We are asked for initiative rolls and an action; I am used to the more give-and-take of talking. Then I saw KS (Solace's) excellent post. I had been unclear what I was supposed to do.
Right, so we're actually in a slightly abnormal pattern right now in the IC. Normally, it would be very, very clear when I call for initiative that combat is about to start. Here, I
think there's a good possibility combat is likely to start, but have allowed in my own mind for the chance that we won't enter combat. We're in that gray area between an "encounter" and "combat." We won't often be in this kind of a gray area, and in some ways it sort of stinks that you and Yavathol's first experience with initiative rounds in a PbP environment will be a non-standard one. That's ok though, we'll sort through it.
See, in my head, what I had planned to do was this-
1. Move to the gate quickly. (High Monk Movement)
2. Simultaneously ask for Stool's help in target identification (worth a shot)
3. Then nail the gate guard (specifically, kick + 1 ki flurry of blows = 2 attacks, with each hit, he must save or be knocked prone)
This is all fine. I don't think Brinn is first up on init, so you can hold on to all these good thoughts and actions and wait to declare. My calling for "an action" along with the init roll from everyone was mostly to just give me a preliminary idea whether someone was going to go on the overt offensive and attack, or if the group intended to deal with a potential encounter in another way. Either option (or some third, fourth, or fifth option I hadn't considered) would be fine. Again, this isn't usual practice. Usually, it's clear what the intent and goals are. It's like how Justice Stewart, talking about porn in
Jacobellis v. Ohio, said, "I know it when I see it." Normally, you know combat is about to occur when you see it. It's less clear here, though, and that's ok.
What you posted in the IC ("Brinn moves toward the gate") is pretty much dead on what I was looking for. So you hit the nail on the head--you let me know approximately where you want your character to be positioned, and indicated you're in a holding pattern for the moment. Works for me.
One way I could have made this clearer was to call for init but NOT call for an action with the init roll. That would probably have been clearer, but it would also probably have taken a little more time because once I had init, I would've had to start calling for actions. What I was thinking, possibly erroneously, was that I'd call for actions and at least have a starting place to get the ball rolling in earnest on initiative rounds.
More questions?
