Nioca

Personally, I've been finding Spidweb's approach to linearity to be a bit disheartening. I don't mind linear games per-say, but I felt Avadon took it a bit too far (no, you're not allowed to visit the southern part of this area. Why? Because I said so, that's why!) in this regard. A5 also felt like nothing more than a chain of sausages (although my list of complaints about A5 is hefty, so...). It makes me long for the more open games of the first Avernum trilogy and Geneforge.

Originally Posted By: Homage Also, the first session will be Saturday, June 30, 4:00 PM MDT (convert) in AIM room SWfrontiers. Reminder! That's ~66 hours from now (roughly 2 days, depending on time zone).

Originally Posted By: Actaeon I've noticed most places take their distasters for granted as being easier to deal with than those of other places. Even the Aussies play down the fact that 80% of the fauna and 30% of the flora there can and will try to kill you. This might be because people who live with those disasters or threats regularly are more prepared to handle them. If you're regularly dealing with a type of threat, you're more likely to know the protocols and rules for staying safe, but if an out-of-context threat shows up, it can wind up catching people completely off-guard. Of course, this is mostly speaking from personal experience, so... *shrug*

I live in a fairly disaster-free zone. The only real threats around these parts are Fire and Tornadoes; the former doesn't crop up too often, and the latter tends to be pretty rare. Heavy rainstorms can cause the occasional flash-flood, but around here, those tend to be more of an annoyance than a major threat. That said, none of them affect me on a daily basis, mostly because they're not actually happening on a daily basis. Heck, most of the time, they're not even happening on a monthly basis. You do have to keep an eye out for tornadoes when the weather gets really nasty, but that's about it.

Originally Posted By: BMA Originally Posted By: Nioca Wait, do we really have an 11-year-old on here? Wow. Wonder who that is. Always thought Nightwatcher and Trenton were the youngest members. Nah, I think they're somewhere in the ballpark between 13-15.

21 here, going on "Get off my lawn". Wait, do we really have an 11-year-old on here? Wow.

Maybe. I'd have to actually download and try it out first.

And here it is. Session 10.

And I've completed the final log. I'm posting all of them here in one convenient spot. Abyss Logs 1-5: Invasions and Ambitions Abyss Logs 6-10: Striking Back Abyss Log 11: Death and Glory (Will also contain Aftermath and Epilogues once they're done) I figure I'll post some thoughts on the campaign, but not right this second. It's late, and I'm tired.

It's times like these that make me thankful I'm on dial-up. Seriously, though, from reading the article (and reactions here), I have to say: Some of the best minds the planet has to offer, and this is what they come up with?

And here's the session 9 log. Well, the decision was unanimous amongst the party. Sarelim has not been pulling his weight in combat, and something has to give. There's really only one thing to do in this situation. It's time for Sarelim... Click to reveal.. ...to get respec'd! This kicks his best attack bonus up to +15; it's still a couple points behind the best in the party, but Sarelim can pull his weight now in a fight. ========== Sarelim Silverwind Evasive Kind Male Human Shapeshifter Physical Description: Fairly unremarkable human male; dark hair, slightly tanned skin tone, blue eyes. Roughly 5'11'', 165 lbs. Age somewhere between 18-24. Wears a white tunic, brown pants, and a metallic cloak, along with a pack. 14/14 HP / 04/10 STM _2 STR / _8 DEX / _4 INT 12 FRT / 18 DEF / 14 WIL 2 ARM / 5 SPD / 00/72 XP Martial (Self) - 7 (28) Magic (Transmutation) – 7 (28) Stealth - 4 (6+RB) Perception - 3 (3+RB) Composure - 2 (3) Thievery - 2 (3) Artifice - 1 (1) TRAITS Unnatural-Born Shapeshifter - Thanks to magical experimentation, Sarelim is inherently talented when it comes to polymorphing, which has been reinforced through magical training. He can hold morphs indefinitely and, barring interference, can revert back to his original form at will. Additionally, he remains capable of using his lesser transmutational spells even when polymorphed. However, this specialization comes at a cost; the only spells he can take are ones that pertain to altering one's form in some way, and he cannot cast those spells on anyone other than himself. In addition, magic detection spells or abilities will notice a strong aura of transmutative magic around him. Keen Senses - Having spent an inordinate amount of time as a furry, four-legged animal, Sarelim has grown accustomed to seeing the world in ways others wouldn't even consider. While morphed, Sarelim may re-roll a perception check once per day (the second number must always be taken) and may also take ten on any perception check, except when re-rolling.

Originally Posted By: Randomizer Avernum time is based on moves. I'm aware of this, but he didn't say Avernum. He said Spiderweb Games. And when someone uses BIG CAPITAL LETTERS to emphasize their point, it becomes way too tempting to contradict them.

Originally Posted By: HOUSE of S Spiderweb games have NEVER had any real-time elements whatsoever. You mean aside from the Geneforge and Avadon exploration modes (that is, when you're walking around outside combat)?

Originally Posted By: Excalibur I was watching the Spidweb anonymous game and wondered why Russia hadn't stabbed Italy earlier. I can answer that. Earlier on, betraying Italy would have been a fatal mistake; even if Russia succeeded in bringing down Italy, Russia's home territories were held by Germany, so Russia couldn't build additional forces. Germany would have simply swept down and crushed both Italy and Russia, and probably won the game right there.

Yeah, I'd again like to apologize for how belligerent I got near the end there. Anyway, it wasn't just to win for myself. I like to play as honestly as possible; in fact, there were two points where if I would have broken my alliances, I would have won right then and there. I genuinely wanted to see France and Russia through to the end (preferably with me on top with 18 supply centers, but a 3-way draw would have also made me happy). I think I'm sitting the next game out, though. I suspect I'd wind up under fire from a six-way alliance to get me out of the game stat.

...Well. I've never been so insulted in my life. I guess I'll just keep all these logs and quotes to myself. ... Nah, just kidding, it's fine. But I'm not kidding about logs and quotes! The 6-10 Log has been updated with Sessions 9 and 10. And I have quotes from both! (Session 9: Someone think of the baby Nephilim!) (Session 10: Well that's not ominous at all.)

Eh. I just really couldn't get into it, though I tried. But still, props to Sylae for running it.

Originally Posted By: Homage Originally Posted By: Nioca Originally Posted By: Dialog this morning, Neighbor & Myself (heavily paraphrased) Neighbor: Hey [Nioca]. Guess what? I'm finally moving! Me: Really? Great! Nioca is the master of social skills And this surprises you? (More seriously, it sounds like a nasty reply, but it makes sense and is reasonable when you know the context; namely, she's been wanting and trying to move for the past two months, but keeps getting jerked around. So it's not "Really? Great that you're getting the heck away from me!", but "Really? Great that you're finally getting what you wanted!") Anyway, we're a day out from what might possibly be the most epic finale of an AIMHack yet. Be there!

Originally Posted By: Dialog this morning, Neighbor & Myself (heavily paraphrased) Me: Hiya neighbor! Neighbor: Hey [Nioca]. Guess what? I'm finally moving! Me: Really? Great! When are you moving? Neighbor: Two days. [That's Wednesday]. Me: ... Neighbor: You're still going to help me move, right? Me: ...yes. ...yeah. I should be able to finish that little task before 8, but that assumes everything goes smoothly. So if I'm running late, well, now you know why. EDIT: Nevermind, false alarm. Apparently she's going to do it this weekend instead. Possibly.

Originally Posted By: SereNikki For reals, Nioca? I mean, yay more healing, but it's kind of out of character for Yemirr to just suddenly decide he wants to become adept at healing magics, considering he's been heavily focused in dealing damage up to this point. Not really; Yemirrr tends to be something of a natural caster. That is, no spellbooks or notes, he just goes by instinct and observation. I figure Yemirrr's been around Arabella enough to pick up on a few things. (Also, while one of the spells is straight healing, the other has a decidedly more brutal spin on it.) Quote: (edit: also how many points did we get last time?) Ten.

A wild Life Magician appears! More seriously, I've been considering Life Magic for some time, and since every bit of healing helps (especially now), I decided to dump some points into it. Click to reveal.. (Yemirrr, XP-156) Yemirrr Smitten Semi-Unfettered Male Nephilim Bandit Chief Physical Description: Dark fur, large muscles, dark-colored eyes. Has tattered ears and a large scar from his left shoulder to his chest. Wearing ratskin pants, slightly damaged heavy plate mail, and a small, tribal-reminiscent necklace. 27/40 HP / 10/10 STM 21+2 DEF / 15 WIL 5-1 SPD / 000/156 XP ARMOR: Heavy (+2DEF/3Encumbrance/-1Speed) Melee (Axes) - 11 Magic (Force) - 5 Magic (Life) - 4 [+4] Athletics – 8 Perception - 4 Thievery – 3 Stealth - 4 Composure - 2 Acrobatics - 1 First Aid - 1 Arcana - 1 Click to reveal.. (MISCELLANEOUS TECHNIQUES (1)) DEFIANT BRACE - Defensively maneuvers and braces so that the character's armor and natural hardiness absorb the brunt of the next wave of attacks, reducing the effects and damage of attacks that hit the defender that round. The better the character's armor and Athletics, the stronger the effect. Stamina can be spent to enhance the technique's power. This technique does not require a roll. Click to reveal.. (AXE TECHNIQUES (6)) UNFETTERED FURY (1PD 1STM) - All attacks gain a notable bonus to hit and do extra damage and all incoming attacks deal slightly less damage/have slightly reduced effects, at the cost of defense. The effects last until the end of the current battle. CRUSHING CLEAVE (FRAct 1STM) – As a full-round action, winds up and performs a massive cleaving attack, striking up to seven adjacent enemies in one hit. An improved or critical will in addition knock the victim back and prone. Each additional enemy targeted inflicts a -1 penalty to-hit, and the character takes a flat -2 penalty to defense that round if targeting more than 4 enemies. WRATHFUL RETALIATION (MAct) – Retaliates against an enemy who struck the character in melee that turn as a move action, at a slight penalty to hit and to the character's main action. Requires 1STM if the character's main action is a second attack. WAR CHARGE (FRAct 1STM) – Charges in a straight line up to twice the character's speed, then lands an attack with the character's weapon. If the character charges a distance greater than his normal movement speed, the damage done gains a +1 bonus and will potentially knock the target back. HAFT STRIKE – Strikes the target with the haft or blunt side of the weapon, doing less damage but also penalizing the target's actions and defenses that round. If a target is reduced to 0HP by a haft strike, the target is simply rendered unconscious instead of killed/bleeding out. GUARDIAN BREAKER (FRAct) - Lands a strike aimed to cripple the target's defenses, reducing their defense for several rounds. The penalty starts small, but repeating the technique slowly causes the penalty to stack. Click to reveal.. (FORCE MAGIC (4)) SMITE – Hits the target object with a lance of cold and magical energy. This spell is capable of doing limited damage even if the target is immune to cold damage. Multiple lances can be fired at a cost of 1STM per additional target. FLINGPULSE – Creates a pulse of force, capable of deflecting, knocking back, or throwing enemies, objects, or the caster. It can be focused on either a single target at long range or spread out over short range. Stamina can be spent to increase the power of the pulse, or increase the area of effect.[/color] DISPERSION – Creates a temporary shield around the target tuned to a specific element or form of energy (heat, electricity, cold, etc.), deflecting and dispersing it into the recipient's surroundings. This reduces its damage/effects while also potentially dumping it into nearby creatures or objects. Stronger castings can disperse greater amounts of energy, and multiple energy types can be shielded against at 1STM per additional type. AETHYRFIELD - Creates a frictionless barrier of force around a targeted creature, object, or part of an object, capable of blocking and deflecting any physical objects that come in contact with it. Typical use is as a shield around a creature to deflect physical blows and reduce physical damage, but it's useful in any situation a frictionless force barrier might be useful in. The caster has the option to make it impermeable to air as well, though if the barrier blocks the being's breathing organs, it limits the being's air supply. The field usually lasts a half-to-full hour. Depending on the use, stamina may be required. Stamina can also be spent to boost the shielding effect or duration. Click to reveal.. (LIFE MAGIC (2)) (???) (???) Click to reveal.. (INVENTORY) Bandit King's Plate Mail [Damaged] – Plate mail that once belonged to to the former bandit king Stewart. It's slightly damaged. Ratskin Pants – Pants stitched together from ratskins. There's a few pockets for storing things. Fine Steel Helmet – A sturdy steel helmet looted off of an Empire Captain. Round Shield – A non-encumbering round shield. Protects one from blows. Battle Axe – A nasty-looking steel battle axe that Yemirrr wields one-handed. Bone Necklace – A necklace made of rat bones. Pack – A slightly-frayed pack that was looted off of an adventurer. PACK Dried Meat x6 – Portions of dried lizard meat. Bread x5 – Loaves of bread. Potion of Battle – Provides a boost to accuracy and defense for a short time. Massive Halberd - A massive halberd. Industrial Axe - A heavy axe meant for industrial use. Knife – A small tool knife. Gold Pieces x20 - Currency. Yemirrr does not see the allure in it. Demonology Scrolls - Scrolls on demonology. Someone more knowledgeable needs to examine them to learn more. Chainmail Armor - Basic chainmail armor looted off of an imperial captain. Click to reveal.. (NPC Bandits) 13 NPC Bandits Total [5 Human Warriors, 3 Slith Warriors, 1 Human Archer, 4 (+1 Absent) Nephil Archers] Sieberr [Female Nephil Archer/Scout | Healthy] - Second-in-command, Yemirrr's mate. Porrom [Male Nephil Archer | Healthy] - De facto leader of the nephilim in the bandit group. Jarvin [Male Human Warrior | Healthy] - Has a major feud with Arabella. Appears to be the de facto leader of the humans in the bandit group. Giffen [Male Human Archer | Healthy] - An older bandit. Seems fond of Pepper. Talented with artifice, particularly wagon repair. Xavier [Male Human Warrior | Healthy] - A friend of Jarvin's. Russos [Male Slith Warrior | Healthy] - A large slith warrior. Appears to be the de facto leader of the sliths in the bandit group. "NewSlith" [Male Slith Warrior | Healthy] - A young and inexperienced slith warrior who joined two weeks ago. Mrren [Female Nephil Archer | Absent] - A thin nephil. Lurks near the back of the group. Trying to contact the Scimitar. Also, what happened to those potions (Three Healing Potions, Two Stamina Potions, One Speed Potion) Pepper was going to pass out? She said she was going to pass them out discretely, but she didn't say to who, and they've sort of vanished into ether. Those potions could wind up saving someone's life, and we're going to need everything we can get our hands on.

I've re-submitted Voria for your consideration. I've redone her inventory and backstory a bit, but it's mostly the same engineer (albeit with a slightly bigger gun).

That leaves: 1 Rapier 1 Daggers 1 Black Cloaks 1 Poison Dart 7 Shuriken I guess Sarelim will pick that up once he heads back that way.

Please don't necro threads just for the sake of bringing old topics back to life.

A note to designers. Technical flash is great, but make sure there's some substance to back it up, AND that you're not getting in over your head. If CM had done this, the scenario would have been far better off for it. Knowing the premise of the scenario, I went in excited, and came out rather disappointed. PLOT The plot is supposed to be about Mobsters in Melliput. That's why it's called Melliput Mobsters, because the main villains are the mobsters. Of Melliput. If you're aware of the RSC, then you also know that these are supposed to be nephil mobsters. Only, we don't really get a feeling for anything mobstery. Instead, the whole thing feels like your bog-standard generic evil secret society. They don't have motives, they don't have much of an agenda, they just are. Which only really cuts it if you're dealing with some abomination Man Was Not Meant To Know. There's a book tucked away that expounds a bit on what they're doing, but there's a reasonable chance it could be missed if the party isn't thorough in exploring the city. 'Course, character motives all around were pretty poorly explored. Anyway, it's pretty straightforward. There's a twist you can see coming a mile off, but I won't spoil it in case there's a slim chance you might be surprised when you see it. GAMEPLAY Combat balance felt spot on. Admittedly, it felt at times like the designer was throwing random monsters at me, and he certainly seemed to have a fondness for splitting monsters, but everything felt good for a L10 party. Other than monster splitting, there's not much in the way of unique challenges or battles. It is, for the most part, pretty much hack and slash all the way through. Oh, right, loot balance is off, as I believe other reviewers have already mentioned. There were enough magic items and sellables coming in that I could practically fill a swimming pool with the amount of gold I was getting (I'd estimate around 10000-15000 gold total, WAY too much for a scenario of this level and size). I was able to kit out (what amounts to) one full priest, two lesser priests, and a full mage with every spell this scenario had to offer, while still having cash left over for a rainy day. AESTHETICS This is where the scenario suffers the most. Town design is okay, as is outdoor design, but various graphical glitches mean that things such as walls and doors are interspersed with massive blotches and blocks of white space, amongst other problems. Dialogue is also bland, unappealing, and sparse; trying to get more than two sentences out of any NPC is akin to pulling teeth, and every single NPC is nothing more than a two-dimensional cut-out there to either sell you things or advance the plot. Likewise, the dialog box writing is short, spartan, and often somewhat awkward. The designer clearly meant for there to be an air of exploration and discovery, yet there's no atmosphere or flavor to encourage it... almost everything is painfully plain and bland. TECHNICAL The designer was clearly in WAY over his head. You can see half-finished and buggy things like the casino and hotel. You've got the aforementioned graphical glitches. And most of the technical wizardry is in places that doesn't really need it. If he had applied even half of the effort he had put into the casino and hotel into making better content, this scenario would be much better for it. VERDICT [rating]SUBSTANDARD[/rating]. Might be worth a look, but one hopes that the next scenario CM makes learns from the mistakes of this one.