General Discussion Thread X

[Knight Otu]

What about giving me the GM credits that doghead dropped? I never expected to get the normal XP (though it would be nice), but I'm feeling pretty bummed because I (incorrectly) expected to at least get those GM credits. This is a pretty unusual circumstance, I think--it wasn't like I made an adventure and brought along Zaeryl as an NPC.

I'm not sure where you got the idea that Zaeryl is not subject to losing XP or items? I've already killed Zaeryl's horse, actually--I'm not sure if he's going to survive. If he dies, I guess none of this matters anyway.

As I mentioned before, this is an unique circumstance and we should treat it as such (and maybe take precautions that it stays unique?). The granting of time XP is the simplest idea, but it came up before we knew exactly what you'd lose for your jumping in. Bront has also suggested encounter XP, while B4cchus suggested Cohort XP (compared to whom?).

 

[Patlin]

We can probably wait on this until after the adventure finishes, though I guess a head start is never bad. Honestly, 150 additional XP for giving time XP is negligible. It isn't even worth the fuss to get the judges to vote to approve it.

As I mentioned before, this is an unique circumstance and we should treat it as such (and maybe take precautions that it stays unique?). The granting of time XP is the simplest idea, but it came up before we knew exactly what you'd lose for your jumping in. Bront has also suggested encounter XP, while B4cchus suggested Cohort XP (compared to whom?).

Perhaps KO would be willing to be the Judge for the portion of the adventure run by RA, and we could assign him the task of coming up with an independent award for Zaeryl based on all the circumstances?

I'm not sure where you got the idea that Zaeryl is not subject to losing XP or items? I've already killed Zaeryl's horse, actually--I'm not sure if he's going to survive. If he dies, I guess none of this matters anyway.

An erroneous conclusion based on my own DMing habits for face to face games when a player misses a session. I usually make sure that nothing much (good or bad) happens to a PC while the player isn't around. As you can't act as player and DM at the same time, I'm considering the situations as similar. I suppose I'm just projecting my own habits on you, sorry for making assumptions.

 

[SlagMortar]

The source of the Zaeryl's XP problem is that Rystil picked up DMing an dying adventure he was playing in. I think it is worth encouraging players to pick up DMing a dying adventure if the judge doesn't have time for it so perhaps this should not be looked at as a unique case. After all, the players have been following along from the beginning so have a better idea of what is going on than anyone else.

I haven't read the specifics of this case, but I see a two possible methods for a player becoming the DM under the current rules.
1. DM's character departs from the adventure.
Advantages: No one has to worry about conflicts of interest. PC is freed up to participate in another adventure.
Disadvantages: Can cause story problems, or require completely unbelieveable circumstances for the character to leave.
2. DM's character continues in the adventure as a PC.
Advantages: Story is stays on track.
Disadvantages: DM's PC receives no experience or treasure. Possible conflicts of interest.

Neither of these really encourages a player to pick up DMing a dying game, which probably has something to do with why Rystil has been the only one to do it so far.

Perhaps it makes sense to have some kind of reward, though having it be independent of the rewards the other PC's receive ingame might be a good idea.

 

[Erekose13]

Another option which was implemented when LiquidBlue left. I was Judging both his adventures, and was unable to DM both when he left. I asked for help from among the judges to take over one of his adventures. Perhaps in future cases where both the DM and judge are not able to continue DMing it should fall to the other judges to pick the game up. This is a very rare case where the initial judge cannot continue DMing so the burden to the pool of judges should be relatively minimal.

 

[Velmont]

I think, even a none judge could possibly take back the adventure with a judge approval.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Another option which was implemented when LiquidBlue left. I was Judging both his adventures, and was unable to DM both when he left. I asked for help from among the judges to take over one of his adventures. Perhaps in future cases where both the DM and judge are not able to continue DMing it should fall to the other judges to pick the game up. This is a very rare case where the initial judge cannot continue DMing so the burden to the pool of judges should be relatively minimal.

The tricky part was that nobody wanted to read through ~2000 posts and figure out what was going on in the adventure and make up their own twist ending (doghead only told El Jefe, who was gone at the time). We were probably about a day or two away from everyone just abandoning when I took up the adventure, and I could only do so because I had already been playing in it so I knew everything presented in the adventure thread already (and just made up the ending). I wouldn't have wished the task of reading everything and inventing the ending on any judge

 

[Rystil Arden]

As I mentioned before, this is an unique circumstance and we should treat it as such (and maybe take precautions that it stays unique?). The granting of time XP is the simplest idea, but it came up before we knew exactly what you'd lose for your jumping in. Bront has also suggested encounter XP, while B4cchus suggested Cohort XP (compared to whom?).

I agree with you that it should be treated as unique--as far as I know, it hasn't even come close to occurring more than this once in all of LEW's history. I would like Bront's idea very much, of course.

 

[Rystil Arden]

An erroneous conclusion based on my own DMing habits for face to face games when a player misses a session. I usually make sure that nothing much (good or bad) happens to a PC while the player isn't around. As you can't act as player and DM at the same time, I'm considering the situations as similar. I suppose I'm just projecting my own habits on you, sorry for making assumptions.

Ah. Nope--I do it the opposite. I've killed the characters of players who don't show up many a time. I feel slightly bad about it, but the dice fall as they may. With Zaeryl, I wouldn't feel bad at all about killing him because it can't cause some other person who missed the game any hard feelings since it only affects me. Zaeryl plays by the same rules as every other player.

 

[Velmont]

Ah. Nope--I do it the opposite. I've killed the characters of players who don't show up many a time. I feel slightly bad about it, but the dice fall as they may. With Zaeryl, I wouldn't feel bad at all about killing him because it can't cause some other person who missed the game any hard feelings since it only affects me. Zaeryl plays by the same rules as every other player.

In my tabletop group, whe you are not there, you have an immunity to death, but generally, teh DM try to find a convincing reason why the missing character is not with the group. But as it doesn't always work, so sometimes, the PC NPCed follow teh group, try to be as much in teh background as possible and the master try to not kill him (exception, total character wipe out). I think I've lost enough character like that in game because of lot's of bad luck and a few bad decision, having my character get killed when I'm not there would have been too much. Come on! I know how to kill myself, I don't need teh master help

 

[Manzanita]

I know of at least two other cases on the 'playing the game' board where a player took over as DM after the initial DM disapeared. Sounds like RA did the right thing. It is often difficult to motivate oneself to read a long thread in order to take it over. Often, even after you read it, you still don't know what to do with it. Whereas a player who's been with it all along is more likely to have developed a theory or two. We shouldn't assume this would be the last occurance of this situation.

Each situation might still be different, depending upon, among other things, how long the player ends up running the adventure as DM. I'm happy to delegate the decision to the judge who takes over as judge for that particular adventure, who can work it out with the player/DM.

Erekose, are you still my judge for L2? It's done now.