Play@YSDC

For all those out of game and character discussions.

Thanks for your patience guys. Weekends are a notoriously tough time for me to post. I'm typically running between kids appointments and doing the wife's bidding. That said, I'll get my character rolled up today.

So I'm already confused. All we do if roll, type out the number, and thats it? We dont do anything until we're called up? :/

CrowTheAlmighty wrote:So I'm already confused. All we do if roll, type out the number, and thats it? We dont do anything until we're called up? :/

Once the driver of the car, Thomas Furman, has made his Auto roll the game really starts. Until then there is nothing any of you may do, you are, so to speak, simply passengers.
However rest assured once the game gets going there will be ample occasions for you to do more than roll dice. Think of the internet as the table, but remember that things that take moments in table top play can take ages on the net. PbP has the advantage of allowing a player to consider his actions before commiting, but, also has the disadvantage of time delay.

colour ok I wrote the word Highlighted it went to the font colour and clicked on it.but last time I tried it wasnt visible in preview

ok it looks like it worked
Barty said "Sorry to appear to be such a dimwit chaps"

So I realized that you guys are awake more then 5 hours earlier then me! Because I see some of you posted at 3 am my time.. Would it be possible that you guys dont go so far ahead of me? If not its ok

Well that's the tricky bit of online games. How far ahead of you is too far?

In this case, the action that took place in between your posts was the young girl was escorted back to the car. I don't think that's terribly far ahead. We certainly want to be sensitive to everyone's ability to post, but I can speak from experience when I say that online games are by their very natures very slow moving things. And if it's not kept moving rather briskly the simplest of tasks can stretch out into week-long affairs.

I can sympathize with your sentiment by the way. As I said earlier, I typically find it difficult to post on weekends. And it's not unusual that I return Monday mornings to find the scenario having dramatically shifted. But usually I sort of respond to the new set of circumstances.

Those are my two cents on the matter. As Priest is the Keeper here, I'd suggest leaving the solution up to him. Some Keeper's enforce strict posting orders to allow everyone a turn. Others are more free flow. I prefer the latter, but as I said, it's not my call.

I think its a problem of PBP.
I am a shift worker and there will be times when I cannot get on here when you guys can and other times like now when I have a day or two off work with no other commitments.
We havn't got very far as yet,so imagine for now you are just standing back quietly watching events

I think perhaps that we should all agree to post here if we are going to be unavailable and give an idea of what we want to do ,for instance,I will go along with the group and the keeper can make my rolls.......I think Priest is obviously a very experienced Keeper and will handle everything well

By the way,I am a beginner at this but I have roleplayed now and then and I must say that I am very pleased with the way all you guys are really getting into the character of the Cthulhu game (Nothing worse than playing a horror game with smartass comedians)

I think this is going to be great fun,small issues aside

Barry

"Don't panic Mr Manwaring" to borrow a quote from an old British comedy programme, I will not allow the game to advance too far without involvement of all players.
Like jb I know only too well the problems of PbP when tackling different players time commitment as well as the horrors of time zones. I find it worst when I'm the only British player amongst a cast of Americans. When I get online often I'm rushing just to keep up.
I, like other online keepers, have to walk a very fine line. Do I hold three players back so that the fourth has time to post, or do I respond to the needs of the majority and thereby risk losing that fourth player to boredom and eventual disillusionment - difficult.
But do not worry, so far mere seconds have passed gametime, in which the female has been led from the road to the car. Now moving the female to another location is something that will not happen until all are up to speed.

Barty has,as a journeyman Antiquarian Appraise(40) and also Art and Craft(50)and History(50)
I would like to try to use these skills to attempt to fathom any helpfull information about the medallion

Just as an aside to earlier conversation about the nature of PbP and time. My 'Leagues of Adventures' game 'The Dragons of London' started on the 7th October last year and this is a introductory scenario of which the official blurb says lasts about 4 hours.
My problem is I tend to embellish bits and allow the characters to go where they will.

Quite a time to make my first decent roll of the game.......
I shall look in the rules to see if that might gain me some experience points or something.......(I am assuming it was the required roll?)
To let you guys know.......Dr.Forfitt is going to be a special connection(person)to Barty.........He is based on my best friend and while he will be an NPC for now......he may,with the keepers permission,and if I can persuade him to get involved,play some small or large part in the campaign........if we last the night.........lol
I will load him up with intelligence and Doctory stuff

Okay Barty,
Your History roll of 14 was successful, but not your appraise of 62. I will check your History skill on your character to show a successful roll for potential increase at the close of the game, assuming your character is still alive.
You are correct both rolls were required. However when you make the roll please provide a link to the roller where the roll was made for example; if rolling on Invisible castle
1d100 → [84] = (84) http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4683202/
There are no experience points as in other games. CoC uses a system whereby a character may improve his successful skills between games by rolling for them.

Another question. Is it possible for players to decide when they perform a roll? Like I could say Tobias began to look around then I perform a Spot Hidden roll on my own accord

CrowTheAlmighty wrote:Another question. Is it possible for players to decide when they perform a roll? Like I could say Tobias began to look around then I perform a Spot Hidden roll on my own accord

You may if you think its valid to try, after all you will have a better idea of your characters abilities than me.

I registered on Invisible Castle, but have had no confirmation about my account
What can you tell me about this system
I presume you want to check that people are being honest when they inform you of their dice scores.Is there any other advantage of using it?

Barty Carter wrote:I registered on Invisible Castle, but have had no confirmation about my account
What can you tell me about this system
I presume you want to check that people are being honest when they inform you of their dice scores.Is there any other advantage of using it?

I have heard others moaning about the registration for Invisible Castle. I seem to recall I had fun with it when I first registered, can't remember how I got round it now.
I would try the http://orokos.com/roll/ I don't think you will have any trouble there.

Guys, I used Spot Hidden. I need to wait for Priest :/

Hello guys
I would like to mention a couple of things
The first is to clear up a small mistake about the car we are in
Now please dont think I am being arrogant in anyway, I just hope this helps
I used to be quite into hotrods,so I know a very little about 20's and 30's Fords
I believe we are in a model "A" and I can only imagine,because of our numbers and luggage that we are in a saloon These did not have a rumble seat,which was basically a small bench seat accessed by lifting the boot lid of a coupe(I guess the equivelent of a modern sport car with tiny rear seat accom')
hope that clears up some confusion

I have joined "Roll20" which is a free online "virtual gaming table"
I dont know anymore than that yet.It would be great it we could get together onlin sometime for a session.
Do any of you guys know anything about Google Hangouts?
I have watched some sessions of a game called "The One Ring" and it looks great fun...............maybe this part should be posted in the lounge

anyway guys,thats my twopenn'rth for now........looking forward to todays session
Barry

I have registered with Orokos
In case anyone else does this,it is very easy to register.........but when rolling dice make sure you put in the number of dice to be rolled even if it is one

So Priest,what do you need to know to check rolls?

Barty, I am not registered with Orokos but if it's like IC after youve rolled the dice it will show the result. Just copy the link and paste it with your post.
Vertigoke used it to generate his luck dice in the character creation thread have a look there. As for Roll20 I am registered there too, but have no real understanding of its mechanics.

Crow, I saw that you had rolled a Spot Hidden (just in case) but ther was nothing to see in, or around the truck, other than what I had told you. If there had been something extra you would have seen it. Me bad, I should have said .

Hi - I've enabled dice in this forum, hope that helps.

sorry for my slacking guys. I got hit by influenza. unable to get out of bed for 2 days
going to catch up tomorrow

hope you feel better soon!

Apologies all. We've had a sudden rash of inlaws so computer time has been limited. Will try and update tonight, if not will do tomorrow

Ok, seriously?! Did you not see my over 60 roll?! How did I not see anything?!

A successful roll is when you roll UNDER your skill rating. Not sure what your char's Spot Hidden skill is set at but if it's 20% you'd need to roll under 20 to see anything.

........ That is utter bullshit

Priest. Do you not want me here? Why must my character be ignored every second?!

LoL
You owe Priest an apology
Unless you use some points to add to your base spot hidden skill you need to roll UNDER 25% to spot something and that is not bullshit my friend........Please read the rules
Personally I play games like this for enjoyment and to make new friends so I am not interested in playing with someone so aggresive.
I have enough stress dealing with nasty people at work ,I don't need it here as well............I suggest you leave the game
Barry

I apologise (to Priest) for jumping in here, something I have never had the requirement to do before. I've been following this game as the new CoC rules are of interest to me - having read the recent comments on this thread I feel I have to intervene.

This message is addressed, primarily to Crow and Barty.

Both of your recent posts are inflammatory, unwarranted and rude - something that cannot go unchecked.

Crow - jbibblesworth is correct - successful rolls have to be equal to or under the appropriate skill. Also rolls may be subject to modification by the Keeper based upon a level of difficulty that they arbitrarily set - this is a game mechanic. Please so not use inflammatory language again - if you think something is wrong then just state the case, explaining why or what you feel is wrong - then The Keeper (Priest) can address it for you.

Barty - Your comments are not helpful in the slightest - do not suggest to someone to 'leave the game' in future. As above... if there are any issues (however badly worded) let the person running the game sort it out.

If you have any issues with my comments then feel free to take them up with me directly.

Gentlemen
Regretfully it seems that my response to Crows accusation that Priest is talking "Bullshit" by pointing out Crows mistake in understanding of the rules has earned me a rebuke from higher powers.
I used the word bullshit myself,because that was the word Crow used and I was trying to point out to him the error of his ways.

I am a London Bus Driver and last night someone tried to kick in the doors of my bus to try to attack me after I closed the doors of my full bus at a bustop.I was in traffic and he continued to pound on the glass doors,until I was able to get moving.........not very pleasent,I assure you
Later,on the same trip I also had to deal with two agressive children who were playing football on the top deck of the same full bus ofcourse nobody else did anything except complain to me. As we all know adults are now allmost powerless to deal with such behaviour and after work last night I was left very depressed
I know this is probably of no concern to any of you, but I got home hoping to get onto the computer and chill out ,enjoying this game

I come on here and find Crows post..........the same kind of aggressive ignorant behaviour I come here to avoid

For the time being I will withdraw from the game
I am sorry to disrupt your enjoyment

Barry

Kay lets stop this before it turns to tears.
Under CoC rules, whatever the edition, a roll needs to be under or equal to your skill/attribute. So if you have a spot hidden of 25% you need to roll under or equal to 25 on a d100. The new, 7th edition, introduces different levels of difficulty;
"A regular task requires a roll of equal to or less than your skill value on 1D100 (a regular success). A difficult task requires a roll result equal to or less than half your skill value (a hard success). A task approaching the limits of human capability requires a roll equal to or less than one-fifth of your skill value (an extreme success)." ( Quick Start Rules p.13)

The required roll was a Hard Spot Hidden, needing a roll equal or less than half the base skill for Crow's character this would be 13 or less (Spot Hidden base 25% - hard 50% = 13%) Crow rolled 68 failed.

The rule is simple on the tabletop or on the forum it is the same.
By acting like children you have incurred the wrath of the administration. The choice is simple folks either play the game or pack it in. I can find other things to do with my time.

I await your decision.

I vote we soldier on! No good investigator worth his or her salt would abandon ship when we've just laid eyes on the titular Dead Lights!

In all seriousness though, the rules are in place precisely to avoid such misunderstandings. The numbers are hard and fast and their interpretation infallible. I think Crow simply misinterpreted the functionality of the dice. I would advise a second glance at the rules and then lets continue forward. We've all botched a rule or two in our time here so it's nothing to be ashamed of. I haven't been linking my rolls which is a forum no-no. I shall correct that henceforth. That said, we need to remember that Priest is doing us a service by acting as Keeper. Having run my own games on other forums I can tell you it can be very taxing to keep all the parts moving in a game. As such, we need to show him the proper amount of respect. We're all here to enjoy ourselves.

Barty, I don't think you should quit. I've quite enjoyed your presence in the game (even though our characters are butting heads at present) and would hate to see you go.

Well, I've played Table Top rpg's before and how it worked was "You roll the dice and your skill is added to it"

And Preist, I said that because it seem like Tobias has been ignored through out the whole game...

Thankyou Jibble
I am sorry to say that I find slagging off a keeper and then not only failing to appologise,but justifying it to be totally unacceptable
I am not being childish or aggresive,in pointing it out and standing up against it I just expect certain levels of behaviour

I hope to game with some of you again and I have enjoyed your virtual company.........good luck with the adventure
Regretfully
Barry

I second Priest

My two cents:

First Rule of any RPG= The game master is always right
second rule of any RPG= Even if the game master is wrong, see Rule 1.
third rule of any RPG= If in doubt that the game master is right. See Rule 1.

Simple.

@Crow; Please read the rules, it will make your life simpler. They are very easy to understand.
You shouldn't feel Ignored. That makes me think you have issues.

@ Barry: Sad to see you leave man.

Well, I meant ignored because it feels like no one takes notice of Tobias even being there.

But thanks for all explaining it to me. Sorry for my explosionn

Gentlemen,
Enough please, let us move on.
Crow, I'm not ignoring Tobias any more than the others, characters take actions I respond. At the moment Luther and Thomas have the spotlight, Tobias and Lance are present they can take any action they feel necessary. The nature of this adventure is it takes place within a timeframe, so far very little time has passes since finding the girl, Emelia, and arriving at the diner.
At this moment the lights in the diner have gone out and a new person has arrived. Thomas and Luther have responded any action Tobias takes at this point will be within the immediate time frame.

When Tobias looked in the trucks cab, he didn't see anything as there was nothing to see and any amount of successful Spot Hiddens would not have revealed what wasn't there in the first place.

Now, rules are simple whatever the roll either equal or below is needed, no matter how severe the difficulty. In games such as D&D you roll a d20 and add your modifier hoping to get a score above the DC, but this is Call of Cthulhu and different rules hold sway. You can 'Push' your skill ny attempting a second roll, with possible consequences, but to do so you have to present me with reasons why such an action is apprpriate. And so far no one has attempted any action for which a 'Push' roll is merited.

Now, to be honest.... i dont know whats going on! That lights went out and now we're acting like its WWII outside :/

Well something has possibly attacked two NPCs and another one appears to be missing, the stormy night is only adding to the tension, everyone is a little on edge. Plus as players with some experience of CoC we are expecting something nasty to be outside, so although our characters seem to be over reacting, as players we know the balloon is about to go up.

when was someone attacked??? When was someone missing?!??!?!?!

You have the girl Emilia found wandering the forest with a large bruise to her forehead, raving about a light. You have the lad, Billy Esterhouse, running in those same woods raving about, possibly the smae light. And the farmer, Jake Burns, who also raved about a light, running into the storm to his truck and then disapearing.

Please Crow, keep up.

I am reading but I dont recall anyone 'dissapearing'

Okay just so that we all know where we are and what is happening here is a recap of the first twenty minutes orso;

Recap:

Travelling toward Bolton from Arkham the weather has taken a turn for the worse, rain that started as heavy has now reached almost torrential proportions. The road became more and more treacherous, the cars headlamps only just piercing the darkness. Suddenly the headlights picked up the form of a young woman on the road. The woman appeared in some distress, some superficial cuts and scrapes, soaked to the skin and appearing to be in shock. Someone remembered that there was a gas station and diner ahead and so you started your journey again with the young woman as a passenger.

Whist in the car the woman could be heard to mutter the words "Grandfather" and "the light", she remained unresponsive to questions. One thing that proved of interest to two of you was an old medallion that the young woman wore. Despite inspection (as detailed as the very dim light in the car allowed) could not shed any information apart from it appeared to be fairy old and not of anything familiar to the investigators, the medallion appeared to have some value $100 or so.

The wind and rain pick up as you travel towards the diner and gas station, the road getting worse, partly washed away and tree limbs partly blocking the road in places.

Some two miles from where you'd stopped the small township of Orchard run appears out of the gloom.

Two of the building are lit, the diner and gas station. The cars headlights also pick out the fact that a cattle truck has skidded and lies across the road. The cattle truck's cab door is open. You can see that the trucks wheels are deep in the mud.

There are two other vehicles parked here, a new-ish two-seater Ford roadster (outside the diner) and an older model Packard that's nearer to the gas-station.

The truck proves to be empty and hastily abandoned as evidenced by the open door.

The diner is open and has five people inside - as you enter a snippet of conversation is overheard:

“I tell ya it was on account of that ‘Dead Light’ that I ran off the road”.

The occupants of the diner are identified as:

Sam Keelham - the Gas Station Manager
Jake Burns - farmer and driver of the cattle truck
Mary Laker - waitress in the diner
Winnie - one half on an elderly couple waiting out the storm
Teddy - other half of an elderly couple waiting out the storm


Your mysterious passenger is identified as Emilia Webb, with lives locally with her Grandfather a doctor.

You order various drinks, and obtain a first aid kit and start to tend to Emilia's cuts and scrapes.

Sam Keelham tells you where Emilia (and her Grandfather live) - judging by his description it's back the way you came on a turning (the only one) leading into the woods. The phones are out - and no one knows if there's a phone where Emilia and her Grandfather live.

Jake Burns also mentions an odd light - this is what made him career off the road.

Emilia still babbles about 'the light'

You agree that someone ought to go get the Grandfather, at which point one of the old couple see something outside. No one else can make anything out however except Luther, who catches a fleeting glimpse of a light in the trees.

The lights suddenly fail... you hear the crash of breaking glass and a scream....

The diner is lit by flashes of lightning and the waitress (Mary) come into the main area of the diner, half supporting an injured boy. She identifies the person as Billy Esterhouse. A brief examination shows the boy to be soaked through... cold, covered in cuts and scratches... on the verge of exposure.

Billy starts to babble as Thomas tends to his cuts:

"Old man....box...light...Noooo! keep it away."

That causes the farmer, Jake Burns, to react badly... and he talks about 'getting out of here'.

The lights come back on briefly... but long enough for another sighting of 'the light' by the older woman.

No one else can make out the light.. which the old lady said was moving towards the back of the diner.

Billy has a lucid moment and all but yells out:

“Old man…the box…Goddamn light, gotta get away from here it’s coming!!” and tries to get to his feet.

With that Jake Burns bolts for the door and heads outside.

Soon after Doreen appears on the scene... Doreen appears to be the owner of the diner.

Doreen sees Emilia, asks about her Grandfather (the Doc) and wonders where Billy's friend (Clem) is... the two seemingly always together.

Suddenly a scream is heard from outside... in the direction of the truck... Luther saw Jake Burns get into the cab, but is no longer to be seen.

Luther and Lance head out into the storm, leaving the others inside the diner...

Tobias, Barty and Thomas are inside the Diner...

I think the part that confused me was the guy getting in the cab. I think I may of thought you meant that he drove off

Aww... Really?