BJ Back From the Beyond

Italy's thought process: 1901: Italy. Ho boy, not where I want to be on my first game... Seriously Austria? You're attacking me already? Hope France decides to ignore me so I can focus on Austria. 1902: Okay, France is ignoring me. Good. Now, if I can just get into Greece... bounced with Turkey. I need to get my army out of Tunis and into some place it can do good. If I move into Albania, I can attack Trieste from three sides. 1903: Ready to smash my way into Trieste, and very relieved that Turkey messed up his order to move into Greece. Getting a little worried for France, but there's not anything I can do to help him. 1904: Haven't been able to get into Trieste, and now in a position where I'm going to lose ground to Turkey. Also, it looks like I'm about to get flanked by Germany and England. Not much I can do about it if they decide to attack. 1905: Okay, Germany and England are fighting over France. That makes me very relieved. Still trying to take Trieste and keep the Ionian Sea at the same time. It's not working. 1906: After a brilliant move that landed me Greece, I finally have 5 supply centers, the most I had the entire game. I need to make the most of them, because I don't expect to keep Greece. I finally manage to take Trieste, but by that time the damage is already done. Turkey is too powerful for me to take on for much longer, and England is bearing down on my western border. Also, Germany is attacking me as well. Things look very bleak. 1907: I'm screwed. I don't have the power to take my lost supply centers back, and I've got three powers attacking me. It's time to pull back and make myself a difficult target. My only priority now is survival. 1908: I now have a single fleet in Naples. There's not a whole lot I can do with that, but seeing as England is really close to winning I decide to do everything I can to make their life miserable (which isn't a whole lot, admittedly). 1909: My only priority at this point is to screw with England. Survival is no longer expected.

Congrats Nioca. In other news: I lived!!! Seriously though, after getting knocked down to one fleet, I'm surprised I actually survived that game, though I found that screwing with the larger powers when you have one fleet is not only possible, it's fun.

Just so everyone knows, Spidweb 4 has been unpaused. If you're in that game and haven't given orders since the pause, please do so soon.

*bump* So, I've been doing a little thinking, specifically about Nioca's QuadHack. From what I understand, in QuadHack there is no Magic skill, unlike AIMHack and CreepingHack, and instead a player with a magic-using character just describes what they want to have happen, without needing a spell for it in advance, and that spell gets bonuses off of the Perception stat (if I'm wrong, please correct me). This is making me wonder though, what are the limiting factors on magic? In AIMHack, we've always divided magic into different schools, and which schools you could use were determined by which ones you had skill points invested in. With QuadHack, that is no longer the case, so what is keeping a mage from using any spell he wants? What would keep an evoker from, say, suddenly pulling out an illusion or a summon?

*quince* Bad news guys. I just found out I will not be available on the 29th, so we're going to have to reschedule. I seem to recall everyone saying Thursday, May 31st, was good, so we'll move to that date unless someone says otherwise.

Oh, so she does. Changed.

Whoops. I was on the road and didn't have internet until tonight. Here's the level. Click to reveal.. (Marra) Name: Marra Race: Nephil Female Occupation: Scout Alignment: Vengeful HP: 22/27 STM: 1/10 Armor: None Missile (Bows): 7 [+1] Stealth: 6 Perception: 6 Athletics: 4 First Aid: 4 Melee (Shortswords): 5 Acrobatics: 5 Nature: 3 [+1] Composure: 2 Banked Skill Points: 1 Click to reveal.. (New Technique) Iron Maiden (FRAct 2STM): Spend a full-round action to assail a single enemy with an unrelenting barrage of arrows, bolts, or javelins targeted at multiple parts of the body, pinning them to floors, walls or other fixed points. This attack is difficult to completely avoid, and the target takes additional damage the next time they try to act unless they first spend a standard action to free themselves. Requires 6 arrows.

And session 9 is over. Leonere has successfully joined the party, at least in body. They don't exactly trust him yet. Viatrix is still away doing his own thing, and the rest of the party has followed him into the heart of enemy territory, Sactorria. Session 10 is scheduled for May 29th, at 8pm EDT.

*triple post* Roughly 24 hours till the next session!

Everyone please welcome Leonere (pronounced Lee-on-air), Triumph's new character: Click to reveal.. (Stats) Name: Leonere Nelya Caralis Race: Elf Male Occupation: Itinerant Mage Alignment: Good/cocky Physical description: A well-dressed male elf in his late 20s, often with a book in one hand. Level: 4 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 2 Intelligence: 8 HP: 16/16 STM: 10/10 Speed: 5 Magic (Evocation): 6 Magic (Divination): 4 Religion: 4 Artifice: 3 History: 3 Composure: 1+1 Racial Bonus Streetwise: 1+1 Racial Bonus Perception: 1 Click to reveal.. (Spells) Divination Read Magic: Reads a magic spell or aura to determine its purpose. Location: Gives information on the location of an object or person. The more familiar the caster is with the target, the more accurate the intel. The Best Defense: Move Action. The caster looks into the future of the battle and watches for the strikes and blows of their enemy. They gain a large bonus to defense until the end of their next turn. Lehun's Messenger: 1 stamina. Allows the caster to send a brief verbal message to someone they are personally acquainted with, even across great distances. The recipient may make a brief reply. Evocation Aeroblast: Project an intense jet of air at a target (standard attack spell, with added chance of pushing / hurling target backwards). Air Slash: A wave of air strikes a group of targets from the side or behind, throwing them off balance (an attack that does less-than-usual damage to anyone it hits but inflicts a penalty on their next action). Whirlwind: 1 stamina. Conjure a vortex of winds around the caster; everyone within two spaces of the caster is tossed aside (pushed away) and stunned unless they make a save (this spell does not inflict damage). Updraft: Move action. Caster launches self upward with a strong blast of air, allowing him or her to reach something high or double speed in battle and allowing him or her to make a move over enemies without provoking AoOs. Click to reveal.. (Inventory) Equipment: Hauberk Leather gloves Leather greaves High-quality traveling clothes Weather-proofed leather boots Weather-proofed cloak with hood (cerulean in color) Inventory: 7 days worth of rations Waterskin Lantern / flint and steel Small tent / bedding 3 Healing potions 3 Stamina potions 20 gold pieces Binoculars Several books Click to reveal.. (Backstory) Something about Mote seems to encourage wandering. The world itself lacks a certain reliability. One possible source of stability in the troubled realm might be a god. Leonere Nelya Caralis seeks such inner peace, and therefore seeks to learn about the gods. He inherited a strong sense of piety from his mother, made it his own, and now travels Mote pursuing more knowledge of its deities. As his family did, so he now most reveres Liea, Sliros, and Mariona. Leonere plans to return home to Exis and settle down eventually, but for now he traverses Mote, visiting libraries and reputed holy sites to glean whatever insight he can. Thanks to his magical training, he always manages find odd jobs to earn his keep and pay his way to the next island. When a merchantman heading for Revossa needed a windmage, Leonere jumped at the opportunity it would provide to visit Actan, site of the one of largest temples of Liea in the world. Now, that backstory is not quite complete. There are a lot of things that happen between when Leonere arrives on the island and when he meets the party (which will happen next session), but those things are being kept under wraps for now.

Session 8 is over, and we've had ourselves the first PC death. Let us all take a moment of silence for the dearly departed Hopping Jaguar. ... Session 9 is scheduled for Thursday, May 10th, at 8pm EDT.

Oh, you're right. It should be EDT. Sorry for the confusion.

BJ finishes washing up in the bathroom and happily steps out of the bus. Having not been around Spiderweb very long, he doesn't recognize many of the posters, and some he only knows through reputation. As he browses through the threads, he spots something that catches his eye: a topic titled "Leylines alpha-testing". BJ rushed to the topic just in time to see someone coming out of it. BJ: "Radiant! Hey, man. How's it going?" Radiant: "Oh, hello. I haven't seen you around here before, so you must be new." BJ: "Yeah! Well, sort of. I will be new, but after you're gone, and only after meeting you on another board, but that's a few years from now so don't worry about it. Anyway, I just wanted to see you now, which is before I will meet you later. I'll have some great Subterra levels for you then, so keep an eye out." With that, BJ walks away from a very confused looking Radiant.

Just a reminder everyone, the next session is tomorrow at 8pm EST, in room SWRPEternal. Also, still need level-ups for Viatrix, Chantico, and Hopping Jaguar.

BJ finally returns from his jaunt into BoE. He's covered in dust, cobwebs, and the occasional blob of an unidentifiable green substance. He's also dragging a large bag of trinkets behind him. BJ: "Man, to bad the junk bag hasn't been invented yet. I've forgotten how annoying having to drag your loot around is." BJ starts to haul the bag onto the bus when he remembers that he can't take it with him. He just shrugs and tosses the bag back the way he came for some fortunate adventurer to find. BJ: "*sniff* Do I smell french fries?" BJ rushes onto the bus and hovers around those cooking the potatoes. It doesn't take long for him to attract some stares. Someone asks him what happened. BJ: "Huh? Oh, yeah, I did a little dungeon diving while here. It was fun... Is it really that bad? Alright, alright, I'll go wash up. And failing that, I'll just make another rainstorm." BJ moves past several passengers, all of whom are telling him to not make it rain again. He eventually reaches the bathroom, only to discover it's occupied. He starts patiently waiting outside of it.

Ding! Click to reveal.. (Marra) Name: Marra Race: Nephil Female Occupation: Scout Alignment: Vengeful Description: Tan fur with a few white spots about the ears, lithe and somewhat short. Wears a sleeveless tunic and dark trousers. HP: 26/26 [+1] STM: 4/10 Armor: None Missile (Bows): 6 [+1] Stealth: 6 Perception: 6 Melee (Shortswords): 5 Acrobatics: 5 [+1] Athletics: 4 First Aid: 4 Composure: 2 Nature: 2 Banked Skill Points: 1 Inventory: - Clothes - Cavewood Bow - Yew Bow - Crude Shortsword - Imperial Blade (symbol has been scratched off) - Dried Lizard Meat: 4 days worth - Lamp - Quiver: crude arrows: 5 steel arrows: 14

The session is complete, and the party managed to survive. They also level up, 14 skill points for all. Next session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24th, at 8pm EST.

23.5 hour warning, guys. Yay!

Okay, so the date of the next session will be Monday, April 16, 8pm EST in room SWRPEternal, assuming Nalyd can make it.

BJ, who was awoken by the announcement, steps off the bus and looks around. His expression is one of interest and amazement. BJ: "Whoa. BoE stuff. Man, I remember playing my brother's copy of BoE, way back when. I hardly even knew how to navigate the internet then. To think, all this stuff existed. And still exists!" BJ wanders off down the halls of the internet-that-was, whistling softly to himself and reminiscing about crawling though dungeons and ill-conceived scenarios designed by a pre-preteen boy that would never, and should never, see the light of day.

I agree with Triumph and Lilith. Some of the skills seem like they do the same thing. I also see that many of the skills from other systems have been dropped. Anyway, here is a list of the skills and where I think they would fit (plus some from other systems I feel would be good to keep). Comments are in parenthesis. Common Skills Citywise (I'm rather fond of the old Streetwise, personally) Deception Examination (This seems sort of like the old Perception skill) Forestry Interrogation Medicine Sleight (ZombieHack lacked a skill like this. I support adding it) Stealth Mechanics (I put this here because it and Engineering seem to essentially do the same thing, they just have different names) Fantasy Skills Arcana Crafts (Not sure what this would be used for.) Alchemy (noted that this was omitted from the list. Was this on purpose?) Modern/Sci-Fi Skills Electronics (I like the separation of this from Mechanics. There's a big difference between being able to pick a lock and hack a computer.) Engineering (See Mechanics) Social (I would suggest changing the name. Perhaps Culture?) Gun Knowledge (Something from ZombieHack that was omitted. It doesn't seem to be covered by any other skill, so I'm wondering 'why?') Driving (See Gun Knowledge) The rest of it looks good.

Story: QP's story is interesting. It starts out as just your typical monster plague, and it stays that way. There is no mystery about what you are fighting. It's ogres to the very end. However, there were a few points where I found that I didn't want to fight the ogres, and that made things a little more interesting. Add in the extra details and the way the ending ties into something from the beginning of the scenario and you've got yourself a pretty neat story. My one complaint is Click to reveal.. ((has to do with the ending)) There is more than one ending to QP, and I found that the way to get the best ending is to Click to reveal.. Combat: The fighting in QP can be difficult. For this reason, I would recommend entering at the high end of the level recommendations. There are some fights I found interesting, especially the fight against the Lord of Flies. The one fight I really did not like was the first boss battle, the one against the Lord of Wargs. The idea behind the fight was good, but the way it plays out is just frustrating. To beat him, I eventually Click to reveal.. Design: I never felt like I was in desperate need of anything. There are shops in the scenario that sell just about anything you will need. I would criticize the level of power some of the loot had, though. I found that a few of the items were slightly over power for what was needed to earn them, especially the crossbow in the trading post and the Rabbit Sling. Script: Aside from the first boss battle, I really didn't see any scripting tricks that were worthy of note, but I also didn't find any bugs. Overall, I liked Quarhag Pass. I felt it had a fun story and some sufficiently challenging combat. Its final score comes out as [rating]GOOD[/rating].

BJ returns to the bus and lays down on one of the seats. He contemplates what he has seen today, and is curious as to the origin of the fluffy turtles, but quickly falls asleep.

Personally, I feel that the more information about why you like a scenario or didn't like a scenario, the better. This makes reviews a little more difficult to write, but also makes them more useful to players and designers in general. Also, I should really get some reviews for the contest scenarios up.

Yeah, looks like we're gonna need to reschedule guys. Let me know how these dates work: April 16th, April 17th, and April 19th. I'll see if I can get the log of last session up in the meantime.