Chapter 1: Q&A / Discussion

[Jeff]

Got a question about what's going? Want to get a better understanding of some rule or other, or have a question about Eberron itself?

Ask it here!

[Jeff]

Just a quick note, in case the newbies aren't sure: you can use the Heal skill (whether you put points into it or not) to attempt to stanch wounds. You can't bring someone back to health, but you can always try to prevent further decline.

[Lara]

Are lightning rail cars such that you can move from one car to another? If so, then

• What are the cars on this train?
  
• Where do our tickets allow us to go?
  
• Are tickets collected, checked, punched or what?
  
• Are there any stops between Fairhaven and Passage? Or are there areas where the train will have to slow its movement?
  

[Jeff]

What are the cars on this train?

Although the PCs haven't had a good look at the rest of this particular rail, most rail coaches include:

The crew cart (where the dragonmarked engineer pilots the thing and where the crew sleeps), the first-class cart, a galley cart (the kitchen), the dining cart (where non-steerage passengers can eat), the standard passenger carts (usually at least a couple of these), the sleeper cart, the steerage cart, and any cargo carts.

Where do our tickets allow us to go?

Nowhere. Only passengers are allowed to move between the carts, unless a passenger gets permission and is escorted between them.

Are tickets collected, checked, punched or what?

They'll be "punched" shortly after departure. If you don't have a ticket, you get a big, big fine. Hostile passengers without tickets have been known to exit en route.

Are there any stops between Fairhaven and Passage? Or are there areas where the train will have to slow its movement?

Yes. Between most cities, there are waystations. You're not sure how many would be between Fairhaven and Passage. Anytime the rail crosses a national border, there's a stop, too. But in this case, it's all still in Aundair.

[Lara]

How does banking work?

[Jeff]

The short version is, most people have no bank. Consider it like regular D&D. You have gold stashed away somewhere on your own. But...middle classed and upper classed people with more money usually keep an account with House Kundarak, the dwarf-based dragonmark house. So long as you carry proper identification (notarized by House Sivis), you can retrieve your own funds.

Anything specific you're trying to figure out?

[Jeff]

Darren wrote:

The only problem seems to come in when a post happens and then a later post seems to somewhat contradict what happened previously.

Can you be more specific? I think we're not doing bad considering we just started. But I have the general sense of what you mean. The only contradiction I'm aware of are when a player states what they want to do but then the actual course of events doesn't truly allow for it.

Also, Darren: The dog is technically more of an NPC. Trust me, if you control him fully it won't be half as fun. You won't get to interact with him. He has a personality all his own. But that said, you can still direct him as you've already done. Just allow me to step in and change around his actions based on his instincts and his own will.

[Darren]

Re: Tangat - gotcha.

Re: gameplay - I guess the only time it's been an issue is when, say, I've done something, and then someone else does something, and I would have reacted differently had I known they were going to do that "ahead" of me, except that the post happens behind me. Does that make sense?

[Jeff]

So basically what you mean is, two people posting at around the same time so you can't see what's showing up right before you post, right? Not sure how to avoid that one. Assume that dialogue is a little bit fluid, I guess. You can always quote someone else and then respond directly to that. Might help a bit. With actions it's a bit harder.

[Darren]

Hey, Jeff, how exactly does the Message spell work in terms of duration? I know it lasts for 10 minutes, but can the connection be turned "on" and "off", as it were? In other words, can Kal carry on a conversation seperate from his magical conversation with Grafth, and then continue his conversation with him later within that 10 minutes, or does the spell have to end in order to resume normal conversations?

[Jeff]

Once it's on, there's definitely no turning it on and off. "Off" would be to simply not utilize it and let its duration expire.

You can have a normal conversation with someone while it's ongoing no problem, so you can decide when you're sending magically whispered words or not. But if you do this in front of people, they'll definitely hear you, both your regular spoken words to them and your whispered words. So they're realize you're having two conversations. (Like some of the crazies on the New York City subway system.)

For Kal to pull this off as I suspect you intend, he'd have to excuse himself for a moment from the others, or at least turn away for a moment to magically whisper the words to Grafth.

[Darren]

admin said:

For Kal to pull this off as I suspect you intend, he'd have to excuse himself for a moment from the others, or at least turn away for a moment to magically whisper the words to Grafth.

Which I suspected. Can Grafth talk to Kal while Kal is talking to someone else? Or does it have to be initiated on Kal's end?

[Jeff]

Nope. I'm interpretting it to mean they've got 10 minutes to have a free back and forth conversation. Kal can receive information from Grafth even as he's talking to someone else. If Grafth gives a full-blown monologue, it's possible someone might realize that Kal looks a bit distracted.

Although it's probably been a few minutes already.

[Darren]

Okay, one other clarification....do Grafth and Kal each hear what the other is saying, even if they're not talking directly to eachother? In other words, has Grafth been hearing the exchange with Guren (or at least Kal's side of it)? Will Kal hear anything that Grafth says, even if it's not said to Kal (although I imagine Grafth wouldn't know that)?

[Jeff]

Nope, you can't use the spell to do more than it states. You can use it to overhear some other conversation. You can only hear whatever Grafth deliberately intends to send through the message spell. So he could whisper to someone else normally and you wouldn't hear it unless he wanted you to.

[Darren]

Got it. That was the way I was hoping it would work, but I wasn't sure. Thanks!

[Josh]

What is the ceiling height of the rail car? Also, does the "mysterious cargo" go all the way up to the ceiling?

[Jeff]

The ceiling in this cart is probably just about 10 feet. This is not to say that all rail carts are the same. Yes, the cargo goes nearly to the ceiling, although it's a bit rounded near the top, as though the crates that contain it don't go all the way up.

[Darren]

I have a question. Why is Jeff so mean? Why is he trying to kill me so quickly?

Jerk.

[Jeff]

darren said:

I have a question. Why is Jeff so mean? Why is he trying to kill me so quickly?

Jerk.

Hah! Aww, suck it up, Darren. As Jeremy suggested, it's an honor to be targeted first! Hang in there. 'Tisn't over, yet.

(I'm writing this post on my work-given blackberry from a restaurant in Maryland. How weird/cool is that?)

[Jeff]

Lara wrote:

How do you propose to measure minutes of interaction in this format? Do we need to count lines of text? How many lines of text equal a minute? Is the count limited to words spoken, or does it include verbal and nonverbal communication -- the descriptions we have been providing of what PCs are doing as they speak?

It seems to me that the skill check is the culmination of interaction between PC and NPC, whether a Bluff, Intimidate, Diplomacy, or Sense Motive check is the result. In a RL game, ime, the player or DM usually calls for a check as a discussion or conversation is going on and a critical point has been reached; the role-playing of the players and the skill checks of the PCs and NPCs directly enhance one another.

I don't know... I think I have more to say, but I'd rather have a discussion like this in a thread separate from the game.

Good questions, Lara. This definitely has no real science to it. In the end, I don't think I'll be able to get everybody on board doing this in a consistant way (though I'd certainly prefer it), so we'll probably just wing it as we go.

You're right. In the tabletop version of the game, the usual way, this is easier. I'm okay with you guys stating what skill up front that your character is utilizing. I guess all I can really add to that is not to expect my next post to be the summation of the whole skill. That's all. Let it play out. In fact, it may be best if I do the roll for you (on the relevant character's database) when I know that "critical moment" is achieved.

For example, let's say Goran (I'm going to pick on Jeremy since he's not around at the moment) wants to use Handle Animal. When he first approaches a wild animal and indicates that he wants to make a Handle Animal check, he can go ahead and say so. But I'd need him to indicate the general way he'd like to go about making said animal more cooperative. Then when I, as DM, determine that 1 minute of "in game" time passes (which in some cases will be my very next post, but if a lot's going on at the same time, probably not), I'll make the roll for him. Something like that.

Thoughts? I'm open to discussion and suggestions!

[Josh]

As this is game is my initiation to any of these gaming rules, I've been looking at it thusly:

Within a post, I decribe what I take to be a kind of series of actions:

1. Grafth walks up to the Door.
2. Grafth tries to open the Door.
3. If the door resists, grafth attems to pick lock (then I roll some sort of check).

So, that's more than one action, I'm guessing. But I put them all in one post, and just roll the check for whenever Jeff wants to use it. In the end, I'm just responding to all the stimuli from the PCs and DM, and then letting the DM pace us.

Is this appropriate?

[Jeff]

Josh: For expediency's sake, that is certainly a suitable way to do things. But it's not the only way to do it.

Time is somewhat fluid in our gameplay, except in combat. But your proposed idea of stating an intended action, a follow-up action, and then a contingency based on the assumed results of the previous actions can work.

I think the one thing I'm worried about is a situation when someone states a series of actions and caps it off with a Skill check that is either remarkably good or remarkably bad. It could sort of steal away a measure of suspense, since right up front you can guess at a very good or very bad outcome.


Still, I'd rather go with that than place limits on you guys. This needs to be fun, and I want you to take advantage your character choices give you.

[Josh]

I see what you're getting at. Well, I'm fine with not doing rolls all the time, as long as it's obvious to YOU what my intention is (after all, I'm more interested in the story than the mechanics.

So, instead of doing an Intimidate roll or saying that I'm going a check, would you prefer that I just say, for instance:

____________________________
Grafth wishes to intimidate the captive


And then you can decide how to deal with it?

[Lara]

wentzjw said:

I see what you're getting at. Well, I'm fine with not doing rolls all the time, as long as it's obvious to YOU what my intention is (after all, I'm more interested in the story than the mechanics.

So, instead of doing an Intimidate roll or saying that I'm going a check, would you prefer that I just say, for instance:

____________________________
Grafth wishes to intimidate the captive


And then you can decide how to deal with it?

Yeah, it sounds to me like you're saying you'd be more comfortable controlling the rolls, Jeff.

Your original words - something about one minute and that's according to the rules - seemed on the verge of rules-lawyerliness to me, but I can also see how you may have been trying to have a teaching moment.

At any rate, I think I'll do what I've been doing except I'll include possible skill checks in the pink but you can do the rolls.

[Jeff]

I mean only what I say. I'm actually less comfortable doing the rolls for actions the characters do. I only really want to be doing that (a) if the player doesn't really know quite what to roll or (b) it's a secret roll and they shouldn't get to know the result because doing so is too revealing (such as some Disable Device, Search, and just about all Sense Motive checks, etc.).

I'm okay with keeping things how they are. I'll be mindful of how PbP makes things different, even the rules, and try to be adaptive. The only thing I ask is that you don't always expect the "in game" results of skill checks to be immediate.

but I can also see how you may have been trying to have a teaching moment.

Yeah. We've got a few new gamers here, so I'm trying to slowly teach the rules. I'm not being preachy, especially to you, Lara, and you, Ed!

[Jeff]

Now that the PCs have across some commoner folk, I wanted to just quote something of interest from the Player's Handbook just to inform you or remind you of the economic scale in the world:

The most common coin that adventurers use is the gold piece (gp). With 1 gold piece, a character can buy a belt pouch, 50 feet of hempen rope, or a goat. A skilled (but not exceptional) artisan can ear 1 gold piece a day. The gold piece is the standard unit of measure for wealth. When merchants discuss deals that involve goods or services worth hundreds or thousands of gold pieces, the transactions don't usually involve the exchange of that many individual coins. Rather, the gold piece is the standard measure of value, and the actual exchange is in gold bars, letters of credit, or valuable goods.

The most prevalent coin among commoners is the silver piece (sp). A gold piece is worth 10 silver pieces. A silver piece buys a laborer's work for a day, a common lamp, or a poor meal of bread, baked turnips, onions, and water.

Each silver piece is worth 10 copper pieces (cp). A single copper piece buys a candle, a torch, or a piece of chalk. Copper pieces are common among laborers and beggars.

In addition to copper, silver, and gold coins, which people used daily, merchants also recognize platinum pieces (pp), which are each worth 10 gp. These coins are not in common circulation, but adventurers occassionally find them as part of ancient treasure hoards.

That said, in Eberron the coins can alternatively be called galifars (gold pieces), sovereigns (silver pieces), or crowns (copper pieces). The rarer platinum pieces are called dragons.

Also, in Eberron larger sums of money are also kept in banks maintained by House Kundarak, and you can obtain a letter of credit from them to allow you to withdraw your gold from any other bank.

[Lara]

Please provide more detailed information and/or a map of the immediate area we have moved into. (As I recall, you've give us a map of the larger area, from Fairhaven to Passage. Let's zoom in to where we actually are.) We're on a farmstead now... how many buildings are there? what are the fields like? is there a road or track or trail nearby? can we see the buildings on the next closest farm from where we are, or is this area quite remote? If you've done this and I've missed it, I apologize.

[Jeff]

It was a quick mock-up, but does that kind of thing work, Lara?

[Jeff]

So what are your thoughts for visuals like this?

By no means do I want to use maps constantly. Only when specific placement is really important. Some combats will be better handled with something like this, I suppose.

Also, having this map doesn't mean you have to describe specifically which space you're hoping to move into (I don't want us talking like we're playing Battleship); just give me the general idea of where you're going and I'll try and place you. If you do have a specific place in mind and don't want to risk me getting it wrong, then just describe it the best you can. (In pink text, "Kal will move into the space directly left of Grafth," and so on.)