e. so as not to appear to have copied a story hour element that's appeared. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Meepo kicks ass [b]Zad - [/b]I should have killed him day one. [b]nemmerle - [/b]A lot of P.Kitty stuff is way out there for me level-wise, but the core idea is what matters, you then drape it in what you need for the moment * Zad loves to hate Meepo [b]Piratecat [/b]- Jarval, interesting question. I don't think I'd change anything. [b]WizarDru - [/b]You mean, Meepo Kobold Chief of Kobold Country? [b]C_Baize - [/b]I don't think I'd change anything. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Jarval - nothing. One thing in my game itself, but even that turned out to have insanely cool ramifications later on down the line [b]WizarDru - [/b]God, how I love that little bastard. :-) [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I would change the character name "Tenchi", which I still seethe about now and then. Just my bad blood with otaku, there. [b]thatdarncat - [/b]yay Meepo! [b]OldOne - [/b]Jarval - Not really...I try to stay pretty close to the flow of the game...I did change an IG mistake I made...but that is about it. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Dr. Midnight - "I hate you so much, I spit on your dog!" [b]Destan - [/b]Jarval - I have a tendency to get pretty damned long-winded, and extend dialogue much further than what it needs to be. As such, I can have 3 updates where nothing "happens". If I could change something, I'd try to rein myself in a bit and focus on the action a bit more. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I would re-write the first few installments to fit more the style the narrative eventually fell into [b]Piratecat [/b]- Actually, I'd probably fix a rules flub or two, but nothing major. [b]diaglo - [/b]the last 3 sessions...the DM was getting ready to leave and the others were more focused on what campaign to play next [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Jarval -I don't think I'd change anything, either... I'm lucky to have great players, so nothing too out and out weird happens in my games [b]contact - [/b]Jarval, I would have killed all the Liberators of Tenh when I had the chance, instead of fudging in their favor. [b]OldOne - Destan - [/b]Bah...exposit away! [b]Piratecat [/b]- Oh, cancel that. My first few posts were *terrible.* I'll rewrite them some day. [b]contact - [/b]And brought them back as bad guys. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]Jarval - Hell yeah. I should have stopped writing after The Standing Stone. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Heh [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Valanthe - HI, I'm a PC in WizarDru/Zad's game. It's happened to our group once, but has anything ever gone wrong or badly and disrupted the PCs in or out of the story. Or has anyone ever had to go back and re-write part of the SH, like it never happened? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I'm actually avoiding that module because of Wulf's disdain for it. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Valanthe, not for me. [b]nemmerle - [/b]what do mean by "gone wrong"? [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b](Hey, I loved TSS... but not for the module...) [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Valanthe - I haven't had to do anything like that, thankfully [b]diaglo - [/b]does a TPK count? [b]C_Baize - [/b]No... I don't care for RetCon... [b]Harlock [/b]:)- diaglo, I'd say a TPK counts [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Valanthe - again, no, because the readers get info at the same speed the PC's do. Not a lot of backstory in the SH that needs to be retro'd [b]Zad - [/b]I can explain - we had a session that just went down the wrong road. It wasn't a tpk - it lead to bad plot elements and character friction. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Being a year and a half behind the game, not an issue. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]There was a horrible almost-TPK with that white dragon, that one time... I then posted about it in the General Discussion forum and got everyone pissed at me. Blech. [b]nemmerle - [/b]but I go back and make tweaks to my installments for a day or two after I post them when I catch errors or mis-attributions in dialogue [b]contact - [/b]Valanthe, we've changed game-mechanic info for PCs and grandfathered it in. [b]Zad - [/b]And the plot arc just didn't work for us so WizarDru decided to junk it [b]nemmerle - [/b]but no major changes * thatdarncat prods SpyScribe to update more [b]jonrog1 - [/b]well, I did add in Jo's sister Dawn. but reactions were mixed... [b]WizarDru - [/b]Oi. Fans of our story hour may can relate how I 'retconned' a whole session. Bastion of Broken Souls described what it was doing to my game, IMHO. So we turned back time. [b]OldOne - [/b]Valanthe - Not to this point... [b]nemmerle - [/b]I love character fiction [b]nemmerle - [/b]makes for great dialogue! [b]nemmerle - [/b]friction [b]nemmerle - [/b]not ficnhshwewr [b]WizarDru - [/b]It looked a tad awkward in the story hour, but it worked well for the game. And the game ALWAYS takes precedence. [b]Zad - [/b]We'd had plenty [b]Zad - [/b]oops [b]SpyScribe - [/b]tdc - I update weekly! What do you want? [b]thatdarncat - SpyScribe - [/b]post a day! [b]thatdarncat - [/b]:d [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Here's an interesting one - ascendance - General question: What kind of software assistance do you folks use to prepare stat blocks and things? Also, any tips on making the game flow more smoothly while keeping it rules lite? [b]SpyScribe - [/b]*bangs head on desk* [b]nemmerle - [/b]pen and paper [b]nemmerle - [/b]I am mad old skool [b]C_Baize - [/b]I use a worksheet I created, myself... No software. [b]WizarDru - [/b]DM Genie, all the way. With a party of 6 23rd level characters, I need help. The SRD on laptop and excel are biggies, too. [b]diaglo - [/b]Olgar has a bunch of downloaded stuff....I use pen and paper [b]nemmerle - [/b]I may do a word doc occasionally [b]jonrog1 - [/b]ascendance - a round by round combat tracker sheet, with a space on the bottom to scrawl monster stats and tactics. [b]contact - [/b]3.5 SRD on PDF. Find a stat-block shorthand that works for you, and don't sweat the small stuff. [b]Piratecat [/b]- I use the new version of etools for boosting monster hit dice. Other than that, just Excel and Word. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I used some utility I've lost track of to generate stat blocks. I used that online utility I've lost track of for dragons. I lose track of a lot. [b]nemmerle - [/b]but I am a scribbler [b]Zad - [/b]ascendance - I use, no *need* an excel spreadsheet to play my character. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Not to mention the shadow companions, animal companions, familiars and all the other mounts, followers, etc. [b]OldOne - [/b]ascendance - Stat block? What's that? Actually, I use 4 x 6 cards for everything...makes combat a bit easier... [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]ascendance - I make great use of Word. I have a bunch of templates that I use, and I do a lot of copy-n-paste with the SRD. In 3.0 I used E-Tools a lot, and will again as soon as they get the 3.5 data set out [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Same as OldOne -- don't really use software. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I used a lot of Photoshop to scratch together images for the SH, but otherwise, I'm low-tech [b]Piratecat [/b]- To make a game flow smoothly, *make combat speedy.* slow combat is a nightmare. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]yeah, was doing cut and paste form SRD, but then found not all monsters were OGL, kinda screwed me [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I also do some Photo shopping for handouts or maps [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Good stuff, that [b]nemmerle - [/b]try to figure out how to adjust the rhythm of play using verbal clues in your descriptions of things [b]contact - [/b]Piratecat, that's like saying "to get to the roof, go up there." How do you make combat speedy? [b]C_Baize - [/b]I use Hero Machine to give the players NPC pics... [b]Piratecat [/b]- I actually do my maps on Excel; it's sort of embarrassing, but works really well. [b]nemmerle - [/b]it is different for every group, but I tend to find it [b]Harlock [/b]:)- I detest slow combat myself. We have another here - Umbran - Question for all: Do you find yourself occasionally misrepresenting a PC's internal motivations in the Storyhour? Have the player come up to you and say, "but that's not what I was thinking at all!"? [b]Destan - [/b]I wanted to mention that - PC's excel maps are amazing. Never knew Excel could do that. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]yeah, Pkitty, how do you run those massive things? My group started really bogging down once they hit 10th level and all those options opened up. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Umbran. No... I always confer with the players. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I do almost no inward dialogue in my SH [b]Piratecat [/b]- Contact, lots of ways: index cards for it. Call out who is next and on deck, so people are ready. Roll attacks and damage at once. [b]Piratecat [/b]- And minimize table talk. [b]Destan - [/b]Umbran - Yep, I've blown that a couple times. I had one of my characters "find his faith" in the story hour much sooner than he found it in the real campaign. [b]nemmerle - [/b]they either show it or say it and it up to the context to explain it or the reader to figure it out [b]thatdarncat - Piratecat [/b]- I'll see if I can dig up a link to the rules for the pig [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Umbran -Not so much, but I did misspell a PC's name for like a hundred pages... [b]Zad - [/b]Umbran - no by definition. I'm a PC, I know my motivations. If I say another player did something for a given reason, then it's an in-character perception, and it adds flavor to the story. It may be wrong, but then the resolution also makes great story. [b]diaglo - [/b]Umbran - Yes. I put thoughts into others heads. or at least the way my character interprets them [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Yes. Or, rather, I was accused of "slanting" a PC's actions/dialogue to make a more favorable story hour. Again, my drama queen thing... futzing the actual game in favor of more exciting writing. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Actually, in fear of that I was very cautious about getting inside other characters heads for a long time. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Umbran - again, tend to avoid internals, do it all with looks and nods that actually happened at the table. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]-- and, they're not exactly the deepest bunch [b]contact - [/b]Umbran-- occasionally I mis-represent an emotional state or motivation. But I blame society. [b]OldOne - [/b]Umbran - I tend to write things as I interpret the PCs perspective, but all my players are welcome to chime in when I fail to get it right... [b]Piratecat [/b]- Umbran, I've made occasional mistakes. when my players call me on it, I edit the story hour. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- I am wondering this myself, [b]Piratecat [/b]- Vaxalon - How does Excel do maps? [b]WizarDru - jonrog1 - [/b]Yeah, but they drink a lot. [b]OldOne - [/b]...I edit it when necessary... [b]contact - [/b]When my players call me on it, I also edit Piratecat's Story Hour. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]Umbran - I swear to God, every word out in the SH actually came out of that peck's mouth. [b]jonrog1 - WizarDru - [/b]and that’s why I love them [b]nemmerle - [/b]Vaxalon, now that is a name I have not heard in a long time, a long time [b]OldOne - [/b]Wulf - hah! [b]Piratecat [/b]- How to do Excel maps is a thread in itself. Start one, I'll explain it! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- okay [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Lela - Question: What makes you keep your SH going? [b]contact - [/b]I'm in it for the money. [b]Destan - [/b]Lela - Readers. [b]OldOne - [/b]Lela - My two fans...Lela and Darklone ! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Hot chicks too, right contact? [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]Readers. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Readers. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Lela... mostly the readers throwing popcorn at the screen and yelling "FOCUS!!!" [b]Zad - [/b]Lela - We keep playing each week. Honestly after three-four years and so many open story arcs, I need to keep track of what's going on and I think there are people out there who want to see how it ends. [b]diaglo - [/b]what else would I do with my notes? [b]contact - [/b]Hell yes, the groupies, the cash and the perks. [b]nemmerle - [/b]Horacio [b]contact - [/b]. . . like getting reservations at La Folie on an hours notice. [b]Piratecat [/b]- I'm in it for Contact's money. [b]nemmerle - [/b]Lela - I do it for Horacio [b]SpyScribe - [/b]I'm with diaglo on this one. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Lela - probably a different motivation form most -- no notes form execs, no deadlines -- anything I see fit goes in. Like a little vacation from the job [b]WizarDru - [/b]The game. Although it sometimes amazes me when someone points to our story hour and says "lookitthat!" [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]I would like to remind all these authors, not an hour ago they swore not to write for the readers. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Tsunami, in most cases [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Contact, I read that "the groupies, the cash, and the pecks." [b]Piratecat [/b]- Seriously? I get a tremendous amount of energy from knowing people are enjoying it, and knowing that it's fun to write. Can't beat that. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I swore no such thing. I was in it for the glory. [b]contact - [/b]Well, yeah, the pecks! [b]contact - [/b]Do I have to spell it out! [b]contact - [/b]:d [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]True, Wulf, but its a big kick when they like it. [b]contact - [/b]Seriously-- it would be fun if nobody read it but me. [b]C_Baize - [/b]That's what KEEPS me writing... [b]Zad - [/b]Lela - I think another part is challenging myself. I think of myself as a lot of things, but "Writer" is not one of them, so it's a way of challenging myself to do something I don't think I do well. [b]contact - [/b]And that's pretty much how it goes. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I read "kick" as another word that ends in "ick", KidC [b]OldOne - [/b]Lela - Actually, it is a much needed creative outlet, writing helps me relax and its fun knowing some people dig it... [b]C_Baize - [/b]If it weren't for the readers, I'd just write it all down, and keep it on my home PC. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I have to admit, one time I was on the phone talking about my first producing gig, and I was secretly checking my SH views, so yeah, the readers fit in there somewhere... [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Yeah, but we all know how your mind works, nemm... [b]WizarDru - [/b]Hey, I wont lie and say we don't notice when our view count jumps. Not for nothing are we 'the lurker's choice." :-) [b]Harlock [/b]:)- This one should be interesting - ascendance - How do you guys hand out XP for story-oriented stuff? [b]thatdarncat - [/b]For anyone who's interested, the "Paying the Pig" suggestions are here: [url]http://www.enworld.org/forums/showt...5001#post395001[/url] [b]diaglo - [/b]my SH views are due to me visiting the site [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Posting in a vacuum is no fun. Of course feedback is a factor. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I pull numbers out of my butt [b]Piratecat [/b]- I hire my neighbor's kids to hit "refresh." [b]C_Baize - [/b]ascendance - Depends on the situation, and what came of it. [b]nemmerle - [/b]it really isn't pretty [b]Destan - [/b]Ascendance - I give them "cookies" - with 1 cookie = 100 XP * Character Level. Few and far between. [b]contact - [/b]I give the PCs 1/5 to 1/4 of a level per session, regardless of what they kill, but have no system for story awards beyond that. [b]Zad - [/b]ascendance - passing to WizarDru. I get no exp bonus for just writing the story hour though, if that's what you mean [b]jonrog1 - [/b]100 xp * character level for major story points or innovations [b]Piratecat [/b]- For story-related xp? Hmmm... like Nemm, I pull numbers out of his butt. Err. My butt. [b]contact - [/b]The idea is just to keep them from feeling like not killing stuff creates a leveling ennui. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I offered a few hundred xp for clever or dramatic roleplaying. Nothing special. "Nice game tonight, punching that old lady in the face. 100 xp." [b]Piratecat [/b]- Although I like JonRog's formula. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Huh? What? [b]contact - [/b]You get 100 xp for punching old ladies? I should be second level! [b]OldOne - [/b]ascendance - Just like Pkitty and Nemm......actually, I usually build about 30% of the session reward in story-type xp... [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I go by the XP for the foes they face, and I give XP for dealing with foes in non-fatal ways [b]Piratecat [/b]- I definitely give more xp for story accomplishments than specific monsters. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Do any of you make level progression slower in 3rd Ed? [b]nemmerle - [/b]the truth is [b]nemmerle - [/b]I used to tally XP [b]diaglo - [/b]just do it for fun. if it involved xp I wouldn't. we advance too fast as it is [b]Piratecat [/b]- We go up levels about every ten games. I plan it on that. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]That's good, cause those two kuo toa I got under my belt aren't getting me anywhere fast. [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I do. I hate D&D leveling. I think it should be half that fast, if not a third. [b]nemmerle - [/b]but as the number for "killing" got smaller and smaller - I figured "what is the point?' [b]nemmerle - [/b]now I just make up a number [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I cut back on the XP a bit, sometimes as much as by half [b]jonrog1 - Harlock [/b]:)- I just make a point of emphasizing downtime. I hate the "10levels in a game-year" vibe [b]SpyScribe - [/b]As recently came out in the thread, we level about twice a year. I don't *think* that's standard. [b]WizarDru - [/b]I do give out XP for role-playing material...but XP for writing the story hour or contributing to it doesn't happen. All the hot chicks Zad scores are reward enough. In game, I give RP/story XP as the mood strikes me. [b]Piratecat [/b]- I peg advancement to twice a year also. It works well for us. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Gee, what a coincidence. [b]nemmerle - [/b]8 levels in 3 years seems right to me [b]nemmerle - [/b]almost 9 [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I also try to emphasize downtime [b]Piratecat [/b]- Heh. I have Fajitas brainwashed. [b]Destan - [/b]Dru - hahahah [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I tend to average 1 every three months, but we do play a full 4 times a month [b]thatdarncat - [/b]My PCs'd kill me if I only let them level twice a year, right Seri? [b]nemmerle - [/b]I make no distinction between up and down time [b]nemmerle - [/b]all time is time [b]WizarDru - [/b]Heh. We've gone from 1 to 23 in slightly over 3 years, playing 3 times a month on average. [b]contact - Harlock [/b]:), my PCs level approx. every third or fourth session. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Cool [b]OldOne - [/b]My advancement averages out to 1 level per 4 sessions or so... [b]SpyScribe - [/b]*shakes head* Poor Fajitas [b]nemmerle - [/b]the party has been "in town" between adventures for like 4 sessions and having a grand old time [b]WizarDru - [/b]*hopes that Zad's wife isn't reading. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I have people who are in love with character design, so they need the buzz. It's not a power thing, though -- I swear they'd play nothing but 1st level and play a different campaign a week just for the fun of character building [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]with ya on that jonrog [b]nemmerle - [/b]we play 2 a month [b]contact - [/b]Me three-- char building = teh fun. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Us, too. [b]contact - [/b]As DM, I get to build lots of expendable characters. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- I've slowed down leveling a ton in my Scarred Lands game myself. [b]nemmerle - [/b]naw [b]diaglo - [/b]character building doesn't have to mean fast leveling though [b]C_Baize - [/b]That's a lot of the fun, contact. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Here's another one from the peanut gallery - SiderealKnight - Question: What (if any) story hours do you read regularly? [b]nemmerle - [/b]I hate making stat block [b]jonrog1 - [/b]One of my players just started running a once a month campaign, and now that I got to play again, I was al aquiver with character-building excitement [b]diaglo - [/b]all of them [b]Piratecat [/b]- As a DM, I get all of my PC design jollies out of making NPCs who inevitably die quickly. [b]contact - [/b]Until they slaughter your wiz 5/ rog 3/ asn 4 in one round [b]C_Baize - [/b]SiderealKnight - I only read (other than mine) Medallions, honestly. [b]nemmerle - [/b]Sidereal Knight - Sagiro's is the only one. . I pop into P.Kitty's, Old One's and Contact's on occasion - but I am not with the regular [b]DrMidnight - [/b]None... sorry. Tried once, couldn't get into it. Reading in a computer chair doesn't work for me. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Destan (well, until he KILLED THEM ALL), Piratecat's, JonRog’s and a few others. [b]Piratecat [/b]- I read about a half-dozen regularly, and drop in on another half dozen about once a month. Lately, I've been glued to Capellan's Q-Ship story hour. Sheer comedy gold. [b]Zad - [/b]SiderealKnight - Easy one: Destan, Speulchrave, Piratecat, Sagiro, Wulf's (formerly). I'd read more but time can be rough. [b]Wulf_Ratbane - Piratecat [/b]and pogre. I would say I read jonrog regularly, but that would be predicated on him UPDATING regularly [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Not enough? Anything by jonrog1 and Piratecat. Recently picked up Company of the Random Encounter. [b]diaglo - [/b]I only left the story hour side 'cuz the Jester came to stay at my house AltReality - what’s up all [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]SiderealKnight - I read PC's, Sagiro's, Contacts Liberators thread, and Wulf. [b]WizarDru - [/b]As often as not, I pick up a new story hour every few weeks and run through it. Makes for good lunchroom reading. [b]contact - [/b]I read PCs, Sagrios, Sepulchrave’s, JonRog’s, Capellan's got a couple I like. JRandall, there's more that I can't remember. many many. Of course, Wulf's back in the day. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]whoops [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Heh [b]Harlock [/b]:)- , no problem [b]Harlock [/b]:)- +Silvr_Dragon - ohhh I got a question! Can I make a guest appearance in your story hour? [b]OldOne - [/b]SK - I used to be a SH whore...but just don't have the time anymore...I regularly read PCs, Sagiro’s, contacts, Destan's, Seps, Wulf, Pogre and Rel's...drop in on Nemm, Jonrog1...damn...I still am an SH whore... [b]contact - [/b]I've already written you in, [b]Harlock [/b]:). But I changed your name to "Heydricus." [b]C_Baize - [/b]So, how about you, jonrog1? Which SHs do you read? [b]Piratecat [/b]- I actually have EN Worlders sit in a fair amount; heck, Old One is here tomorrow! [b]Zad - [/b]Silvr_Dragon - If you want to come for a night you can play Thorkeld! Just be ready to fail a save and die or something. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Pkitty, SpyScribe, all the modern ones [b]WizarDru - [/b]Sure. You can play the Silvering. And sleep for the next decade. :-) [b]nemmerle - [/b]I would love to have some ENWorlders I know come down and sit in [b]jonrog1 - [/b]got to admit, it takes a heckuva lot to hook me in the straight fantasy campaigns [b]WizarDru - [/b]It's always the paladins. [b]OldOne - Piratecat [/b]- Wahoo...yes I am! [b]nemmerle - [/b]of course, no one ever trusts the guest player [b]nemmerle - [/b];-) [b]Piratecat [/b]- nor should they. [b]C_Baize - [/b]That's an interesting concept.... I may have to use all the ENWorlders as a bunch of Zombies, and Raiders... [b]contact - [/b]Unless they have an honest face like Old One. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I gotta make it out to Boston for a Sox game and PC's game sometime [b]nemmerle - [/b]last 2 times my friend Sean has "guested" PCs have died [b]Piratecat [/b]- but this is how I first met Wulf, for instance. [b]nemmerle - [/b]and not b/c of anything he did! [b]OldOne - [/b]*rubs hands together in secret delight* [b]Harlock [/b]:)- ascendance - General comment: its frustrating that software support's fallen behind for 3.5e [b]OldOne - contact - [/b]Awwww.... [b]Piratecat [/b]- Yup. Agreed. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Okay. [b]Zad - [/b]ascendance - I'm a fan of simple things I can maintain myself like spreadsheets. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Err, hey, that's not a question. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]ascendance - I guess, but again, I don't use it much. But maybe that's because its fallen behind, chicken/egg thing [b]WizarDru - [/b]DM Genie is 3.5 compatible...with templates, even. So no, it isn't. [b]diaglo - [/b]don't get me started. [b]OldOne - [/b]ascend - don't really use much either... [b]nemmerle - [/b]I am old skool [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]3.5 E-Tools is due out the next month or so last I heard [b]nemmerle - [/b]pen and paper baby [b]Harlock [/b]:)- diaglo, just once could you say... your trademark? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]multi-colored pens. old school [b]nemmerle - [/b]I have a note book with Out of the Frying Pan scratched on the front in ball point pen! [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Its not a real software support unless its written in Cobol? [b]nemmerle - [/b]I have the same support for that than there has ever has been, the Mead Corp is good that way ;-) * WizarDru claws his own eyes out at the mention of COBOL. [b]diaglo - [/b]OD&D(1974) is the only true game. All the other editions are just poor imitations of the real thing. [b]WizarDru - [/b]How about FORTRAN? The language of innovation? [b]nemmerle - [/b]oh diaglo [b]Harlock [/b]:)- nemmerle, you sound like me. Starting DMing when I was a kid and my quicker clicker and graph paper bring me a special chill just to pick up [b]jonrog1 - [/b]of course. AD&D 2nd Edition -- the Buzzkill Edition. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Heh [b]WizarDru - [/b]Hey, he made it 1:16 into the chat. That's admirable. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Well, I DID ask him for it. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Next question? [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Here's a general one for all of you - Wee_Jas - Q: Where is your game based out of? (To everyone) [b]jonrog1 - [/b]"you do something cool. Roll on table 5-3 to see how you die because of it..." [b]Piratecat [/b]- Physically? Boston. [b]contact - [/b]San Francisco. [b]diaglo - [/b]Forgotten Realms...Dalelands [b]nemmerle - [/b]The Planet of Brooklyn, baby! [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I'm in the Chicago suburbs [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Los Angeles [b]C_Baize - [/b]Physically? Central California... [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Oh... Hoebre world [b]WizarDru - [/b]Greyhawk....my version, anyhow. Physically? Malvern, PA. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]L.A. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Home brew. Sheesh [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Rhode Island, Providence area. Reppin' the four-oh-one, baby. [b]Zad - [/b]Wee_Jas - suburban Philly/Greyhawk [b]C_Baize - [/b]In the game, it's America, and sort of all over... [b]Destan - [/b]Between DC and Baltimore. [b]OldOne - [/b]Faded Glory H'brew...played in the Baltimore suburbs... [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Huh, I'd stayed back east, I coulda played with Pkitty and Wulf. Damn [b]diaglo - [/b]play in Hotlanta [b]Piratecat [/b]- My World is home brew, with Planescape. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]stupid career ... [b]OldOne - Destan - [/b]When we drinking that beer together? [b]nemmerle - [/b]www.aquerra.com [b]contact - Piratecat [/b]needs more modrons. [b]SpyScribe - [/b]jonrog1 -but then we wouldn't have had Jo and Ross guest starring. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Damn straight. [b]nemmerle - [/b]Look at me, I’m a shill! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Interesting side note, this just in - Olgar - Of course, diaglo recently admitted to considering DMing 3.5 ... [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Scarred Lands -- Elminster can bite my pink behind * Zad wonders what the modrons are doing. Oh well couldn't be anything important [b]Destan - [/b]OO - I'm not 21. [b]OldOne - Destan - [/b]Liar! [b]thatdarncat - Zad - [/b]someone else will figure it out, right? [b]Destan - [/b]oo - * contact watches modrons roll by, and goes home. [b]OldOne - [/b]hah! [b]jonrog1 - SpyScribe - [/b]and horrifying you with the habits they picked up form my campaign... [b]nemmerle - [/b]the climax of my campaign involves Modrons [b]Piratecat [/b]- I want my damn modrons. [b]Destan - Harlock [/b]:)- Gotta run, thanks for having me. [b]nemmerle - [/b]shhh! don't tell anyone ;-) [b]Harlock [/b]:)- thanks Destan [b]OldOne - [/b]Too late.. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- So, how long does it take, usually to compile notes from a session, then write it up and post it? [b]WizarDru - [/b]See ya, Destan. Valanthe just pinched me. Hope you're happy. :-) [b]Wulf_Ratbane - [/b]I also gotta run... Later all! [b]DrMidnight - [/b]I've gotta run as well. Gonna ride Destan's coattails on outta here. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Nemm, can I sit in? Please? [b]SpyScribe - jonrog1 - [/b]So come horrify us yourself next time! [b]OldOne - [/b]Gotta run soon too...any other questions? [b]nemmerle - [/b]of course! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- seeya DrMidnight [b]C_Baize - [/b]When Destan's gotta run... Destan's gotta run. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- and thanks [b]nemmerle - [/b]P.Kitty that was for you [b]nemmerle - [/b]as for how long? [b]jonrog1 - Harlock [/b]:)- only a day, just never get around to the fine tuning and posting. but I'm a speedy little writer. makes up for my shocking lack of talent [b]WizarDru - [/b]Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now. [b]Zad - Harlock [/b]:)- Usually I go into work Monday morning, and work on the story. Depending how busy I am, I could have it up as soon as noon if I'm relatively free [b]DrMidnight - [/b]Bye all, love yers. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Harl... I think you wanted me to remind you of something... But I forget what it was... [b]DrMidnight - [/b]for justice!! [b]nemmerle - [/b]it usually takes 2 to 3 installments (6 to 14 pages each) to do one session [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Characters? [b]diaglo - [/b]the whole two weeks in between sessions [b]Piratecat [/b]- It takes me about four hours to write up a game. Longer if I'm using a tape. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Oh.. What about them? [b]Harlock [/b]:)- don’t remember. =) [b]WizarDru - [/b]I write teasers in about 1-2 hours, depending. [b]OldOne - Harlock [/b]:)- About 2 hours of writing per Session installment...but I usually write 2-5 installments per session...so figure 4-10 hours per Session... [b]nemmerle - [/b]so that is about 2 to 4 hours of writing each x 3 = 6 to 12 hours per session [b]contact - Harlock [/b]:), it usually takes two to four hours. Longer if I am brain-dead. [b]nemmerle - [/b]longer than the actual sessions! [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I've got so many sourcebooks, I steal characters like mad [b]nemmerle - [/b]oh my god! [b]nemmerle - [/b]I never realized that before! [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I'd say about 4 hours, spread into (typically) 3-4 installments [b]WizarDru - [/b]The Avonshar story hour can take about 4 hours for me to write. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Cool [b]Piratecat [/b]- Nemm, we could game twice as often if we didn't write. Damn. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Usually, it takes me a couple of hours to write... but I've been trying to get this latest update for over 2 weeks... [b]Piratecat [/b]- It isn't unusual to run into writer's block. It happens. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- So, are there any exciting things about to happen in anyone’s game? Stuff not written up? Teasers, character deaths, changes in party mix, etc? [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Don't know per-update. Writing is quick, revising is longer. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I am so glad I don't write up the Promised Land game [b]nemmerle - [/b]which I want to plug! [b]nemmerle - [/b]my homeboy Sean writes it [b]contact - [/b]Lucius is taking over the Liberators, but no one other than Lucius realizes it. [b]WizarDru - [/b]you mean, other than the rapture? :-d [b]nemmerle - [/b]and it is relatively new so you can catch up right away and I play in it! [b]Piratecat [/b]- I have a few character deaths coming up, as I approach the climax of my 2 year long adventure. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Well... in several sessions, the Sniper will have a serious crisis, as he LOSES HIS EYE! [b]Zad - Harlock [/b]:)- No the only things I drop are tiny details that are unimportant in greater story. [b]diaglo - [/b]started a new campaign and new SH [b]nemmerle - [/b]writing about PC death is always a big deal b/c in a game where there is little or no resurrection, that means they will never appear in the story again, and that can be disappointing [b]jonrog1 - Harlock [/b]:)- a few roster changes, a few character deaths, the big epic end of the first "season". [b]contact - [/b]In the Risen Goddess, the upcoming plotline is based on the principle that the adventurers failed in the Modron march/ Dead Gods plotline. [b]nemmerle - [/b]disappointing for the readers, that is [b]Harlock [/b]:)- So, do you have any specific rules based on your Story Hours? [b]nemmerle - [/b]but I have roster changes coming up too [b]jonrog1 - [/b]started structuring lot arcs like TV seasons, 5 levels/season -- get to kill a big bad fairly often, don't bog down, but long enough for investigations and side adventures [b]C_Baize - [/b]Not based on the story hours... [b]nemmerle - [/b]including an old rival who joins the group! [b]Piratecat [/b]- What do you mean, [b]Harlock [/b]:)? [b]OldOne - Harlock [/b]:)- I am about 7 sessions behind now...VERY big happenings and some very bad things in the next couple of sessions... [b]diaglo - [/b]no infinite slings...house rule [b]contact - [/b]No, just that Dodge gives a consistent bonus. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Specific rules in what sense? [b]C_Baize - [/b]But I do have called shots, and a target system... [b]Zad - Harlock [/b]:)- No but we have some very specific rules on Bolo running all new spells past the approval committee before using them in game - it's for everyone's good. [b]Piratecat [/b]- I try to figure out the players' expectations, and then keep them on their toes. I dunno, Wulf; any surprises coming up in the story hour? [b]Piratecat [/b]- :d [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Well, for instance, do you try and limit player stupidity, that sort of thing? Allowing Int. checks to preserve plot? [b]nemmerle - [/b]no, but I love describing my bloody crits when they happen [b]Harlock [/b]:)- anything as heavy handed as that? [b]nemmerle - [/b]har - no way! [b]Zad - [/b]Nope - we're allowed to be as dumb as our natural talent permits [b]WizarDru - [/b]All new Bolo spells must pass....The Committee. I also appear to have a house rule concerning Bolo getting eaten every session. [b]C_Baize - [/b]For a sniper, I really had to have a called shot system, so it was actually fairly simple to come up with one. [b]OldOne - Harlock [/b]:), et al - Gotta run, gang...thanks for the opportunity...see you tomorrow, Pkitty and Wulf (will Wulf be there?) [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Nope! Like I said earlier, I'm blessed with great players [b]Piratecat [/b]- Nope. If my players want to be stupid, more power to them - although it doesn't happen very often. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]no, she follows plot idiocy -- again, part of the challenge is to not turn your game into your narrative, but adapt your narrative as the game shifts. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- thanks OldOne! [b]contact - [/b]We allow the player of Prisantha to ask the whole group for advice when she makes snap decisions, to reflect her 28 Int. [b]nemmerle - [/b]later oo [b]Piratecat [/b]- See you tomorrow, Old One! [b]SpyScribe - [/b]Ack, I've got to run. Thanks for having me. [b]diaglo - [/b]we stumble around until we run into something. [b]nemmerle - [/b]like rats from a ship! [b]Piratecat [/b]- By, SS! I can hang around for a while. [b]OldOne - [/b]cya! [b]Piratecat [/b]- Contact, that's a cool mechanic. [b]WizarDru - [/b]My players are quite clever, so it's never been a problem. Trying to outwit them has always been the problem. [b]nemmerle - [/b]nice [b]jonrog1 - [/b]28 int. ? broken! I call broken! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- .[b]thatdarncat - [/b]Piratecat: spoil us, please! We want to know! Contact: Your last LoT update ended on kind of a spoiler. Who won! Who died? [b]nemmerle - [/b]I allow "18 int" moments [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Piratecatis like a kid in the candy store tonight [b]WizarDru - [/b]I guess I shouldn't point out that the wizard in our story hour has a 32 INT, huh? [b]nemmerle - [/b]so we have players asking "can I take an 18 Int moment?" to stop play to discuss something [b]Harlock [/b]:)- err, thatdarncat [b]nemmerle - [/b]I am greedy with them [b]nemmerle - [/b];-) [b]Piratecat [/b]- Nope, I'm *so* not spoiling this one little surprise. It's a good one. * thatdarncat is in full on fanboy mode [b]contact - [/b]The Liberators won, and three of them sort of died, with two of them really dying. Later, only one really died, and was then expunged from the group. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I give a Wis check or Int. check for remembering plot details they may not have remembered. [b]diaglo - [/b]25 pt buy. how in the world? [b]WizarDru - [/b]Of course, there was the time a player summoned a water elemental...on the elemental plane of fire. :-) [b]contact - [/b]Oh, and then the Liberators lost. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Steam. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I know who dies in PC's game.... at least one of them.... [b]nemmerle - [/b]I don’t like the randomness of checks [b]jonrog1 - [/b]My investigation arcs tend to be pretty complex -- those checks are like Spycraft inspiration checks. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Might be more than one, that I don't know [b]nemmerle - [/b]I’d rather the *player* make a decision [b]contact - [/b]Jonrog-- it's not really. She's 20th level, has a +6 item she made herself, and has wished a couple of times. [b]contact - [/b]The baddies still make their saves. [b]Piratecat [/b]- I tend to agree. Int or Wis checks don't take into account the hero's experience. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- This is a great question - Umbran - Question for all - what's the best character quote in your SH? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]*grumbling* woulda dropped a rock on her a long time ago -- none shall rival the DM's power! [b]nemmerle - [/b]that's a hard one [b]C_Baize - [/b]Mitch: "Yeah... well... If I were you, I'd shave that weasel off my lip." [b]diaglo - [/b]that's too hard. my memory is a mess. [b]Zad - [/b]Umbran - I know the one for [b]Piratecat [/b]- "So what do you think those Modrons are doing?" [b]WizarDru - [/b]that's tough. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Sigh. Probably. [b]thatdarncat - [/b]blah, sure, tease me:) [b]nemmerle - [/b]We have a lot of "Run! Run! Run! don't look back! Run!" [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Umbran - Andy as he drew his gun on the carnivorous, anal-probing ET: "You are SO not phoning home..." [b]nemmerle - [/b]lol [b]Harlock [/b]:)- nemmerle, that sounds like the game I am a player in [b]Piratecat [/b]- I like when Malachite told off his superior Aleax, and turned his back on his church in order to stand up for what he believed in. [b]contact - [/b]"Don't touch anything that is glowing, take it one level at a time, kill everything, and move on." [b]Zad - [/b]Umbran - With so many years (and about 600 pages in MSWord) I'd need to go back and look. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Of course, turning him into a tapeworm was also pretty funny. [b]diaglo - [/b]"timmmmmmaaaaayyyy" [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Again, I have a roomful of writers, they do all the hard work for me [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Umbran - That's really tough. This one is from that game but before the actual SH... "It'll be a quick in-an-out". This was followed by the Party getting waylaid, and enslaved, and teleported halfway across the continent, not getting back for six months of game time [b]nemmerle - [/b]oh and a lot of "I willing to sacrifice my life!" [b]thatdarncat - contact - [/b]my PCs need to learn from that [b]nemmerle - [/b]everyone always in a hurry to die [b]contact - [/b]TDC-- So do mine, they just say it all the time. [b]Piratecat [/b]- They need a new advisor. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Jackie Chan Adventures is coming on Cartoon Network, for the jonrog1 fans. [b]diaglo - [/b]Olgar reminded me..."..went down like Bernedette in an elven village" [b]thatdarncat - [/b]I wanna know when I can buy jca on DVD [b]WizarDru - [/b]My current favorite from PCs hour: "You know how. You just aren't very good at it." [b]nemmerle - [/b]"run! run! run! don't look back! run!" [b]jonrog1 - [/b]they JUSTG started releasing them in a truly idiotic pattern [b]jonrog1 - [/b]sadly, Sony Kids not really on the ball there [b]WizarDru - [/b]Jon, are you still involved with the show? [b]Piratecat [/b]- So, let me ask a question: writers, how do you create memorable villains? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]not much anymore, two good guys running it. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Pkitty - actually, my PC's create my villains [b]contact - [/b]I try to keep them rules-obscured-- that helps. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Well, it's been consistently great. You should be proud. [b]diaglo - [/b]I let Olgar do that...it is my job to find them. [b]contact - [/b]And, of course, I steal all the villains from PCs SH. [b]nemmerle - [/b]for me it is all about dialogue and description - [b]Piratecat [/b]- how, jonrog? [b]WizarDru - [/b]I like to link them emotionally to the players...it makes them resonate more when they have an investment in the villain. Oh, and Black Dirge helps. :-) [b]Zad - Piratecat [/b]- Well I do what I can, but it comes down to character perceptions and how I think my character would see it [b]nemmerle - [/b]I will sometimes make notes of things I want a villain to say and then craft their speech pattern around it to be consistent [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I look for an interesting hook, and make sure the PC's have ways to interact with them enough to breed the familiarity that leads to enmity [b]jonrog1 - [/b]at the beginning of every season, I have a choice of three or four main plots, run them through the intro adventures, and whoever they hate the most, I make the main villain, advance him along with them [b]nemmerle - [/b]like when he describes his evil plan in great detail ;-) [b]C_Baize - [/b]PC - I dunno... the one they are facing, in game, now, is a former teammate of the Military PCs... [b]nemmerle - [/b]also [b]nemmerle - [/b]always keep them on their toes [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Do you Story Hour Authors ever bring back supposedly dead villains? True Ress go both ways in your games? [b]WizarDru - [/b]The toughest villain was the LG one. He took some effort. [b]nemmerle - [/b]make them have real motives that the PCs might consider reasonable and thus fill them with loathing and self-doubt [b]Piratecat [/b]- I agree that a hated villain is a good villain. I need to do a better job at making them emotionally tied to the PCs. [b]diaglo - [/b]old PCs make surprise appearances. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I've never Rezz'd a villain. I believe strongly that a good DM needs to be able to let his beloved bad guys go [b]nemmerle - [/b]not much res in my game [b]nemmerle - [/b]though people come back as undead a lot ;-) [b]Harlock [/b]:)- heh [b]WizarDru - [/b]No. No. NO. Well...OK, Yes. I just did the most recent session featuring the return of a Blackguard from 2+ years ago, now a fiend. [b]Zad - Harlock [/b]:)- We just had a supposedly dead villain come back to assassinate us last week. He's dead now [b]Piratecat [/b]- I've used an undead version of true ress to bring back powerful ghouls that the group had trouble killing one at a time. Now they're banded together and hunting the group. [b]C_Baize - [/b]hehe... They faced the Hook Horror again. Only this time it was a cybernetic Hook Horror with nasty pointy spiky things installed on him. [b]contact - [/b]I had a villain recently that they kind of *liked*. It made it interesting for them to oppose him. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- JRandall - story hour ? for (contact): How many years ago (real life) did what is now the Risen Goddess campaign start? [b]Piratecat [/b]- That's always fun. In Sagiro's game, we can tell the villains because we like them and they're nice to us. If someone is rude and nasty, they're probably a good guy. [b]nemmerle - [/b]my last session ended w/ the party getting back to the inn to find an old villain waiting for them [b]WizarDru - [/b]Well, wasn't that one wizard nice? But then, he died. [b]contact - [/b]Joshua knows that the Risen Goddess game originally started around 1986 when my core player and I spent our misanthropic high-school years playing these two characters who reincarnated into a homebrew world called Isk . . . [b]contact - [/b]The recent incarnation (the one chronicled in the SH) started at the same time that 3e was released. [b]nemmerle - [/b]he has not spoken a word yet and they are considering attacking him right away b/c they are afraid he is going to point out some nebulous gray moral thing and they won’t be able to kill him with clear consciences [b]Piratecat [/b]- Nemm, that's funny. [b]WizarDru - [/b]It's always the paladins. [b]Piratecat [/b]- New question? [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Do you find yourself ever writing up a hook or arc and thinking, "Yeah, this'll look great in my thread!" [b]jonrog1 - [/b]my villains are always scrupulously reasonable. they have agendas, and if the PC's would just GO AWAY there wouldn't be a problem. [b]Zad - Harlock [/b]:)- I'm a PC - I'm reactive [b]contact - [/b]Nemm: "Hush! Hush! Don't speak. I'm going to stab you now." [b]nemmerle - [/b]naw, I write it up for the game and when it plays out then I think "this will rock the story hour" [b]jonrog1 - Harlock [/b]:)- god no, because I never know what it's going to look like once my players are done with it. [b]diaglo - [/b]I’m with Zad... but i feed my DM plot hooks. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Actually... I've done the opposite... Get the arc going, and I'm like, "Oh man... this is going to look cheesy.... Oh well! ROLL THE DICE!" [b]Piratecat [/b]- Hmm. I more think, "That'll work wonderfully in the game." I tend to design based on cool cinematic moments. I know when I get an idea right; it snaps into place with almost an audible "click." [b]WizarDru - [/b]Not as I'm writing it...but later, when reviewing it, I do. I generally think in terms of cinematic approach, even if that approach doesn't always survive contact with the players. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]most of their "rescue attempts" end up with things on fire and corpses. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- jonrog1, yeah that's how most of my plots go. =) Makes being DM fun. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]I'm with Nemm, the games make me excited for the story hour more than the session preparation [b]contact - Harlock [/b]:), absolutely. Some bits you just know you're going to hit it out of the park. [b]contact - [/b]Other bits, you hope that *they* will do something fun with. [b]contact - [/b]They usually do. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Here's an interesting question - JRandall - follow up question for other authors - is the length of a campaign tied to your satisfaction with running/playing in it? or can short campaign also be fun? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]for example, I never anticipated what EITHER group I ran through the small town zombie DM game would do with the zombie toddler... [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Anyone thought of a one shot Story Hour? [b]C_Baize - [/b]One offs can be a blast! [b]nemmerle - [/b]in my experience short campaign means either TPK or loss of interest, so I guess no [b]diaglo - [/b]I enjoy long term play...but I’m not opposed to one shots [b]jonrog1 - Harlock [/b]:)- Pulp Spycraft was a one-off [b]Piratecat [/b]- I also tend to design like "Raiders of the Lost Arc"... interesting and varied action every so often, with some pauses between them. different challenges, but ones that involve everyone and make them try new tactics. [b]Zad - [/b]JRandall - Well we definitely wouldn't be at it if we weren't enjoying it so I'd have to say yes. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Short campaigns, to me, are one-offs, usually. I like long games, with developing characters. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]and as I mentioned, my campaign is broken into "seasons" so I have a mix of long and short-term goals [b]contact - [/b]Raiders of the Lost Ark is my bible for good pacing. I think it's paced *perfectly*. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]the characters carry over from season to season, but the "big bads" change [b]Piratecat [/b]- We do lots of one-shots, but I’ve never written them up. Dr Midnight has done so quite often, especially with Feng Shui games. [b]nemmerle - [/b]Jon, that's the way to do it - except my players keep making short term goals into long ones [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]JRandall - Length of campaign is key for some games, but I've had big fun with short games too. My SH group tend to break up long stretches of my campaigns with two or three short 6-10 session games [b]WizarDru - [/b]I try to keep things to major storylines, but often the plot gets too involved for that to be more than a recommendation of the story. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]well, my PC's try, but if the NPC has a time-dependent agenda, it can control how long the PC's drag out a storyline [b]WizarDru - [/b]Question: Do you sometimes find the pressure of updating to be a serious chore, with regards to keeping a regular schedule? [b]nemmerle - [/b]right [b]contact - [/b]We also will play the NPCs within a storyline as "one-shots" that tie back into the larger arc. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Here's one from a Story Hour reader - Lela - Question: How do you prefer to handle Religion? From divine intervention/interaction to the more secular acts of the church. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]at the beginning of each season, I figure out the timeline for each villain plot if the PC's didn’t exist... [b]Harlock [/b]:)- (contact), that's a cool idea. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Absolutely. I hate the feeling of knowing that I'm behind on my updates. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]and if they bugger off, then the bad guys advance. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]Well folks, I gotta run now... See y'all later! and thanks for having me! [b]Zad - WizarDru - [/b]Not really. I find doing it on schedule makes it easier for me [b]contact - [/b]WizarDru-- I don't feel the pressure. When it's a chore, I ignore it. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- seeya KidCharlemagne and thanks [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Lela - I use the Scarred Lands pantheon, and its a great mix of physical worship and divine intervention [b]Piratecat [/b]- bye, rob! [b]nemmerle - [/b]Lela - does it serve the plot? but I doubt I’d ever do direct divine intervention as a storyline [b]nemmerle - [/b]just not my kind of fantasy [b]Piratecat [/b]- Lela, religion plays a major role in my campaign. [b]KidCharlemagne - [/b]buhbye! [b]contact - [/b]Lela, the gods are the biggest bad guys in my game(s). [b]Piratecat [/b]- It drives politics, motivations, and quite a few plots. [b]Zad - [/b]Lela - We have a number of religious issues in the game, and some characters are primarily driven by it. But the divine never seems to interfere with player choice or overshadow them [b]diaglo - WizarDru - [/b]never really had trouble with pacing [b]jonrog1 - [/b]divine intervention, no. but divine commentary, yes. My pc's sometimes have dreams that let them know just how bad they're screwing up ... [b]WizarDru - [/b]Lela - Religion is central to our game, what with divine politics taking up so much of the game. [b]C_Baize - [/b]Well.... time to fix dinner. It's been great, all. [b]contact - [/b]Religion and religious conflict are at the heart of both of my current SHs. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- thanks Hildulf! [b]jonrog1 - [/b]take care [b]WizarDru - [/b]Of course, some characters just want to kick the deities in the junk, but there you are. [b]diaglo - [/b]Lela - religion is a part of the game [b]Piratecat [/b]- One of the reasons that religion is so much fun is that it's tailor-made for nasty politics, and it produces zealots beautifully. [b]WizarDru - [/b]bye! [b]contact - [/b]Pantheonistic religion just lends itself to political plotlines. [b]nemmerle - [/b]the group's paladin has been dealing with a schism of monks of his order - and he is not sure which side is "right" yet [b]contact - [/b]That's the best, Nemm. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]yes, religion can give you cool shades of grey for your PCs to deal with [b]Harlock [/b]:)- This one could be fun - Pierce - how about_: Have there been happenings in your games that you considered inappropriate for your SH? [b]Piratecat [/b]- Contact's Liberators of Tenh are currently going up against Pholtus; it's beautiful. [b]diaglo - [/b]and places for them to spend their loot [b]contact - [/b]Pholtus is kicking their collective butts. [b]nemmerle - [/b]there was a ceremonial coupling in a druid grove. . . [b]nemmerle - [/b]in front of scores of bugbears [b]WizarDru - [/b]My deities tend to be aloof and distant, which makes them more than a little unpopular amongst the non-devout. In Destan's game, Destan would tell you how the Risen Gods are basically not very nice people. [b]nemmerle - [/b]with a captive woman [b]nemmerle - [/b]a-hem [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Pierce - Follow-up: How did you get around it? [b]Zad - [/b]Pierce - nope not really. Romantic encounters are handled off camera but that's more of an artistic choice. [b]WizarDru - [/b]iykwimaityd [b]Piratecat [/b]- Pierce, we usually hand wave over sex in the game. We've had both straight and gay/lesbian relationships between PCs and NPCs, but that can usually be summed up in a sentence or so. Graphic violence has never been a problem. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]pierce - recently. my gender-switched bard seduced a mad druid and poisoned him. roleplaying that, me as the druid flirting with my friend Denis .. errrg. [b]diaglo - [/b]Pierce - yes. but we did a fade to black [b]nemmerle - [/b]I just used suggestion [b]contact - [/b]omg pix? thx! [b]nemmerle - [/b]oh we also had a male rape [b]nemmerle - [/b]early on [b]jonrog1 - [/b]most romantic stuff, just a suggestion, nothing more. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Pulp Fiction fun. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- JRandall - on religion - do the players ever get uncomfortable because of in-character religious issues? [b]nemmerle - [/b]I was actually pretty graphic about that. . . but still did not violate the grandma rule [b]Piratecat [/b]- That happened in a game I was once in, and it caused a layer to quit. You have to be careful with those things. [b]Zad - [/b]JRandall - No it's really a central part of our game and we embrace it. [b]contact - [/b]JER-- I've never had that trouble. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Not in our game, no. I try to be mindful of my players’ beliefs, and it's usually handled as enough of an abstraction that I don't think it's ever been an issue. [b]nemmerle - [/b]PC - I warn my players there will be adult themes and it is never made into a joke [b]jonrog1 - [/b]JRandall - once, the player had a hard time reconciling his PC's religion with the group's overall tone. but I think that was more a player dynamic thing [b]diaglo - [/b]JRandall - I don't think so...but we don't talk RL religion if we can help it [b]nemmerle - [/b]I love my players for stuff like that [b]nemmerle - [/b]for being able to deal with it, that is [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Here's a spiffy question - Lela - Follow up: Good and Evil are easy to turn against each other. How do you handle turning good against good? [b]Piratecat [/b]- I have a player who doesn't usually play a cleric because they have real-life religious concerns. It's never been a problem. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]my group's a mix of southern Baptists, lapsed Catholics, etc, and we manage to get along fine. Working with a pantheon definitely steps it away form real life issues [b]Piratecat [/b]- Good vs. good is really interesting to do. I model a lot of that on real life. [b]Zad - [/b]Lela - Good folks don't always agree on the best course of action - all they need is different ideas on how to respond to the same problem. [b]nemmerle - [/b]I have more than one player WHO LOVES playing priests b/c in real life has no religious conviction and it is a neat thing to RP for him [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Lela - well, if I had a good party, I'd tackle that. :P [b]diaglo - [/b]Lela - read my story hour in the last 3 pages...2 good churches with separate agendas. [b]contact - [/b]Good vs. good is . . . well you know. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Again, two good churches clashing is understandable; so is good monarchs struggling over succession. [b]nemmerle - [/b]it has to do with agendas and do the ends justify the means? [b]WizarDru - [/b]Like I said, having splinter factions among LG characters was an interesting dilemma. The Gilden, head of the gold dragons and mentor to the players had been kidnapped. And the replacement chose inaction over open war and rescue...much to the players’ consternation. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I just did evil vs. evil, and THAT's fun. Who do you ally with when your enemies split up? To take on the greater evil, do you make your deal with the devil? [b]contact - [/b]Jonrog, did you put them in a position to have to? [b]Piratecat [/b]- Mine did, Jonrog. they chose to team up with the lesser evil and ran with it. [b]nemmerle - [/b]one of the villains in my game released some uber-powerful evil Drow witches from captivity b/c he knew the shockwave through Drow culture would retard their progress in war [b]nemmerle - [/b]the PCs disagreed with his tactics [b]jonrog1 - [/b]Well, they never HAVE to do anything. But it was one of those things, like real life "If we don't deal with this, this WILL come bite us in the butt later, because the really evil guys got too powerful..." [b]contact - [/b]So, you did. [b]Piratecat [/b]- We've tried to set one enemy against another in Sagiro's game, with mixed results. [b]diaglo - [/b]we ventured into the bane warrens...do you let the stuff out or keep it there? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]no, not at all. They could have moved easily out of the region where it would have affected them [b]contact - [/b]Heh. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- If you could sum up your Story Hour/campaign in one word; what would it be? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]and there were other plot options to handle the uber-problem of the approaching war. [b]diaglo - [/b]Funtastical [b]Zad - [/b]Evolving [b]nemmerle - [/b]Har - worth reading [b]nemmerle - [/b]I cheated. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- heh [b]contact - [/b]Cute. [b]Harlock [/b]:)- yes, I see that [b]jonrog1 - [/b]har - "Pulptastico." [b]WizarDru - [/b]ha! [b]Piratecat [/b]- Originally? Political. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Sounds like a Mexican wrestler. [b]WizarDru - [/b]Hey, is 'ass-kickin' one word or two? :-) [b]Piratecat [/b]- I am Pulptastico the Magnificent! Fear me! [b]nemmerle - [/b]Jon - yes and no, the war he was talking about was a long term thing - the party thought it could wait to be dealt with later by unforeseen means [b]jonrog1 - [/b]"you will never remove my mask! NEVER!" [b]Harlock [/b]:)- We have a few traditions in this channel regarding interviews, certain questions I am required to ask... So, do you like egg rolls? [b]contact - [/b]no. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Ehh. Not really. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]spring rolls [b]WizarDru - [/b]Hell Yeah. Joe's Peking Duck House, baby. [b]Zad - [/b]yup [b]nemmerle - [/b]if I’m famished [b]diaglo - [/b]with hot mustard [b]Harlock [/b]:)- right on diaglo! [b]nemmerle - [/b]I prefer pot-stickers [b]Piratecat [/b]- Me too. [b]contact - [/b]Mmm. Pot stickers. [b]nemmerle - [/b]speaking of which time for dinner [b]nemmerle - [/b]later all! [b]Piratecat [/b]- Now I'm hungry! [b]WizarDru - [/b]Mmm. Dim sum would be nice, right about now. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Thanks, everyone. This was fun! [b]jonrog1 - [/b]it certainly was. good luck all [b]diaglo - [/b]thanks gang [b]WizarDru - [/b]Yes, thanks a lot! [b]thatdarncat - [/b]Chicken balls and honey garlic chicken [b]thatdarncat - [/b]yum! [b]thatdarncat - [/b]thanks for coming guys [b]Harlock [/b]:)- heh, another channel tradition: Can each of you write a haiku about, player death? [b]jonrog1 - [/b]that’s 5 7 5 right? [b]Harlock [/b]:)- yip [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Even Chris Pramas had to do this [b]Harlock [/b]:)- heh, I love this gig. [b]diaglo - [/b]players die a lot / so they need to come prepared/ next time they know [b]WizarDru - [/b]My Silly Bolo. Tastes good in Barbecue Sauce. Don't do that Again. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Purple tentacles -- grab a hold of empty eyes -- opens like an egg. [b]Piratecat [/b]- Not a spoiler, honest. [b]Zad - [/b]In Gulthias lair, an evil mummy slew me, I bled a whole lot [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I curse the red die / fate has kick'd me in the junk / a one on my d20 [b]thatdarncat - [/b]o_o [b]jonrog1 - [/b]darn - I think that last one was off [b]Piratecat [/b]- JonRog, make "d20" into "die" [b]WizarDru - [/b]Shhh! Quiet, you fool. They're listening! [b]Harlock [/b]:)- heh [b]Piratecat [/b]- or "save" [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I curse the red die / fate has kick'd me in the junk/ I fail my save throw [b]jonrog1 - [/b]hmmm [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I may be at this all night [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Let's see, one more tradition, the Psionics question ... Do you guys use Psionics in your campaign? [b]Piratecat [/b]- "I just failed my save"? [b]WizarDru - Harlock [/b]:)....I assume a transcript will be made available later? [b]contact - [/b]A spray of red life / Bursting from your plate armor / Lost initiative [b]Harlock [/b]:)- WizarDru, it sure will! [b]jonrog1 - [/b]nice! [b]Piratecat [/b]- Psionics is a major part of my campaign. [b]contact - [/b]Psionics where it does [b]diaglo - [/b]No...never have...never will [b]WizarDru - [/b]Yes, yes we do. But not often. It's good for confusing the players. [b]contact - [/b]. . 't break the flavor of the game, yes. [b]Zad - Harlock [/b]:)- the bad guys have yes. No PC's but that's just by happenstance [b]jonrog1 - [/b]I may try the new Green Ronin feats skills Psi system. much yummy [b]Zad - [/b]I'm looking forward to April and the new system [b]Piratecat [/b]- Me too, Zad. [b]contact - [/b]Pimpin'! If you haven't read any of my SH's, but would like to, start here:[url]http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/show...&threadid=25093[/url] [b]contact - [/b]Thanks to everyone-- been fun. [b]Zad - [/b]Bye contact [b]Harlock [/b]:)- Yes, thank you all for coming, and remember this channel is always open! drop in any time! [b]Piratecat [/b]- One last thought: go read a story hour you've never looked at before! And when you do, comment. The author will love you for it. [b]diaglo - [/b]ciao [b]thatdarncat - [/b]later contact [b]Zad - [/b]What P-cat said! [b]WizarDru - [/b]what pc said. [b]jonrog1 - [/b]it has been, I need to go too -- talk to the grownups about the show. take care all [b]Harlock [/b]:)- seeya jonrog1 [b]Piratecat [/b]- thanks. bye! [b]Zad - [/b]Thanks very much - was an honor to be invited - good night all [b]Harlock [/b]:)- thanks again [b]diaglo - [/b]and I’m off also [b]Harlock [/b]:)- So, we're about done question wise. I'd just like to thank all the story hour authors who graced us with their presence. [/QUOTE]
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