Main / Return-OOC

Book Return - Out of Character Discussions

4/16 Carissa

This isn't planning, but thinking of things that might be useful, mostly regarding my own characters.

  1. Regarding Charm, Raelynn follows the Goddess of Charm. In addition to being able to cast normally, she can freely cast it once a day on males (penalty for them). Enthrall (Wizard Spell) and Friends (Wizard) may help, and are also free spells, but do not cause charm effects.
  2. We do have the Ring of Male Control. As Branwyn may not feel comfortable with someone else charming Tiberius, I'll suggest it for that use.
  3. Raelynn also has Imbue With Spell Abilities which, if I'm reading it correctly, allows her to give a spell to any non-magic caster to cast. So anyone else (non-magic) who may want someone else to charm them or to charm someone themselves may have that option.
  4. We also have quite a few charm potions available. At the least, the love potions are likely charm spells, and I think based on some of the names a few others might be as well.
  5. Are we creating a chain of charming? Everyone charms someone then Branwyn does the final charming? Who keeps time? This hurts my brain.

As for the potential (likely?) impeding fight, some other thoughts:

  1. We need to check again who has magic weapons. I know I need to check for N'laea again with Bob. I think her sword is only magic when it is on fire which... doesn't help against creatures immune to it. She may need to borrow "Mick Giagger" for this adventure. Unrelated to that, she can give back that polishing cloth since I still don't know what to with it now we know it might only have one use?? Maybe better for an item.
  2. That said, especially if Brer returns for front-lines, she may be better outside shooting in to start. She has her beginning +1 arrow, plus perhaps can take the ones Shi has leftover. Although... if she puts a +1 arrow into her special quiver, does that make all the arrows +1 after that? Do ice arrows exist? Is there a way to make that quiver useful here
    1. I will go ahead and mention it out of character. I was going to wait for an in character, but I also don't want to mess up any planning. If you ask Brer to return, he would prefer not to leave the Mist. He will do so if it's necessary but would prefer not. I'd have to check and make sure, but I believe his turn undead ability can also work against devils, so it might be worthwhile to place him at the gates as a stopgap. Anybody who tries to escape gets turned back in.
      1. according to a Google search, the guide to hell book does expand it so that turn undead can work against devils, although there is a penalty to it. I'll have to check the book, I don't have it where I'm at right now.
  3. As Bob has opened the possibility of other characters (this seems ominous), Branwyn can always ask Shi for the Wand of Wonder for this adventure. I think she could make a case easily for it to Shi, but that I'll leave up to Lisa, and if so, can do IC on site or in game.

And things to not forget:

  1. That chalice might be important?
  2. Don't forget to check over Home Base and Party Pack so everyone is equipped as best as possible for Hell.

4/17 Lisa

I don’t really know how to plan to the detail on this since I can’t predict how this is going to go.

Lorie said she could work on making a bunch of holy water so that should help. I have no idea what the damage is, but it might be better than using a spell if we have to conserve. Also would need some kind of delivery system for it.

Best case scenario, we all can do this from our end and no one has to step through the portal. However, how many times do we get the best case scenario??

Where it gets fuzzy (to me) is balancing the need to kill evil things that cross the portal and the need to talk with them first. It would suck if the Librarian comes across first and we just kill them. Oops! But then trying to talk to unknown evil things is asking to get hit. It will be interesting.

I think some people will have to go in. Because we are leaving the portal open, it makes sense to me that some people stay at the Inn and protect it from whatever come flying out.

It’s the group outside’s responsibility that nothing gets inside the Inn or outside the gates.

It’s the group inside’s responsibility to deal with the book and get the demon hunt mark removed.

I’m thinking Branwyn needs the book attached to her in some way so it doesn’t get dropped or grabbed out of her hand. Strapped to her chest like Book Armor?

Here’s how I see it needing to work. As always, thoughts and feedback are needed and welcome. Also where you would like to be.

I’m debating on the charm deal for the hell goers. I think it needs to be a character choice. I think Branwyn will be okay since she has a ring of protection again mind control, she is determined and has the concentration of a mage so I think I can keep her head where it needs to be. I also think she can make Tiberius focus and he trusts her so if she tells him to believe her and that no matter what happens they will be back in a matter of minutes I think he will follow.

The other major question is when/if do we close the portal? Can we open the scroll from the Hell side when we want to return if we had to close it? I don’t want the outside group to get overwhelmed waiting if waiting too long turns out what happens, but I’m not positive how the scrolls work and who can open/close them.

Our Core Peoples:

Other Possible Characters Who Could Join:

Hell Group:

Inn Group:

4/18 Carissa

Just listing the tentative groupings as they happen to help those undecided to decide. Those in grey are not definitive as they are return characters who may or may not be joining. And Bob did confirm from our earlier experimenting that Inn Group can jump to Inn, but get sickness roll, but can also jump back to sunshine. You just have to roll each time you go into the Mist.

Hell Group:

Inn Group:

Mist Group:

Undecided:

21 April Hey all - Licornah can go wherever you feel that she would be of most use. Things she can bring to the party: - More or less can teleport without error once a day - Can cast negative plane protection once a day - Immune with poison and death spells - Can't be charmed or held by magic - Can cure disease one a day - Have access to charm / animal / divination / healing / guardian / sun / Travelers / All MAJOR spheres - Have access to combat / plant / protection / weather spheres as MINOR spheres

BOB let me know how you'd like me to roll / determine the amount of holy water I can produce for the encounter.

4/25 Lisa

More Planning …

After last Friday part of me did slightly regret not jumping into Hell with Jenn immediately, but planning is needed.

People going to Hell

  • Branwyn
  • Jennevive
  • Tiberius
  • Fives
  • Bixi
  • Licornah?

** Random Guildee%

If we are going to charm people before Hell, we want the priests to do the charm spells the night before so casters are not using spells the day that we open the gate.

I know this was combat practice, but what was not tried last Friday for the Outsiders:

  • Lassoing the creature, Craigh and Raelynn
    • If you can tie up a creature, any spells or innate powers a creature has that requires a movement component cannot be done, i.e., fireball requires movement
  • Talking to the creature – are you the librarian, know them, etc. might be a good delay if anything
  • Holy Water – see what kind, how much damage we get from that, how hard to hit, should fighters with better hitting ability be tossing them, can they, etc.

I liked the idea of pointing the portal at the gate. I think we need to be strategic about grouping. Maybe put a caster or two way back sitting next to a tree or something as bait or maybe Zayden playing a lively tune, while the combat people that need to get up close and personal stay off to the sides out of immediate line of sight to get the hell denizens to move forward and not look to immediately look for a different place to go, like the Inn.

I think we need to be creative. The In Hell people will be in much more danger than the Outsiders if the Outsiders plan well.

4/26 Carissa

Let's see what thoughts I can get down while I have a moment. I might miss some, but I can add more later.

First clarification on Hell Group: The goal is to hopefully not go, correct? That maybe the librarian comes out, we work it all on our plane, and we're good? And if, and only if, that goes sour, you jump to Hell? But yes, they will be the highest danger - either due to how close to the gate they are and/or if they end up in Hell.

I think the big question here is where to toss Talwin. If we can position the gate better to take advantage of the Mist, he may be worth bringing to Hell. Again, if all goes to Hell literally at the Inn, that group can at least go to the Mist if needed (last resort, of course), but the Hell Group has only the amulet and gate - if they can cast in time. But you already know the dangers. No reason to point out the obvious except that my thoughts aren't organized well right now.

So thoughts for scrolls if those are doable, and yes, Bob posted in Discord information, but that information has not digested yet. Raelynn could make a scroll for Enthrall. If it is the spell I think it is (otherwise it's a different one she has), it can distract a group with conversation. The catch is it must be a language they understand. So either it's something Raelynn casts for free and we hope they speak common OR we make a scroll for N'laea who can now speak Inferno.

Abjure should be made into scrolls. Raelynn can only cast it once, but as we saw, if it succeeds (another hitch, the IF part), it's a powerhouse spell for the Inn Group. If Jennevive has it, she can help make scrolls of it, too.

Question from Bob: how will we determine if Branwyn survives and/or how will we rescue her if needed?

And I knew I had more, but nope. Sorry. I'll probably add more tomorrow when I can sit and look at spells and the home pack. I did toss Guildee up in the Hell Group, though. Whoever TMO sacrifices will go with you.

Items that might be helpful:

Michael: Dibs on Plate Field Armor if nobody is going to snag it before a major encounter....

5/3/2023 Carissa

Some final thoughts and organizing. I probably had more, but ran out of steam. Still, this seems.. like more than enough. For now.

General Thoughts:

Hell Group:

Inn Group:

Mist Group:

Potentially Useful Chaos by Raelynn

Final Questions:

5/3 Lisa

I went over the mage spells in the Fiendomicom over and over since BOB said I could only make one scroll given that Branwyn has been busy copying the whole book before she has to give it back. The spells are really complicated both in casting and materials and they really aren't nice spells. I narrowed it down to Banishment or Dismissal and am wanting to create the Dismissal scroll. Banishment removes them from our plane to the plane they just came from. Thinking why would we banish the librarian assistant and if we only have one scroll for that, we might as well make it count. Dismissal on the other hand casts a being to his home plane. So ... we could send the imprisoned demon back to the Abyss where he belongs if we need to use it as a bargaining chip.

5/4 Carissa

That sounds like a good plan for Mage Scroll..

I've never done Priest Scroll creation, but looks very doable on the page, especially as a spell Raelynn now knows. To BOB, do I need to roll 1d6 to see how many spells are on her scroll or something? Or is she only able to do a single scroll with Abjure now?

It looks like anyone can use Protection Scrolls as well. Worth another priest making some Protection From Evil scrolls if they have that spell?

5/13 Carissa

Repeats of some stuff on Discord, some other thoughts, all that fun.

5/13 Lisa

Regarding Craigh, TMO also has the option of a simple Raise Dead. If he has accepted that having one arm is who he is and just wants to come back, a simple Raise Dead should do it. TMO’s choice.

Regarding Fives, unless TMO explicitly says he does not want that character anymore, we have never left a PC behind ever in all the time I’ve played so I’m not sure why that would be in question now. Yes, we will find him and get him. Not sure the crystal ball will work across planes, but Branwyn will try. She might need to do it in Hell and then could teleport from there wherever she sees Fives.

No, Fives did not get dragged into the portal and then teleported. Teleport is a touch spell and you cannot move and cast. The guy touched Fives and they were off. It was a Teleport Without Error spell and so we know wherever they landed, they landed safely. But Teleport is a mage thing, not saying the creature is a mage, but the spell works based on the caster concentrating on what you know. You can teleport anywhere in your home plane, i.e., Hell. He could theoretically teleport to another plane, but you lose the whole without error part of the spell if you try to teleport randomly to some plane you have never been to. So, it is highly doubtful that the teleport was anywhere unfamiliar to the caster. He would have to have some idea of where he wanted to go when he cast. Given him casting a wall of ice on Fives, my best guess is they went to spend a cold day in Hell.

We don’t have another gate scroll. Jennevive used the second one to summon Branwyn at the end of last week to come home. We haven’t talked to Jenn yet to see if she brought anything back so we can use the medallion to get to Hell. I think we might be able to use pieces of the dead hell creatures to get back, but I would need a judgment from Bob whether devil bones gives us Hell access.

If Fives is still charmed, it will help with his return time. It would be a good thing. Anyone going and coming back might see themselves and have space time continuum disruption kind of thing. Not sure the repercussions in Bob’s world for that.

Regarding looting bodies, can we wait for TMO to decide what to do before stripping Craigh of his possessions? :) If TMO decides not to bring Craigh back, a Speak With Dead to find out who he wants to leave things to sounds like a fair idea.

Johan wasn’t given any potions and his spell book was at home. It will become part of Branwyn’s Library and mages that want to study there can have access to it.

5/14 Carissa

Ah, okay. I don't know the ins and outs of the teleport spell. That makes more sense. And no, no gate scroll, but potential priest to cast it provided it was an option, but it is not so nevermind.

As for Fives, only mentioning it because TMO stated said he thought he might lose Fives. I think he'll have a harder time convincing us NOT to try, but had to put it out there that it's always his decision. Mostly.

As for Craigh, I was thinking Raise Dead and Resurrection were similar. Silly me, they are not. But so TMO has full idea of spells and no confusion (like me an teleport), here's the immediate spell choices available or could be available via Uplift from my characters (as written in the Priest Spell books):

There is a few sections in the Rule Book about these also. Death of a Character covers the various belief systems and why certain spells will be chosen (or not). Also for Reincarnate I have tables to use that will weight the chances of a playable race, over a racoon for example.

Raise Dead
Sphere: Necromantic
Level: 5
Range: 30 yds.
Saving Throw: Special
A priest who casts a raise dead spell can restore life to a dwarf, gnome, half-elf, halfling, or human (other creatures may be allowed at the DM’s option). The length of time that the person has been dead is of importance, as the priest can raise persons dead only up to a limit of one day for experience level of the priest (that is, a 9th level priest can raise a person who has been dead for up to nine days).

The body of the person must be whole; otherwise missing parts are still missing when the person is brought back to life. Likewise, other ills, such as poison and disease, are not negated. The raised person must roll a successful resurrection survival check to survive the ordeal (see Table 3: Constitution) and loses 1 point of Constitution. Furthermore, the raised person is weak and helpless in any event, and needs a minimum of one full day of rest in bed for each day or fraction dead. The person has but 1 bit point when raised and must regain the rest by natural healing or curative magic.

A character’s starting Constitution is an absolute limit to the number of times the character can be revived by this means. The somatic component is a pointed finger.

Reincarnate
Sphere: Animal
Level: 7
Saving Throw: none
With this spell, the priest can bring back a dead person in another body, if death occurred no more than one week before the casting of the spell. Reincarnation does not require any saving throw, system shock, or resurrection survival roll. The corpse is touched, and a new incarnation of the person appears in the area in 1d6 turns. The person reincarnated recalls the majority of his former life and form, but the character class, if any, of the new incarnation might be very different indeed. The new reincarnation is determined on the following table or by DM choice. If a player character race is indicated, the character must be created. At the DMs option, certain special (expensive) incenses can be used that may increase the chance for a character to return as a specific race or species. A wish spell can restore a reincarnated character to the original form and status.

If an unusual creature form is indicated, the DM can (at his option only) use the guidelines for new player character races to allow the character to earn experience and advance in levels, although this may not be in the same class as before. If the reincarnated character returns as a creature eligible to be the same class as previously (for example, a human fighter returns as an elf), the reincarnated character has half the previous levels and hit points. A character returning as a new character class has hit points at half the previous total, but must begin again at 1st level. A character returning as a creature unable to have a class has half the hit points and saving throws of the previous incarnation.

REINCARNATION TABLE BOB has more
Badger, Bear (black), Bear (brown), Boar (wild), Centaur, Dryad, Eagle, Elf, Faun/Satyr, Fox, Gnome, Hawk, Human, Owl, Pixie, Raccoon, Stag, Wolf, Wolverine, DM's choice.

Resurrection
Sphere: Necromantic
Level: 7
Saving Throw: None
The priest is able to restore life and complete strength to any living creature, including elves, by bestowing the resurrection spell. The creature can have been dead up to 10 years per level of the casting priest. Thus, a 19th-level priest can resurrect the bones of a creature dead up to 190 years. The creature, upon surviving a resurrection survival check, is immediately restored to full hit points and can perform strenuous activity.

The spell cannot bring back a creature that has reached its allowed life span (ie., died of natural causes). Casting this spell makes it impossible for the priest the cast further spells or engage in combat until he has had one day of bed rest for each experience level or Hit Die of the creature brought back to life. The caster ages three years upon casting this spell. The material components of the spell are the priest’s religious symbol and holy water. The DM may reduce the chances of successful resurrection if little of the creature’s remains are available.

5/14 - TMO - Regarding my characters:

Craigh

Fives

Brer Necholas

So what does TMO do if all 3 of his PCs leave the picture?

5/14 Lisa

Well, considering it’s completely my fault that Fives was devilkinnapped, of course I will try to get him back. That’s why I was a little miffed that there seemed (to me) to have been an implication that he would not be rescued or a rescue attempt would be made with or without me. What you do with him when he gets back, however, is up to you.

The thing was, I was expecting to go to Hell. That was the whole point of the story arc to me. Bran did not bring her spell books (we know what happens when valuable books go to Hell) so I was thinking the spells she has memorized is all she’s got for however long this takes. She was trying to conserve for inside Hell. I also expected more of a discussion happening rather than insults flying back and forth and no forward progress on getting to the library.

So … when it was that fateful round, Howard injured the teleporter and then Branwyn had the chance to finish him off. I had her hold thinking Fives may get hit again, but no one was dying and it didn’t enter my head that a teleport might happen.

If I knew this story arc ending was just one big combat, I would have played her completely differently. I know combat. I can do combat. This? I kept waiting for the door to open for us to go in. I was so caught up in what I thought was going to happen next, that I neglected taking care of what needed to be done on this plane. I have to admit I was a little disappointed. So this is on me and I will take care of it with what help and volunteers that I need to get Fives back. I will go to Hell come Hell or high water. Whether Fives likes it or not!

Comment from TMO: None of us really knew what to expect. You planned for the most likely (and arguably worst case) scenario, and if you had had to go to Hell, being prepared was *very* critical. Pretty sure no one expected devilkinnapping. ;)

5/15 TMO

Alrighty, talked with Mr Bob a bit this evening, and he gave me several options for both of my PCs. Straight up, none of them is off the table for me, from death to full recovery for either of them.

For Fives, he and I are going to have a session to cover the immediate aftermath of the devilkinnapping. That requires dice rolls to determine what happens, not just storytime. Once that's determined I'll have a better idea where to take his story.

For Craigh, he gave me a few options to think about, most of which have already been mentioned, although he went into more detail. The least optimal resolution for Craigh is, in my opinion, just a plain Raise Dead. It brings him back as he was, but with reduced CON and HP, making him even more frail than he already was. It's just asking for another death. :) I personally think that staying dead is probably preferable to coming back weaker. I'm going to try and work out a decision tree based on possible actions of the party so that I've got all the bases covered and can respond best as RP happens.

He did mention that Marisu coming back was actually a non-joking possibility, if that's something folks are possibly interested in. I'd have to really refresh myself on her, and try to figure out what's happened in the intervening years, but it's not insurmountable.

All 3 characters are equally playable I believe, and all have their own set of pros and cons, as it should be. And of course, there's always the 'start fresh' option if all 3 fall through somehow. (Fives may die all on his own; Craigh may not pass the saves necessary to come back; Marisu could be a werewolf by now, etc.)

I'm not going to put the decision off onto all of you, but if you have any preferences, I'd like to hear them. No decisions have been made yet, I'm just getting a feel for the possibilities at this point.

5/20 - Lemon

So, I don't know how anyone else is feeling, but I legit do not want to stay in the misty area without any of Lisa's characters playing. There's just too much history there. I went back and read the BOB post about potential next adventures, and I'm leaning toward the going to the desert with Yout, even though I can't stand him, but I think I would leave Bixi back to start her garden at her cottage and live out her days with her pet pig. I do also like the idea of starting over completely, with fresh new characters, but I don't want to do that unless EVERYONE agrees. Like that would have to be unanimous in my opinion. But I do think it would be nice to get far away, so everyone is kind of on an equal footing, history-wise. We won't have to struggle to search through old chats to find references to characters we should know but don't remember or whatever. Especially since only a couple of people have been around long enough in this geographical game area to know the important events. It seems like this is a good point for a fresh start. But it also feels like we'd be robbing Michael of his new sword mastery skills and whatever new Craigh is. But I'm absolutely ready to start over, with something a little more manageable, because Bixi is a great character, but her spells are nightmare inducing trying to figure out what to do, and Daph is... well... she's a whittler. Anyone else have a preference right now?

TMO: don't worry over my characters in any decisions made. Technically speaking, all of my PCs are dead or retired. We'd be bringing one of them back or starting fresh no matter what.
Lemon: Ok, seems like not everyone wants to COMPLETELY start over, so I vote for scratching that idea, and I guess... sigh... going with Yout to the desert next to the ocean.

5/21 Carissa

If you do not remember, these are the choices:

On the suggestion of a little birdie, we can always do a ranked choice voting here if that makes things easier. That way your highest vote would get 3 pt, lowest 1 pt, and see where the group is at after that. This makes sense to me, makes it a bit more fair, and to be honest, is a bit how I'm already viewing the choices in my head.

  1. Desert. This is my top choice. I agree, I need a change of scenery. I was leaning this way anyways when BOB first posted the choices, but I'm leaning more heavily this way now with Lisa absent. I don't want to hang around in the Mist without her or her characters. More on that in a second.
  2. Island. This had been my last choice, but a fresh start is much more intoxicating now. I love my characters, and not fully sure about starting over, but now, in my mind, they'd still be there, on the other side of the world, if we ever wanted to go back to the Mist. A kind of "pause" if you will with the current game. It's not quite my first choice because I'm still liking where things are going with Nae and Rae, but I'm more easily to convince to this choice now.
  3. Underdark. My last choice. Originally not a top choice because the Underdark is overdone in the videogame world of D&D. I'll be visiting it this August when BG3 comes out. I've gone before with other game iterations of it. But I'm even less wanting to go because, again, I want a change of scenery. More than that, it would feel weird to do it without Lisa. Her characters are being give more and more reason to want to keep the Mist. So we just... go and do it, maybe remove it without Branwyn there to voice an opinion? That doesn't feel in character for mine. There's the ties she has to it, too, with the Dream Mage stuff going on, and our earlier hints of it. So no, I don't want to do this one at all. If we're rank choice voting, it's technically 1 pt, but if I can give it negatives, I would. There's too much baggage with this choice, and too much that doesn't feel right to do without Lisa.

And not related to that, over the next few weeks of this comfort era campaign, we'll need to consider those things we don't think about ourselves as it was handled for us: making duplicate healing potions, what items we'd want to take wherever we're going, who holds the spyglass, things of that sort. But I'm not quite ready to handle that yet.

Edit: And after posting this, no lie, I'm really battling if Island is maybe more of my want than Desert. Good thing we have weeks to decide, eh?

The reason being, that again, Lisa did so much of the heavy lifting, especially in regards to keeping track of all the things we've gathered over the years. Someone has to take over that if we stay. If we go to the Desert, we can pair down some of it. If we go to the Island, new Party Pack and Home Base and all. And call me pessimistic, but who is going to take over that? I feel like it's going to fall to me, and if that's true, I rather start completely fresh. Desert takes some of that load off, but it will still involve a bit of planning what we want to take with us. So truth be told, I'm no longer sure which choice is my first choice.

BOB 5-21-2023

Following up on starting conversations.

1 - This is OUR game.

Decisions like this sometimes come out more organically or need a more formal agreement. The group was tired of the constant slog for Skull Church, and then the rebuild after that. So we went with the Cosmological Quandries. When the boat trip portion of Searching for Alexandria felt too long we skipped over it on the return. Most players openly expressed a desire for a comfort era so we are moving into that next.

2 - This choice is made ignoring Lisa

In the best way possible. :) Just like Mario, John, Ryan, Fritz, Mike, and Lorie people leave the game for various reasons. Everyone knows they have the ability to leave for a week, a month, a year or ten and then return to the game. Mario left and came back after a decade to a very different game dynamic then it was prior. He really enjoyed it for quite a while, then he felt it was time to step away again. The players at the table make the game. Making choices based on "if someone returns" or "I have a friend who would join if we do X" rarely works out in the long term.

3 - The current characters would stay if restarting is chosen

The current characters would still be in Dragon Fen if the choice is to restart with new characters, 1st level, in the Island Kingdoms. Just like Ilero, Kenna, Snee, and the more entwined people around them like Jilly, Sundown, Gerry, etc. They are not frozen, life moves on. Kenna actually went up in level after Spring retired her because of the tithes her church is collecting. Branwyn and Ilero have gained XP from the taxes they take in etc. If this option is chosen the players should think more about it as moving the current characters off stage and out of the spotlight. Just like there are threads for Thistle to continue her story, there is already a set of threads for Dragon Fen Conversations. People could continue to write and interact at their 'old' characters while playing the new young ones off on a beach somewhere.

4 - Restarting can be fun, but it does not have to happen

Restarting at 1st level brings lots of newness to the group, (I would give everyone one extra chance at a treasure roll to start with for their starting character) but it will also mean more work/thought about those characters. You have well developed characters now, do you want to give that up (see note 3 above though) to build a new beautiful pirate queen? There are lots of stories to still be told with the current characters as Michael and Lemon both pointed out to Lorie.

5 - (how much more can he write?) We have time

We have time to think about and explore what the next Era after this one will be like. We are playing May 26th and June 2nd then a two week break. Then we play again June 16th and June 23rd. Use this Intermediate Era to discover what you think about quieter small adventures. Try writing in the threads when not playing live. See how things evolve.

6 - (apparently more) The characters will not all get good resolutions no matter what

Will Talwin want to rest on the knowledge that he is only the 4th person in the world to reach this pinnacle of skill? What does it mean to use that skill? Face greater and greater dangers? Become a side show by putting on exhibitions? Use that ability to be the "guardian of the north" for the Protectorate? Will Licornah decide to give up a quest to find her home plane? Build a shrine to help cure the Mist Sickness she finds so wrong. Or does she decide to help foster new growth in the Wastes and build something that reminds her of home, she has centuries to decide. Will Bixi want to go out again now that she (will) has a garden and tea shop? Rae establishes her match making seance glitter palace. Will she want to leave after that?

Ending the Intermediate Era and moving to the next Era will leave characters with multiple choices.

We have Time

5/21 Carissa

Some replies regarding BOB's post and some further clarifying.

1. When I say "pause", I don't mean they don't change and grow and all that. Sorry, I forget you all can't (thankfully) read my mind. I meant it as BOB puts it: moving to IC. They are "paused" in that they aren't going on some grand BOB specified adventure. They are there for us to still do what we want with them albeit online. If we want to still interact with those more tied to that area like Jilly, then we can still do that.

2. This is some of my frustration from Friday. This is NOT like losing another player. Losing anyone should NOT be like losing the same person. We should never treat it as a bucket of same. That's the great thing about this game: everyone brings something different and losing one person should never, ever be treated like the same as losing someone else. Each loss is different and should be recognized as such. Losing John again was hard, but it wasn't the same as losing Mario. And losing John and Mario are absolutely not the same caliber as losing Lisa. Please don't tell me to treat it as such or treat it as the same. Don't tell me you understand how I am going to process this because I process each loss differently because each loss is, and should always be, different.

It is an adjustment no matter who leaves the game. It will always be, but some adjustments and changes will be bigger and harder. We need to recognize this. This is not trying to convince anyone to come back or going forward pretending they'll come back. We should not make decisions based on those people, I agree, BUT not all our minds work the same. Just like how I had to write a novel to come to terms with Shi's death and yet Lisa was fine with just processing Indigo's death IC. That's absolutely fine. Everyone's mind works wonderfully different. BUT this means that I have to keep her characters in mind with my decisions. This is a me thing. When it came to Mario leaving, I had to find a way to work around that with Shi. With John, as with some others in the years I have played, my characters didn't have the same relationships to where it was easier for me to accept, "Ok, that person is gone, moving on." So yes, I know player loss, but it is different. Please respect that for me.

3. BOB makes a great point. This game is ever, constantly evolving. The dynamic of the past is not the dynamic of the present nor the dynamic of the future. I've seen some of this change myself. And on that point, I think we also really need to acknowledge that the GM is allowed to evolve and change with the game, too. And he has. This is what's great. Will the BOB of the future make the same decisions as the past? I sure as Hell hope not. That means he hasn't learned from his mistakes and his players. So remember that when thinking about the choices. We do not nor should not fully expect to know what BOB has planned for us. One thing that hasn't changed is that he likes to surprise us, so go in weighing something new and different and surprising no matter which choice you prefer.

4. This is all still very new, raw, and fresh. It will take time for me to process. Replying on here with my thoughts is how I'm processing this big change. I will probably have a lot more to say over the next days especially. What I think now won't necessarily be what I think later. If I say something that doesn't quite make sense, ask me to clarify or wait for me to clarify as I am doing right now. Call me out on it. That's another hole that needs filling. Who's willing to call out BOB and me for things we say? :P

5. And, yes, above all, WE HAVE TIME. And we need it. You know the old saying of "sleep on it" before you make a decision. We definitely need that which is great. Now, I do think BOB doesn't fully understand how flighty Rae can be and how maybe she might want to expand her glitter séance empire emporium to the desert. I can work with what I got. Or not. Some of us are very flexible, and some of us are not. But we have time to decide our flexibility and comfort level. We have time to talk this out as we should. It IS our game, but it's a game that needs to take everyone's thoughts and feelings into account.

5/21 Lemon

These are all good points, and thank you for sharing your thoughts. After reading these, and seeing Lorie say that she hadn't felt like her character accomplished much yet, I'm wondering does anyone have anything that they DO really want to do with their current characters? Things that couldn't be done on the site, things that need the group? Like if we hadn't gotten Michael's sword mastery, that would be something he would want his character to accomplish, and he would want the group for that. So I'm wondering if people have any goals in mind that they want to try and achieve before they are ready to consider moving to a new place or starting over? Bixi just wants to set up a tea shop close to Rae... and maybe try and think of some pranks to drive Yout away, but I don't expect that to succeed. But all of that can easily be done on site. I don't need the whole group for that, just Carissa, and maybe BOB. I don't really have any goals for Daph right now... all she wanted was to be an adventurer and travel with the Story Teller, and she got that. And she died for that. So she could easily just want to return home now. But if anyone DOES have something they want to accomplish, and that might help them make a move or a restart easier, then please share, because I would love to help everyone achieve the goals they have for their characters.

5/22 Carissa

My current plans for the comfort era, and where my characters are currently at with their goals in life:

  1. Raelynn opens her tea shop with Bixi. She'll also want to offer matchmaking services, but like with her story with Thistle, she also wants to offer her version of therapy. I think she'll work up to that with the idealistic find a match as initial goal and then realize that some of her customers definitely need a bit more help with themselves. Again, Tea Monk. Maybe with seances where necessary. She can also organize the room scroll as we slowly work through items during this era.
  2. N'laea will focus on veterinary medicine things. Mostly wildlife rehabilitation, but she may be convinced to go help that farmer with a ketonic cow. If Talwin insists, she may do some language teaching to others as well.

Neither of them need much from the group with exception to the already planned collaboration between Bixi and Raelynn. N'laea is a wanderer who will go where her god tells her while Raelynn is flightly and will do what she fanciers whether that's the traveling tea service, trying to sell more glitter lotion, all, or neither, or whatever.

21 May – Lorie

Thanks all for giving me a few days to work through things in my head and I think I’m finally ready to put something down for discussion.

First, I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the fact that Lisa and her NPCs were for the most part able to retire intact. In BOB’s world, this is a rare feat. Congratulations to her – and wishing her happiness as she steps away, and I hope she decides to return to us.

Given that most of us are non-human, remaining in the mist is not ideal – I don’t want to be rolling for sickness anymore than I have to… and I’m not sure anyone else does. The mist had some defensive benefits, but since Lisa and crew have retired, it is probably not appropriate for us to use as homebase. No matter what, we’re more than likely going to pull up stakes and relocate, so we’ll need to have a move party and talk about party pack maintenance. John, Christy and I all shared that responsibility before so I’m happy to help with that maintenance as well.

Next, the question is, what about the rest of us? For some of you, you’ve never known this game without Lisa and you’re grieving the loss of a strong player and contributor. I understand that and you have my empathy. Thankfully, this wasn’t a TPK, and many of the core players are still here and ready to play, albeit, working through that grieving process. So, what do we (or can we) do?

Carissa (thank you!) did a nice job summarizing:

  1. Desert – I’m not sure how I feel about this area. It certainly would be a departure from the areas we normally explore as a group. I’m guessing Yout needs to go back to the Reagent there at some point as well.
  2. Island – Right now, I am not relishing the thought of rolling a level 1 character and creating a backstory. Even though the Island Kingdoms is a land of lore. BOB used to thre…errr, offer it to us as a compromise to give up Thedd / Wolfspack. Robert (the pirate at heart he is) was often tempted.
  3. Underdark – I’m a Forgotten Realms nerd at Heart. It’s by far my favorite AD&D campaign world; however, I haven’t actually played in the FR that often. The Underdark is more than Lloth and the Drow. I feel like because of Baldur, people perceive FR a certain way, but it’s so much more expansive that just one or two towns.
  4. Character development / growth:
    1. Bixi wants to set up a Tea Shop – great! Where? Our levels can help with building (unless she finds something to take over)
    2. Rae wants to set up an herbalism apothecary shop – great where?
    3. Does Zayden want to set up a pub next to the Tea Shop / Apothecary and sing for his supper every evening?
      1. NOTE: If these three wants to go into business, do we need to setup in a town to let them raise the funds they want? Craigh could be the MAYOR and Lanek the town enforcer :: laughs ::
    4. What does Lanek need to do?
    5. Now that Talwin is fancy with his sword, what’s next?
    6. When we get Craigh back, what is he seeking?
    7. Licornah – Given that she’s a healy priest who grew up in the suburbs of a large city on a riverbank, and now resides on a different plane, she’s eager to see the world. She’s not interested in being trapped on a boat (whilst she likes the water just fine, she comes without swimming or water-combat skills). She’s not looking for romance or drama. Her deity doesn’t require a church. She’s looking to learn and grow whilst exploring. She’d like to see the other side of the Vampires. Maybe some followers will eventually catch on to the fun and excitement that is Lurue and join her. Honestly, since she joined, they have been off-plane and on the water, but she hasn’t seen that much. (Lorie would like to revisit some of the older areas to see what ev…errr, wonders have befallen them. BOB’s world has consequences).
    8. I also believe we have a standing offer of Tea in the Sahara (errr, dinner with Mr. White?) -- we could start there to mark it off the to-do list
      1. NOTE: Lorie thinks and talks in song lyrics often – if it goes over your head, let me know 😊
  5. Other Debts / Quests to mark off the list - Since I rejoined the campaign, a lot of the work was done to help resolve items on the proverbial “to-do” list or pay off debts and help characters meet achievement. Do we have any of those from the remaining characters we need to address? Now would be an ideal time to get those resolved.

When I created Licornah, she was designed initially to be a secondary character, and a healer, because (a) there are a LOT of people at the table (NPCs included) (b) it seemed like we needed a healer and (c) there were a lot of folks wanting to drive the Campaign and given that I’d just returned, I’d let others lead. Given the wonders of the Combat Tracker, she tends to be almost at the end of the line – so I’m often wondering what to do given that combat healing isn’t ideal and she’s not very strong or dexterous. That probably seems like I’m not doing anything and for that I’m sorry. I’ve asked for suggestions and often it seems like I hear a variation of “do something” – and I’m just at a loss what that is, so I hold. I’ll try and step up a bit more in this respect. I have to say that being a secondary character, while important, has been a struggle for me, but it’s good learning.

Also, when I used to play in BOB’s world, we played on Saturdays. I find after working all week, Friday nights leave me with less energy. I’m spent by the time we hit 10pm. My job is a lot more demanding than when I played before. I’m trying naps before the game to help me push through – especially given that most of you aren’t in the ET zone. Sometimes when I’m quiet, it’s because I’m conserving energy to make it through the evening. I hate to drop in mid-combat or strategy discussion, but some nights, I just have no more in the tank.

I’ve been playing a variation of D&D / AD&D since I was a sophomore in high school. I’ve been fortunate to make a lot of friends from all over through the enjoyment of the game. I’ve played in person, I’ve played at Conventions, I’ve played via AOL, I’ve played through other online formats. I have a pile of dice that makes a lot of folks cry (ask me about my friends lemon drop and butter rum), and I’ve been fortunate to meet many of the authors and creators that have made the game what it is. I’ve had lots and lots of highlights (ask me about being a red dracolich at GenCon) and sadly, seen a lot of friends walk away. I’m fortunate to add this group to the new friends. (Well minus BOB and Spring since I’ve known them both since wayyyyy back :: laughs ::).

5/22 Carissa

Just a few thoughts, clarification, and background for the moment:

5/22/23 - TMO

As for the potential new scenarios, I like them all. Reset in the islands? Sure! New characters galore! Head to the desert? My personal D&D campaign is set in Egypt, it'll be amusing to see Bob's take on a desert campaign. End The Mist? I'm going to guess it'll end with an encounter with Strahd. ;) Whatever y'all want to do, I'm up for it. I can try to be the new central PC, or I can be support.

5/23/23 - Lemon

First of all, a little bit about where I'm at/coming from. Bixi has been pretty clear about wanting to build her house/shop/garden near the inn, so that she has potential to grow things that can't be grown in the mist. Provided, of course, that Gerry agrees to it. If he doesn't, she's fine with wherever. I'm pretty sure some NPC said that they could set Bixi up with a cottage somewhere, due to her service to Branywn, or something like that. (My memory is trash. And one of the reasons I mourn losing Lisa is her amazing memory for game stuff.) But Bixi is not mist-aversive. She grew up in the mist, and until meeting up with the group, had never been outside of it. She's used to it, AND she's been pretty luck with her mist rolls, so there's no reason for her to want to avoid it.

But what I think we are all kind of failing to consider as much as we should, is what we as PLAYERS want to do, not what our CHARACTERS want to do. Yes, that is also important, but it shouldn't supercede us as players. When I asked what our character goals were, I just wanted to know, like, does anyone have any unfinished business that is holding them back from making a decision as an OOC PLAYER. Like if MICHAEL thought going to the islands would be fun, but TALWIN has some unfinished business with some guy who owes him money... then let's knock that out so it doesn't have to effect what the player wants to do. The reason that I, as a player, want to leave the mist, is because Lisa's characters are a big deal there. They're very well known. It's going to be weird adventuring in the same area and having NPCs asking about Lisa's characters, and even WEIRDER if they suddenly STOP asking about her characters. Branwyn and Indigo specifically seem to be pretty famous in this area, and have a lot of history there. Part of the appeal for leaving the area for me is that it will be fresh NPCs for the most part, and we'll be making our own, new history, and not having to keep up with what might be going on with characters who are not currently active. I don't, in any way, feel like we HAVE to leave, I just want to.

I also feel like we might want/need more clarification from BOB about the potential next era. Lorie said Yout probably needs to go back to the Reagent. Does he? Carissa said underdark might involve worse mist. Will it? What can you tell us (without giving too much away) that might help us make informed decisions about what will be the most fun for the most people?

I also realize that a lot more discussion will have to be held in FG during game time, because not everyone reads the site. (Not calling anyone out by name here... LEMON!) But if we can figure out as much information as possible before that, then maybe we can avoid rehashing the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and... not that we've done that before...

The rest of the things I have to say are kind of specific, so I'm going to do my best with quoting and making it readable, but if someone (Carissa) wants to come in and adjust the formatting, please feel free. (Done - CB).

Lorie: # Desert – I’m not sure how I feel about this area. It certainly would be a departure from the areas we normally explore as a group.
Is there any information that BOB could give you that could help you figure out your feelings on this? Do you want a departure from the norm, or are you interested in playing a game that is comforting and familiar? What makes the game fun for you?

Lorie: # Island – Right now, I am not relishing the thought of rolling a level 1 character and creating a backstory.
I kind of understand the not wanting to start at level 1 thing. I personally love starting over, and do it in my sandbox games frequently, but I can see why others might not like to. But as for the backstory thing, don't let that stop you. When I was making Bixi, I was told multiple times to not worry about a backstory, that I could create it as I go. I STILL don't know Bixi's full backstory, and that hasn't held me (or her) back.

Lorie: people perceive FR a certain way, but it’s so much more expansive that just one or two towns.
Can you expand on this?

Lorie: When I created Licornah, she was designed initially to be a secondary character, and a healer, because (a) there are a LOT of people at the table (NPCs included) (b) it seemed like we needed a healer and (c) there were a lot of folks wanting to drive the Campaign and given that I’d just returned, I’d let others lead. Given the wonders of the Combat Tracker, she tends to be almost at the end of the line – so I’m often wondering what to do given that combat healing isn’t ideal and she’s not very strong or dexterous. That probably seems like I’m not doing anything and for that I’m sorry. I’ve asked for suggestions and often it seems like I hear a variation of “do something” – and I’m just at a loss what that is, so I hold. I’ll try and step up a bit more in this respect. I have to say that being a secondary character, while important, has been a struggle for me, but it’s good learning.
My main point here is going to be that you should be playing what YOU want to play. Do you WANT to be playing a healer? Do you like it? The only person who is limiting you here is you. We don't really ever NEED a specific character, and if we do, BOB can throw an NPC in to fill that role. He's always been very vocal about people making their decisions based on what sounds fun to that person, not what they think other people want them to be playing, and I agree with that philosophy. As far as leaders... I don't think anyone was leading specifically. I think it tended to fall to Lisa and Carissa because they did the most homework and planning. I, as a lazy slug who does not like doing research, frequently would defer to them in decision making not because they were the leaders, but because I knew they had done their homework and were making an informed decision. Also, I'm not sure what you mean by secondary... do you mean it in an OOC sense, or an IC sense? Are you, as a player, trying to keep Licornah out of the spotlight? If so, why? Are you enjoying that? If not, why are you doing it? If you mean in an IC sense she's secondary... again, why? Are you enjoying it? If not, change it. No one has categorized Licornah as secondary except you, so if it's not working for you, change it. If that's a challenge you want to give yourself, and you are enjoying the challenge of it, then keep going. If you're not, then change something.

Carissa: It's no one's fault that she had such a well-developed character, and one who was around so long, that the stories were easier to work around her.
I can't comment much on Ilero, that was before my time, but I think another reason why it was easy to plan things around Lisa was that she was very reliable. She was on time, and always paying attention. I'm not, lol. I'm never on time, due to work schedule, and there's a good chunk of the time where I'm not paying attention. I do try to use the AFK button when I know I'm going to be busy for a bit, or try to let someone know if I am having personal problems that are preventing me from focusing, or whatever, but the point is, I'm not always paying attention. So I don't really want or expect a storyline where I'm the main event, because I may not be up for it when it gets important. And if I'm being blunt... NONE of us that are currently playing are as reliable as Lisa, both in the sense of being there for the full time, and paying attention for the whole time we are there. It's going to be a learning curve for all of us now, I think, trying to figure out how to do things without having that 100% reliable PC around.

Carissa: Related to that, we could have and maybe still could find some ways to revisit some older areas much like the Alexandria Adventure was something for every character, but given that it's rarely fun to revisit the past unless you're the one wearing those rose-tinted nostalgia glasses, I'd want it to be tied into other stories, stop on the way to somewhere, rather than a whole campaign itself so it wouldn't fall into the unfun slog categories BOB mentioned in his post.
I mostly agree with this. I have given it quite a bit of thought, and while visiting the older areas would be new to me, having not been there before, I still think it would be a lot of what I want to avoid. A lot of asking after characters I don't know and talking about events I've never heard of. Probably fun to catch up if you know those things, but it would be tough to make it interesting to everyone, I think. Going somewhere far away and exotic with a whole new ecosystem is way more interesting to me, personally.

Carissa:Knowing in advance helps us plan, and I know from experience, it isn't fun to play when you're exhausted. I also know the group will be fine if I have to step away early some nights, especially if I give them a heads-up to plan around that. We all have busy lives. It happens.
100% agree with ALL OF THIS. There have been times when I've had to step away, even mid-combat, due to anxiety, needing a nap, not feeling well... any number of things. And everyone has always been super supportive, and I hope that I've also been able to be supportive when others are needing to step away. And if that ever changes, and someone is trying to give people a hard time about having a life, and priorities, and feelings, and health issues... well, I will kindly ask BOB to kick that jerk out, and lead a strike if he doesn't.

TMO: Whatever y'all want to do, I'm up for it. I can try to be the new central PC, or I can be support.
I kind of already touched on this, but I think it's worth saying again. What does TMO as a PLAYER want to do? I get that your characters are in a state of versatility right now, but what does TMO want to do? Could I come up with a reason why Bixi and Daph would WANT to go to the desert with Yout? Sure I could. But Lemon doesn't particularly want to do that. So what does TMO want? (Keep in mind, I'm not saying TMO will GET what he wants, but it might be helpful to know... if for no other reason than just so we can relentlessly hassle him about not getting what he wanted.)

Book over.

For now.

I think. Might remember something I posted in the original and forgot here and write another book, but we'll see. An hour and a half is WAY past my homework limit for a week.

BOB's continuing thoughts

Lorie - Has always been a strong willed person and I am certain Lorie will be stepping up to be more guiding as part of the group, that does not mean that Licornah will be.

TMO - Has always does his part to be a part of the group that was needed. Now missing Branwyn he gets to play Craigh as a mage that has more power (is the hope) and can lead help from that side of magic.

Sharif - Is showing he can be flexible and just show up and quickly grasp where the group is and what he needs to do with a quick question.

Spring - Has always been there steady in the background able to contribute to the group with what ever character is tossed at them.

Michael - Knows his strengths as a player and understands what he lacks from the times he misses. His "what do you want me to do" is not just 'I have no idea what the group is doing' but is also a 'I will do what ever the group wants from me right now to make things right'.

Lemon - Know far more than she thinks she does. Lemon is perfectly able to run complex characters given enough time and space to really grasp what they are capable of.

Carissa - Knows what she wants out of our game, knows how to pull things from people, and knows that when she is using up her reserves of energy to depend on others to take up the slack.

We are spending some TIME in our Intermediate Era so that everyone gets to establish their character's back home. If that home is temporary or permanent. The group will spend two sessions, take two sessions off, work for two sessions to make sure that this group of Players accomplishes what they think their Characters want to complete. Then we will step (maybe not after those two sessions but eventually) into a new Era.

To help clarify what those three option are.

1 - Island Kingdoms. Starting over. Everyone rolls a 1st level character and you are starting with fresh ideas, clear eyes and everyone is building together. Like TMO and Lisa did with Dragon Fen (with many other Players over the last 13+ years) building up a home and a tight knit group of stories. It is the traditional start to a campaign, with everyone helping each other survive the dangers of being low level.

2 - The Desert. Everyone keeps the characters they want, and you get transported to a complicated adventure in the desert. Then you make your way home to Dragon Fen in a long overland/over sea journey that will be the building of new bonds between the characters and new ones that Players create as some of them die. It is a classic adventure of head off to a mystical place, loot the treasure and then return home.

3 - The Underdark. This is a more complicated adventure. The reason you go on this one is to start the path of eliminating The Mist. You go in search of an artifact that you think will help you on that quest. You are deciding that The Mist needs to be 'defeated' and so you are starting on that path. That does not mean you will complete it, you might go partway down and decide, nope nope nope, let's go play with banshees instead. It is the high level hard adventure lined up.

The Island Kingdoms will always be there (until you use it) as the default backup for the group if everyone dies in a horrible battle/rocks fall everyone dies sort of encounter. You can choose to take that and know the characters you have now will be safe and continuing a happy life in the background. Or it can be there when everything goes wrong and the mummy rot removes all hope from the last character dying of thirst at the oasis that has dried up.

For now I am working on being ready to help you all make Dragon Fen more of a home.

TMO - 2023-05-25

TMO: Whatever y'all want to do, I'm up for it. I can try to be the new central PC, or I can be support.
I kind of already touched on this, but I think it's worth saying again. What does TMO as a PLAYER want to do? I get that your characters are in a state of versatility right now, but what does TMO want to do? Could I come up with a reason why Bixi and Daph would WANT to go to the desert with Yout? Sure I could. But Lemon doesn't particularly want to do that. So what does TMO want? (Keep in mind, I'm not saying TMO will GET what he wants, but it might be helpful to know... if for no other reason than just so we can relentlessly hassle him about not getting what he wanted.)

At this point in time, TMO has no specific wants that help define where this campaign goes. He wants to have fun with his friends. Craigh may be a part of that future, maybe not. That is currently out of TMO's hands.

We may be at a point where no one has any specific desires in any one direction or another. If so, then let's just keep on in the current direction. Either we'll mesh and something good will happen, or we'll decide "Meh, I like this other idea better." I don't think we should force a choice just yet, if folks aren't feeling it. And, we haven't heard from everyone yet. Maybe one of the Lost has a desire that might guide us. Maybe one of their characters has a quest we can perform. Don't push yourselves into making a decision you'll regret later. Let's build a consensus.

Michael 26, May 2023

So, let me first regale you all with my feelings. Lisa gave me a kindly heads up after the session so I wasn't blindsided. Here are my thoughts. At least six years ago (Sorry, I've lost track of time badly), I was working two full-time jobs and going to school full time. I was a miserable angry bastard all the time with no sleep. In short, I probably looked like a heroin addicted badger during this time. I distanced myself from most of my friends and even my family.

Then, one day my mother introduced me to Lisa, and through her I met you guys, and I don't say this lightly, you guys made my life somewhat happy again. I had lost any real desire to do anything fun while I just kind of drudged through literally shitty years of the decade. And, having something to look forward to made those years somewhat bearable. In a very real way, while I (we) haven't truly lost Lisa, for me it hit pretty hard. At this point, you guys are actual family. We don't always get along, and have some bumpy rocks in the road, but that's family for you.

So here me when I say, I don't have any desire to stay in the mist any longer than I have to. I don't want to make characters/players who want to spend time with those story arcs disappointed, just that it will be uncomfortable for me. I am happy to help out until next "era" just don't really have much more interest in the mist, even if I lost Talwins final goal for much of those years. Yes, it will absolutely suck. But, at the same time, as a player I would be happier not really being tied to this place anymore.

In September, I will have one job and no more school. If no one else becomes more integrated with the game and we need additional help here and there, I am happy to help as I am able as I intend to be more guaranteed to be in the game. I don't make promises I can't keep, but I do intend to help however I can.

If desert involves the same characters, I am not as interested.

Underdark? It just seems a little...well...as dumb as it sounds, kind of dark, dank, and not very uplifting, and the thought of islands just makes me perk up a bit. Its a new chance to just be something completely different.

Nevertheless, I want us to be happy because happy players make for memorable sessions and good memories. If others want to do the Desert or the Underdark, or hell even stay in the Mist, I can make it work.

Bob, I won't lie. Starting over completely from scratch makes me want to bang my head into my desk, but as someone who has restarted Subnautica more times than I can count, it doesn't bother me all too much.

So that was a long-winded way 0f stating my feelings. I know I haven't been in the last couple of sessions because of life stuff. But, I'm making an effort to be more present. I know we all can make this work and that Lisa will pop in when she wants. I really wanted to thank Lisa again for introducing me to my extended family who I usually like more than my actual family ;)

As I met the rest of you over the years, I know I irritated people, but I always have your backs if you need it. I'll pop-in this week and we can find out where everyone stands. Thanks everyone!

5/27 Carissa

Michael, I know we definitely had a big bump in the road, but if I haven't said it yet, I am immensely grateful we found a way over it and that you're still here and playing with us especially nearly eight years later.

After reading this, I think you hit the nail on the head. We're doing Comfort Era now which... okay, not pleased that first night of that was freakin' building stuff and math and only a little roleplay. I'm glad we had the Craigh part, but it wasn't a very "comforting" session as I imagined it. And I'm realizing that what I want, too, is uplifting. That's it. I want a fun, uplifting long era to make me want to hang around and hang out. I want surprise, and intrigue, and fun twists. Not death and destruction and darkness. I want as happy an ending as we can get for the moment.

The Underdark is hard and dark. Again, that's a hard no for me. Maybe some day in the future, but certainly not at this time.

The Islands is still a toss-up. Knowing we can do this at any time is nice to keep in mind. Still unsure about giving up my current characters, but again, easier to talk me into it. Don't write it off yet.

The Desert seems like a good middle-ground. Some can get new characters, some can keep their characters. We can still visit the Islands on this route. But Bob tossing in his mummy rot comment makes me a little uncertain. I do like that we can explore many other parts of the world heading this way. I like that it wouldn't be linear and has more chances for the side quests and stories. I think it has the most potential. But I don't want difficult or sad. I want uplifting, maybe challenging at times, but not too challenging like Hell or the Court of Thanes. As Bob said, I know what I want from this game. I want good stories and I want to not stress half the time I am playing. If this game was pure RP, I'd be happy. If this game was pure combat, I wouldn't be here anymore. Bob makes a good mix most of the time, but I lean towards the storytelling, always.

My only other thought in regards to the desert is Bob's primary way to get us there is that cube power amulet quest. My characters would be meh about it. They'd have gone if Branwyn indicated it, but will they choose to go do that on their own? Probably not. They're elves. What do they care? What do I care? So Bob will need a good, compelling hook here for me.

And I've debating saying anything, but after a few comments here and last night, finally going to put it here. It hasn't been for too long, but I'm doing volunteer work with hospice. Two things for helping others handle big grief:

  1. Validation, not understanding. Understanding may work to form a connection in more minor losses, but in a big loss, that's a quick way to have them wall you off. They want validation for their feelings. It isn't about you. It isn't about what you feel. You don't know how they feel even if you think otherwise. They just want to feel their feelings. Let them feel them. Not every feeling needs a comment or opinion.
  2. Don't tell them to get over it. They don't need reminders that someone dear to them left. Good lord they know that, and they will take however long they need to come to terms with it. Reminding them that life is different is not helpful. That does not help them adjust. They damn well know it. So don't do that.

I don't want to shut down. I don't want to not look forward to Fridays. I'm not really looking for comments here. I just want you to know where I am coming from still so I can accept the present. It has been a very raw, emotional month for me for outside reasons as well. I know I am a bit snippy right now. There is a big responsibility shift happening in addition to the fact that I am still processing. I will get there in my own time.