Fellowship of the Witching Hour - Part I

[Dlsharrock]

The soldiers seem content to laugh, chat and enjoy themselves at the bar. They don't look like they're intent on causing any trouble.

[SBLOCK=OOC Everyone]I've noticed PCs addressing other PCs but not getting a response. This is actually pretty common IME so don't feel too bad about it. As may not surprise you iin the slightest I have a remedy which I've used in previous games When your PC directs a question at another PC, use this tag:

<response name>

where name is the name of the PC (not the player) you're directing your question at. Response tags aren't necessary for comments or rhetorical questions. If your question is directed at anyone, use

<response any?>

An example:

"A pleasure to meet you, miss Sam, I have heard about this Fellowship of yours, that you gather to discuss mysteries, anomalies and unexplained phenomena, is that correct?"

<response Sam?>

In past games I've found this tag helps players determine what they need to deal with in their turn. With the sequence method of playing it's kinda important to respond to other PC questions if they're directed at you because if you don't it seems like your PC is deliberately ignoring their PC, whereas you may just have missed the question. It may also mean, in some cases, that the other player has nothing to do in the next round if your answer was going to determine how they acted.

As always, questions, confusions, let me know[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK=Initiative Reminder]greenstar
Bialaska
Lucean
Kookalouris
Dlsharrock
[/SBLOCK]

greenstar​

 

[greenstar]

"Phillip, this is Megan Archer-Davies. Megan Archer-Davies this is Phillip. She wants to join the group I think."

Bialaska​

 

[Bialaska]

Megan looks at Arabella.

"Sweetie, I did not say I wanted to join, I have simply just expressed my desire to know more. Whether or not I will join depend on the group. Truly I possess an interest in the matters, yet I do not yet know any members." Megan says, using the same overbearing tone one uses when they explain things to a child.


With that said, she gives Philip a nod. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Philip. I understand that you too are a member of this Fellowship?"

She casts a glance in the direction of Sam, still expecting some answer to her previous question.

[SBLOCK=OOC - Responses wanted]I'd like responses from greenstar, Lucean and Kook (on the question from last post, not this one)[/SBLOCK]

Lucean​

 

[Lucean]

"I join the discussion from time to time." Phillip kept his eyes on the new woman, not as suspicious as with Cara, but not exactly comfortable either. After a moment he looked to his side at Sam.

"This has been a busy night for you, Sam. The second person to ask after out little group and the army boys to keep your bar running. You must be plenty pleased at the moment."

[SBLOCK] Phillip came in after the question was asked by Megan, so he wouldn't know to answer it. [/SBLOCK]

kookalouris​

 

[Dlsharrock]

[SBLOCK=OOC Everyone]As each new person arrives at the table they will notice a rather scruffy looking scarf lying in the middle of the table[/SBLOCK]

kookalouris​

 

[kookalouris]

An apolgetic Sam...

Sam nodded to Megan and began to talk about the Witching Hour with real enthusiasm.

As Phillip tells Sam about Cara leaving, Sam smiles, trying to convey affection for Phillip despite their recent tiff.

Once Sam realized that the soldiers were merely exuberant, she relaxed and began to fully concentrate on the bar and the guests she was so surely neglecting.

"Phillip, I am pleased at the business but I feel I may have hurt some feelings over it and that worries me more."

"Megan, our group meets to discuss what is unknown and what is unknowable, I suppose what most people might call the occult. That is essentially us in a nutshell. Everything else is pretty much how we go about discussing the unexplained."

Sam's eyes fell on the scarf itself. Having not left the table recently, Sam had no idea how it had gotten there. Given her memory 'troubles', she was simply willing to accept that she didn't remember the mysterious garment being placed nearby. Sam decided to ignore the scarf unless it invoked a reaction from others.

[sblock=OOC for all]
My apologies to the group in general and Blalaska in particular for not having Sam answer Megan's question. I will pay closer attention to the posts.

How would we like to handle IC topics that would involve knowledge sharing but not especially character development? Should conversations be explicitly posted or can a general reference to a conversation be made? For example, Sam has to describe what is really in the fish stew to her customers. Should the ingredients be stated in text or alluded to? In a sense, this is the textual equivalent of sharp or soft focus, both flavor the game in different ways.

Let me know what y'all think.

Gerry
[/SBLOCK]

Disharrock​

 

[Dlsharrock]

[SBLOCK=OOC Everyone]

How would we like to handle IC topics that would involve knowledge sharing but not especially character development? Should conversations be explicitly posted or can a general reference to a conversation be made? For example, Sam has to describe what is really in the fish stew to her customers. Should the ingredients be stated in text or alluded to? In a sense, this is the textual equivalent of sharp or soft focus, both flavor the game in different ways.

Feel free to switch between them as you see fit. I myself refer to this as zoomed in or zoomed out play.

A good example is one of Lucean's previous posts in which he told me what Philip intended to do using a 'broad brushstroke' rather than detail Philip's actions in minutai.

A broader description with less detail makes for a faster moving game but usually at the expense of character exploration. It's a good technique to use when players need to make a combined decision about something, where you want to discuss IC a certain matter without discussing it in tiniest detail, or where you want to let the Keeper know what your PC intends to do over the course of, say, a whole day, or a week.

If the group don't venture out tonight, I intend to use this latter method to determine how individual investigators will spend the next week until the next WH meeting. This will obviously give everyone a chance to do research, visit people involved in pertinent rumours, shop for equipment, and, basically, do anything else they'd like to do outside the restrictions of zoomed in character play.

So there are varying degrees of zooming in and out. Sometimes I'll instigate a change of pace, but players should also feel free to set the pace themselves if they feel conversation or close up details are causing the game to grow stale.

Questions, confusions let me know [/SBLOCK]
The atmosphere in the bar remains pleasantly calm. Another pair of customers bustle in from outside, a young couple (probably students) shivering in the doorway as they survey the layout with obvious distaste. Seconds later they turn and leave. The soldiers, meanwhile, take seats at a table behind one of the large pillars where they continue their revelry.

greenstar​

 

[greenstar]

Arabella shrugs and says to Megan "It was a safe guess to make. We talk about the occult and you said you were interested in it." She pays no attention to the ratty scarf on the table.

Bialaska​

 

[Bialaska]

Megan gives a faint smile to the members of the Fellowship.

"Dears, I do have an interest in that which cannot be explained, the occult and generally just mysterious. Before I shall officially join though, I do ask to hear more about the subjects that you are discussing currently."

Lucean​

 

[Lucean]

"Rumors." Phillip glanced at Sam, giving her a small grin to inmply that everything was alright between them. "Nothing more. Of cars having spirits and other such stories." Tilting his head slightly to the right, he looked back at Megan. The scarf attracted little attention from him, most likely belonged to the woman sitting at the table.

kookalouris​