Goblyns Hoard
First Post
ENWorlders - Me & my players (with the exception of my partner) all live fairly distant from each other and don't get the opportunity to game very often. I've set this thread up to discuss somethings that need to be resolved prior to the next game. I set it up here as I couldn't see anywhere else that was more appropriate. Feel free to read through and respond but can I request that you wait until after my players have posted so they can at least direct the main response to the query - Cheers all.
The Hoard
The Issue of Indigo
As we are all aware Indigo’s actions in the last session were somewhat hot-headed not to mention illegal. Given the situation and the overall result Jimmi has raised the idea of Indigo ‘going away’. The idea is that this would be for a limited period of time and that Indigo would later return to the game (whether that is in Arados or not is unimportant at this stage). In doing so it allows Jimmi the opportunity to change Indigo in order to fit him back into the setting a bit more. The analogy he made was of Oz in Buffy - going away to come back changed (hopefuly more successfully than Oz did).
In order for Indigo to disappear we have to consider how we continue the game in the meantime. I can see two options:
1- We skip ahead a period of time (let’s say about 3 months) and Indigo returns in whatever form is decided. So the next session we go through 3 months downtime and then start up with Indigo's return.
2- Jimmi plays a temporary character for a few sessions then Indigo returns.
There is of course the 3rd option of the permanent retirement of Indigo - but let's see if we can avoid that in the first instance and only consider it as needed.
So I set up this thread for us to be able to all discuss these issues together rather than trying to have lots of separate conversations about it. I’d like your thoughts on what you think of the options presented, any implications on the game as you see it and on your character as he stands at the moment, your preference for going forward, and any other options you can think of for smoothing out the flow of the game.
My thoughts:
Game issues:
1- I don’t think that we get together often enough for a temporary character to work – for Indigo to disappear it would need to be for several sessions at least – which could translate into a year or two playing time, and who knows what will have happened by then! Personally I’d rather go for the downtime option.
2- Even though Jimmi is soon going to be moving down to Leighton I don’t want to run separate adventures for him that would cover Indigo’s development – that would not be fair on the others in the group (in terms of XP or in terms of character knowledge/development).
3- The rate at which adventures have been happening recently has been fairly rapid – it’s been just a couple of weeks since you all arrived in Arados (less for Ziggy obviously). However the overall plot line is at a point where we could put in a gap without affecting the main storyline.
4- If we were to have such a gap I would need to get a good idea of what each character would be doing in that time in order to fill out the time. I’d rather not have everyone ‘just hanging around’.
Character issues:
1- Indigo – ultimately there are two ways in which Indigo could disappear – actually leaving the area and then coming back, or being put into indentured imprisonment (prison work camp). If he was to disappear then upon his return he would still be ‘wanted’ for his crimes against Hern, which would therefore still have in-game consequences.
2- Ziggy – having just arrived and been put in a situation that wasn’t exactly what he envisaged, I get the feeling that Ziggy needs to be played rather than given downtime. I have a little more trouble seeing him fitting in to the working structure of the local mages. Now that could be written into the down-time but that’s really going to be your call Ray. I can see Yaris and Clive fitting in a little more easily (in or out of town that is).
3- Yaris – I don’t see a lot of problems, he has a grove to create and tend, the local farmers to help in the planting of crops etc. Possibly even some investigation of the local wildlife (the giant worm, the differences between the demonic and natural giant spiders, maybe even the local dragons). However I would like to avoid the ‘just hanging around’ scenario and have Yaris actively doing things during the downtime.
4- Clive – I don’t imagine any problems with Clive hanging around but I have a little more trouble imagining what he would be doing in the intermittent time. Helping rebuild Arados is an option, but as with Yaris I would like to see something more active and any thoughts you have on that Chull would be great.
Second thing: Game style
If Indigo is to disappear and then return – the manner in which he returns will obviously have an impact on the game. If he is to change in a way that made him more likely to toe the line with the mages then obviously less problems in maintaining the party and the game. If he was to return in the complete opposite then there could be serious implications on the style of the game and the other members of the party.
Now I don’t want to tell Jimmi how to develop his character – but I would like to get some idea from the rest of you about what sort of game you’d like to see being played. Are you alright with the “Heroes in a small town” game which I originally designed around – do you want to continue in that style or would you like to see a change? If you do then let me know what you’d like to see. Given the current situation I can see Indigo (possibly with Yaris) sliding into a Robin Hood-like role against Krysteel’s Sheriff of Nottingham, but getting Ziggy and Clive into the same role would be more difficult. However I’m fairly certain I could make that twist if everyone agreed on it being the way they want to go. Alternatively it could be morphed into “Fugitives on the run”, “Soldiers at war” or “Trapped under the mountain” scenarios.
Let everyone know what you think and if we can come to some consensus about where we want to take the game then I’ll see what I can do about adapting the game accordingly. Feel free to throw out whatever you’d like to see – but be aware that we’ll need everyone to agree to a style before I’m going to take it up. And don’t worry about whether or not the current situation caters to what you’d like to play – things can be changed fairly easily. That said I will not be agreeing to take Hern into anything I consider to be just silly or too dark – that’s not what I want this part of the world to be. We can start a different game for that sort of thing if it’s the consensus.
The Hoard
The Issue of Indigo
As we are all aware Indigo’s actions in the last session were somewhat hot-headed not to mention illegal. Given the situation and the overall result Jimmi has raised the idea of Indigo ‘going away’. The idea is that this would be for a limited period of time and that Indigo would later return to the game (whether that is in Arados or not is unimportant at this stage). In doing so it allows Jimmi the opportunity to change Indigo in order to fit him back into the setting a bit more. The analogy he made was of Oz in Buffy - going away to come back changed (hopefuly more successfully than Oz did).
In order for Indigo to disappear we have to consider how we continue the game in the meantime. I can see two options:
1- We skip ahead a period of time (let’s say about 3 months) and Indigo returns in whatever form is decided. So the next session we go through 3 months downtime and then start up with Indigo's return.
2- Jimmi plays a temporary character for a few sessions then Indigo returns.
There is of course the 3rd option of the permanent retirement of Indigo - but let's see if we can avoid that in the first instance and only consider it as needed.
So I set up this thread for us to be able to all discuss these issues together rather than trying to have lots of separate conversations about it. I’d like your thoughts on what you think of the options presented, any implications on the game as you see it and on your character as he stands at the moment, your preference for going forward, and any other options you can think of for smoothing out the flow of the game.
My thoughts:
Game issues:
1- I don’t think that we get together often enough for a temporary character to work – for Indigo to disappear it would need to be for several sessions at least – which could translate into a year or two playing time, and who knows what will have happened by then! Personally I’d rather go for the downtime option.
2- Even though Jimmi is soon going to be moving down to Leighton I don’t want to run separate adventures for him that would cover Indigo’s development – that would not be fair on the others in the group (in terms of XP or in terms of character knowledge/development).
3- The rate at which adventures have been happening recently has been fairly rapid – it’s been just a couple of weeks since you all arrived in Arados (less for Ziggy obviously). However the overall plot line is at a point where we could put in a gap without affecting the main storyline.
4- If we were to have such a gap I would need to get a good idea of what each character would be doing in that time in order to fill out the time. I’d rather not have everyone ‘just hanging around’.
Character issues:
1- Indigo – ultimately there are two ways in which Indigo could disappear – actually leaving the area and then coming back, or being put into indentured imprisonment (prison work camp). If he was to disappear then upon his return he would still be ‘wanted’ for his crimes against Hern, which would therefore still have in-game consequences.
2- Ziggy – having just arrived and been put in a situation that wasn’t exactly what he envisaged, I get the feeling that Ziggy needs to be played rather than given downtime. I have a little more trouble seeing him fitting in to the working structure of the local mages. Now that could be written into the down-time but that’s really going to be your call Ray. I can see Yaris and Clive fitting in a little more easily (in or out of town that is).
3- Yaris – I don’t see a lot of problems, he has a grove to create and tend, the local farmers to help in the planting of crops etc. Possibly even some investigation of the local wildlife (the giant worm, the differences between the demonic and natural giant spiders, maybe even the local dragons). However I would like to avoid the ‘just hanging around’ scenario and have Yaris actively doing things during the downtime.
4- Clive – I don’t imagine any problems with Clive hanging around but I have a little more trouble imagining what he would be doing in the intermittent time. Helping rebuild Arados is an option, but as with Yaris I would like to see something more active and any thoughts you have on that Chull would be great.
Second thing: Game style
If Indigo is to disappear and then return – the manner in which he returns will obviously have an impact on the game. If he is to change in a way that made him more likely to toe the line with the mages then obviously less problems in maintaining the party and the game. If he was to return in the complete opposite then there could be serious implications on the style of the game and the other members of the party.
Now I don’t want to tell Jimmi how to develop his character – but I would like to get some idea from the rest of you about what sort of game you’d like to see being played. Are you alright with the “Heroes in a small town” game which I originally designed around – do you want to continue in that style or would you like to see a change? If you do then let me know what you’d like to see. Given the current situation I can see Indigo (possibly with Yaris) sliding into a Robin Hood-like role against Krysteel’s Sheriff of Nottingham, but getting Ziggy and Clive into the same role would be more difficult. However I’m fairly certain I could make that twist if everyone agreed on it being the way they want to go. Alternatively it could be morphed into “Fugitives on the run”, “Soldiers at war” or “Trapped under the mountain” scenarios.
Let everyone know what you think and if we can come to some consensus about where we want to take the game then I’ll see what I can do about adapting the game accordingly. Feel free to throw out whatever you’d like to see – but be aware that we’ll need everyone to agree to a style before I’m going to take it up. And don’t worry about whether or not the current situation caters to what you’d like to play – things can be changed fairly easily. That said I will not be agreeing to take Hern into anything I consider to be just silly or too dark – that’s not what I want this part of the world to be. We can start a different game for that sort of thing if it’s the consensus.
